Depression and Plasma pTau Levels Are Associated with Frailty Status in Hispanic Community-Dwelling Older Women.

The population of Hispanic older adults is growing along with the burden of chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the factors associated with frailty among community-dwelling Hispanic women aged ≥60 years ( = 357) enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative-Health Disparities study of cognitive-functional health of older persons in Panama. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery.

Predictors of cognitive change in cognitively healthy older women in Panama: the PARI-HD study.

Background: Evidence suggests that a combination of biological and social factors influence risk of dementia differently for women and men. In healthy older women, several factors may contribute to changes in cognition.

Objective: Describe the characteristics associated with variation in cognition in a sample of cognitively healthy older Panamanian women.

Polypharmacy and Associated Health Outcomes in the PARI-HD Study.

Background: A growing body of evidence points to potential risks associated with polypharmacy (using ≥5 medications) in older adults, but most evidence is derived from studies where racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented among research participants.

Objective: Investigate the association between polypharmacy and cognitive function, subjective health state, frailty, and falls in Hispanic older adults.

Methods: Panama Aging Research Initiative-Health Disparities (PARI-HD) is a community-based cohort study of older adults free of dementia at baseline.

Digital phenotyping: An equal opportunity approach to reducing disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementia research.

A rapidly aging world population is fueling a concomitant increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). Scientific inquiry, however, has largely focused on White populations in Australia, the European Union, and North America. As such, there is an incomplete understanding of AD in other populations.

Depression Mediates the Association Between Occupational Complexity and Late-Life Cognition in Hispanics.

There is a dearth of research in Latin America regarding risk and protective factors affecting older adults' cognition. This study aimed to investigate the factors mediating the association between occupational complexity and late-life cognition and daily function in a sample of Hispanic older adults. Participants ( = 588) aged 65 years and older underwent clinical, functional, and cognitive assessments.

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 Affects Multiple Domains of Neuropsychological Functioning in a Sample of Elderly Hispanics.

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 allele (APOEɛ4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), but inconsistencies have arisen in studies with Hispanics. The objective of this study was to explore APOEɛ4 expression and cognitive function in a sample of Panamanian older adults, including healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, and AD. Participants with at least one copy of APOEɛ4 had a significantly lower performance in global cognition, verbal memory, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, regardless of diagnosis.

The Panama Aging Research Initiative Longitudinal Study.

The Panama Aging Research Initiative is a cohort study of 423 adults aged ≥65 years recruited from an outpatient geriatric department of Panama's largest public hospital, the Social Security Fund's Dr Arnulfo Arias Madrid Hospital Complex (Complejo Hospitalario Dr Arnulfo Arias Madrid de la Caja de Seguro Social). The study provides the first reports of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of cognitive impairment and dementia, as well as various health conditions common among older adults in Panama, including chronic illnesses, polypharmacy and rates of comorbidity. The initial study, conducted September 2012-May 2016, included a clinical interview; physical assessments of body mass index and handgrip strength; and cognitive testing, plus non-fasting blood draws for measurements of genetic (Apolipoprotein E genotype) and blood-based biological markers.

Inflammatory Biomarkers, Depressive Symptoms and Falls Among the elderly in Panama.

Background: Falls are common among elderly adults, and are predictors of hospitalization, institutionalization and mortality.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between blood-based markers of inflammation and fall events in a sample of elderly Hispanic adults.

Method: Data were collected from 190 participants enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative study who completed baseline clinical and cognitive assessments.

Vascular biomarkers and ApoE4 expression in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Vascular pathology and genetic markers such as apolipoprotein E allele ε4 (ApoE ε4) are risk factors for the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In Panama, a high prevalence of vascular risk factors and an increase in the aging population, generate the need to investigate biomarkers using specific, sensitive, non-invasive and cost-efficient methods that could be used in primary care. The main objective of this study was to explore the association between vascular biomarkers such as intima-media thickness (IMT) and stenosis, ApoΕ ε4 and cognitive function in a sample of older adults, including healthy controls ( = 41), MCI ( = 33), and AD ( = 12).

Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults in Panama.

Research on age-related cognitive impairment is scarce in Central America. We report factors associated with cognitive impairment among a sample of older adults in Panama diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 31), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 43), or no cognitive impairment (controls, n = 185). Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype was assessed in a subset of cases (n = 135).

A blood screening test for Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: This study combined data across four independent cohorts to examine the positive and negative predictive values of an Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood test if implemented in primary care.

Methods: Blood samples from 1329 subjects from multiple independent, multiethnic, community-based, and clinic-based cohorts were analyzed. A "locked-down" referent group of 1128 samples was generated with 201 samples randomly selected for validation purposes.

Serum-based protein profiles of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment in elderly Hispanics.

Aim: To describe the biomarker profiles in elderly Panamanians diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or no impairment using serum-based biomarkers.

Methods: Twenty-four proteins were analyzed using an electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex biomarker assay platform. A biomarker profile was generated using random forest analyses.

Cognitive Impairment, Depression, and Cooccurrence of Both among the Elderly in Panama: Differential Associations with Multimorbidity and Functional Limitations.

Cognitive impairment and depression are common mental health problems among the elderly, although few studies have examined their cooccurrence in older adults in Latin America. The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive impairment, depression, and cooccurrence of the two conditions and associated factors in a sample of older adults in Panama. This study included 304 community-dwelling elderly (≥ 65 years) individuals.

The effects of impaired cerebral circulation on Alzheimer's disease pathology: evidence from animal studies.

Persistent systemic hypoxia, a direct consequence of alterations in vascular function, can compromise the brain by increasing the risk of developing dementias such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and AD in aged individuals are common, and several vascular risk factors for AD are linked to hypoxia. Clinical evidence confirms that structural and functional changes characteristic of AD pathology also occur following hypoxic-ischemic events such as stroke and traumatic brain injury.