Associations Between Air Pollution Exposure and Empirically Derived Profiles of Cognitive Performance in Older Women

Background: Elucidating associations between exposures to ambient air pollutants and profiles of cognitive performance may provide insight into neurotoxic effects on the aging brain. Objective: We examined associations between empirically derived profiles of cognitive performance and residential concentrations of particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in older women. Method: Women (N = 2,142) from the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging completed a neuropsychological assessment measuring attention, visuospatial, language, and episodic memory abilities. Average yearly concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 were estimated at the participant’s addresses for the 3 years prior to the assessment. Latent profile structural equation models identified subgroups of women exhibiting similar profiles across tests. Multinomial regressions examined associations between exposures and latent profile classification, controlling for covariates. Result: Five latent profiles were identified: low performance across multiple domains (poor multi-domain; n = 282;13%), relatively poor verbal episodic memory (poor memory; n = 216; 10%), average performance across all domains (average multi-domain; n = 974; 45%), superior memory (n = 381; 18%), and superior attention (n = 332; 15%). Using women with average cognitive ability as the referent, higher PM2.5 (per interquartile range [IQR] = 3.64μg/m3) was associated with greater odds of being classified in the poor memory (OR = 1.29; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.10–1.52) or superior attention (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.10–1.53) profiles. NO2 (per IQR = 9.86 ppb) was associated with higher odds of being classified in the poor memory (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.17–1.63) and lower odds of being classified with superior memory (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.67–0.97). Conclusion: Exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 are associated with patterns of cognitive performance characterized by worse verbal episodic memory relative to performance in other domains.

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Poorer Visual Acuity Is Associated with Declines in Cognitive Performance Across Multiple Cognitive Domains: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617718000358 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 746-754 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter J. Dearborn ◽

Merrill F. Elias ◽

Kevin J. Sullivan ◽

Cara E. Sullivan ◽

Michael A. Robbins

Keyword(s):

Visual Acuity ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Verbal Episodic Memory

AbstractObjectives: Prior studies have found associations between visual acuity (VA) and cognitive function. However, these studies used a limited range of cognitive measures and did not control for cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVD-RFs) and baseline function. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the associations of VA and cognitive performance using a thorough neuropsychological test battery. Methods: This study used community-dwelling sample data across the sixth (2001–2006) and seventh (2006–2010) waves of the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (n=655). Wave 6 VA as measured by the Snellen Eye Test was the primary predictor of wave 6 and wave 7 Global cognitive performance, Visual-Spatial Organization and Memory, Verbal Episodic Memory, Working Memory, Scanning and Tracking, and Executive Function. Additionally, VA was used to predict longitudinal changes in wave 7 cognitive performance (wave 6 performance adjusted). We analyzed these relationships with multiple linear and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, ethnicity, depressive symptoms, physical function deficits in addition to CVD-RFs, chronic kidney disease, homocysteine, continuous systolic blood pressure, and hypertension status. Results: Adjusted for demographic covariates and CVD-RFs, poorer VA was associated with concurrent and approximate 5-year declines in Global cognitive function, Visual-Spatial Organization and Memory, and Verbal Episodic Memory. Discussion: VA may be used in combination with other screening measures to determine risk for cognitive decline. (JINS, 2018, 24, 1–9)

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Ignoring floor and ceiling effects may underestimate the effect of carotid artery stenting on cognitive performance

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2014-011612 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 747-751 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Martin Scherr ◽

Alexander Kunz ◽

Anselm Doll ◽

Johannes Sebastian Mutzenbach ◽

Erasmia Broussalis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carotid Artery ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Cognitive Outcome ◽

Ceiling Effects ◽

Floor Effects ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact ◽

Verbal Episodic Memory

IntroductionData on neuropsychological outcome after carotid artery stenting (CAS) remain inconsistent, furthermore cognitive outcome seems to be unpredictable in the individual case. Previous studies reporting improvement or decline might be due to ceiling and floor effects of the applied cognitive tests. We applied cognitive testing before and after CAS, avoiding the pitfall of ceiling and floor effects.MethodsIn our prospective database, we identified 72 patients free of clinical stroke with ≥70% carotid artery stenosis, who were treated with CAS. They were administered a neurocognitive test battery before and 3 months after CAS to compare cognitive performance before and after CAS. To avoid ceiling and floor effects of test performances, we additionally analysed subgroups of patients without baseline floor and ceiling cognitive performance.ResultsPre-interventional to post-interventional cognitive performance improved significantly in the subtests measuring verbal episodic memory; deterioration was observed in spatial memory. The subgroups of patients without baseline floor and ceiling cognitive performance improved in measures of global cognition, verbal episodic memory (patients with left-sided CAS) and divided attention (patients with right-sided CAS); we observed no significant effects in the other domains.ConclusionsIgnoring floor and ceiling effects may underestimate the impact of CAS on cognitive performance.

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Ambient Air Pollution and Long-Term Trajectories of Episodic Memory Decline among Older Women in the WHIMS-ECHO Cohort

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp7668 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 129 (9) ◽

pp. 097009

Author(s):

Xinhui Wang ◽

Diana Younan ◽

Andrew J. Petkus ◽

Daniel P. Beavers ◽

Mark A. Espeland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Older Women ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Memory Decline

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Birth Cohorts and Cognitive Reserve Influence Cognitive Performances in Older Adults

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-215044 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Valérie Turcotte ◽

Olivier Potvin ◽

Mahsa Dadar ◽

Carol Hudon ◽

Simon Duchesne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Semantic Memory ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Cohort Differences ◽

Total Brain ◽

Occupational Complexity ◽

Verbal Episodic Memory

Background: Evidence suggests birth cohort differences in cognitive performance of older adults. Proxies of cognitive reserve (CR), such as educational attainment and occupational complexity, could also partly account for these differences as they are influenced by the sociocultural environment of the birth cohorts. Objective: To predict cognitive performance using birth cohorts and CR and examine the moderating influence of CR on cognitive performance and structural brain health association. Methods: Using ADNI data (n = 1628), four birth cohorts were defined (1915–1928; 1929–1938; 1939–1945; 1946–1964). CR proxies were education, occupational complexity, and verbal IQ. We predicted baseline cognitive performances (verbal episodic memory; language and semantic memory; attention capacities; executive functions) using multiple linear regressions with CR, birth cohorts, age, structural brain health (total brain volume; total white matter hyperintensities volume) and vascular risk factors burden as predictors. Sex and CR interactions were also explored. Results: Recent birth cohorts, higher CR, and healthier brain structures predicted better performance in verbal episodic memory, language and semantic memory, and attention capacities, with large effect sizes. Better performance in executive functions was predicted by a higher CR and a larger total brain volume, with a small effect size. With equal score of CR, women outperformed men in verbal episodic memory and language and semantic memory in all cohorts. Higher level of CR predicted better performance in verbal episodic memory, only when total brain volume was lower. Conclusion: Cohort differences in cognitive performance favor more recent birth cohorts and suggests that this association may be partly explained by proxies of CR.

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Inflammatory Markers May Inform the Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Cognition in Patients with Depression

Neuropsychobiology ◽

10.1159/000515931 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Jan-Baptist Belge ◽

Linda Van Diermen ◽

Bernard Sabbe ◽

Manuel Morrens ◽

Violette Coppens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Autobiographic Memory ◽

Learning Test ◽

Verbal Episodic Memory

Introduction: The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the acute cognitive effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remain poorly understood. Prior research has shown that proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-β, and IL-10 may interfere with cognitive functioning. Interestingly, immunomodulation is one of the proposed modes of action of ECT. This study investigates whether changes of peripheral levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-β, and IL-10 are related to changes in cognitive functioning following ECT. Methods: In the week before and 1 week after an acute course of ECT, 62 patients suffering from depression underwent a neuropsychological evaluation to assess their processing speed using the Symbol Digit Substitution Test (SDST), verbal episodic memory using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), and their retrospective autobiographic memory using the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) with the peripheral inflammatory markers being measured at the same 2 time points. Results: Patients improved drastically following ECT, while their main performance on both the HVLT-R and AMI declined and their SDST scores remained stable. The levels of IL-6 and IL1-β had both decreased, where the decrease in IL-6 was related to the decrease in HVLT-R scores. Higher baseline IL-10 levels were associated with a more limited decrease of the HVLT-R scores. Conclusion: Our findings tentatively suggest that the effects of ECT on verbal episodic memory may be related to the treatment’s immunomodulatory properties, most notably due to decreased IL-6 levels. Moreover, baseline IL-10 appears to be a potential biomarker to predict the effects of ECT on verbal episodic memory. Whilst compelling, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution as, due to its exploratory nature, no correction for multiple comparisons was made. Further, a replication in larger cohorts is warranted.

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VAMP-2 is a surrogate cerebrospinal fluid marker of Alzheimer-related cognitive impairment in adults with Down syndrome

Alzheimer s Research & Therapy ◽

10.1186/s13195-021-00861-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alberto Lleó ◽

Maria Carmona-Iragui ◽

Laura Videla ◽

Susana Fernández ◽

Bessy Benejam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Down Syndrome ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Synaptic Proteins ◽

Selected Reaction Monitoring ◽

Synaptic Protein ◽

Csf Levels ◽

Syntaxin 1B

Abstract Background There is an urgent need for objective markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cognitive impairment in people with Down syndrome (DS) to improve diagnosis, monitor disease progression, and assess response to disease-modifying therapies. Previously, GluA4 and neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) showed limited potential as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of cognitive impairment in adults with DS. Here, we compare the CSF profile of a panel of synaptic proteins (Calsyntenin-1, Neuroligin-2, Neurexin-2A, Neurexin-3A, Syntaxin-1B, Thy-1, VAMP-2) to that of NPTX2 and GluA4 in a large cohort of subjects with DS across the preclinical and clinical AD continuum and explore their correlation with cognitive impairment. Methods We quantified the synaptic panel proteins by selected reaction monitoring in CSF from 20 non-trisomic cognitively normal controls (mean age 44) and 80 adults with DS grouped according to clinical AD diagnosis (asymptomatic, prodromal AD or AD dementia). We used regression analyses to determine CSF changes across the AD continuum and explored correlations with age, global cognitive performance (CAMCOG), episodic memory (modified cued-recall test; mCRT) and CSF biomarkers, CSF Aβ42:40 ratio, CSF Aβ1-42, CSF p-tau, and CSF NFL. P values were adjusted for multiple testing. Results In adults with DS, VAMP-2 was the only synaptic protein to correlate with episodic memory (delayed recall adj.p = .04) and age (adj.p = .0008) and was the best correlate of CSF Aβ42:40 (adj.p = .0001), p-tau (adj.p < .0001), and NFL (adj.p < .0001). Compared to controls, mean VAMP-2 levels were lower in asymptomatic adults with DS only (adj.p = .02). CSF levels of Neurexin-3A, Thy-1, Neurexin-2A, Calysntenin-1, Neuroligin-2, GluA4, and Syntaxin-1B all strongly correlated with NPTX2 (p < .0001), which was the only synaptic protein to show reduced CSF levels in DS at all AD stages compared to controls (adj.p < .002). Conclusion These data show proof-of-concept for CSF VAMP-2 as a potential marker of synapse degeneration that correlates with CSF AD and axonal degeneration markers and cognitive performance.

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Thalamic Volume Mediates Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Memory in People With Parkinson’s

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1619 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 501-502

Author(s):

Andrew Petkus ◽

Megan Gomez ◽

Dawn Schiehser ◽

Vincent Filoteo ◽

Jennifer Hui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Vo2 Max ◽

Basal Ganglia Structures

Abstract Cognitive deficits occur in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with both current and future cognitive decline in this disease. The underlying neurobiological factors explaining this relationship, however, are not well known. In this cross-sectional study we examined the associations between CRF and cognitive performance and whether such associations were mediated by grey matter volumes of basal ganglia structures. A total of 33 individuals with PD underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), CRF evaluation (VO2max), and neuropsychological assessment. Composite scores of episodic memory, executive functioning, attention, language, and visuospatial functioning were generated. Brain MRI morphological measurements was performed with the Freesurfer image analysis suite. Structural equation models were constructed to examine whether sMRI volume estimates of basal ganglia structures, specifically the thalamus and pallidum, mediated associations between VO2 max and cognitive performance while adjusting for age, education, PD disease duration, sex, and intracranial volume. Higher VO2max was associated with better episodic memory (Standardized β=0.390; p=0.009), executive functioning (Standardized β=0.263; p=0.021), and visuospatial performance (β=0.408; p=0.004). Higher VO2max was associated with larger thalamic (Standardized β=0.602; p<0.001) and pallidum (Standardized β=0.539; p<0.001) volumes. Thalamic volume significantly mediated the association between higher VO2max and better episodic memory (indirect effect=0.209) and visuospatial ability (indirect effect=0.178) performance (p<.05). The pallidum did not significantly mediate associations between VO2 max and cognitive outcomes. These results suggest the thalamus plays an important role in the association between CRF episodic memory and visuospatial functioning in individuals with PD.

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Cognitive Subtyping in Schizophrenia: A Latent Profile Analysis

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa157 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Keane Lim ◽

Jason Smucny ◽

Deanna M Barch ◽

Max Lam ◽

Richard S E Keefe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Latent Profile Analysis ◽

Reference Group ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Cognitive Profiles ◽

Discovery Cohort ◽

Longitudinal Stability ◽

Disease Heterogeneity ◽

Independent Cohort ◽

Latent Profile

Abstract Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia. The subtyping of cognitive performance in schizophrenia may aid the refinement of disease heterogeneity. The literature on cognitive subtyping in schizophrenia, however, is limited by variable methodologies and neuropsychological tasks, lack of validation, and paucity of studies examining longitudinal stability of profiles. It is also unclear if cognitive profiles represent a single linear severity continuum or unique cognitive subtypes. Cognitive performance measured with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was analyzed in schizophrenia patients (n = 767). Healthy controls (n = 1012) were included as reference group. Latent profile analysis was performed in a schizophrenia discovery cohort (n = 659) and replicated in an independent cohort (n = 108). Longitudinal stability of cognitive profiles was evaluated with latent transition analysis in a 10-week follow-up cohort. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to investigate if cognitive profiles represent a unidimensional structure. A 4-profile solution was obtained from the discovery cohort and replicated in an independent cohort. It comprised of a “less-impaired” cognitive subtype, 2 subtypes with “intermediate cognitive impairment” differentiated by executive function performance, and a “globally impaired” cognitive subtype. This solution showed relative stability across time. CFA revealed that cognitive profiles are better explained by distinct meaningful profiles than a severity linear continuum. Associations between profiles and negative symptoms were observed. The subtyping of schizophrenia patients based on cognitive performance and its associations with symptomatology may aid phenotype refinement, mapping of specific biological mechanisms, and tailored clinical treatments.

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