Predictors of Cognitive Change in Parkinson Disease: A 2-year Follow-up Study.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson disease (PD-MCI). However, instability in this clinical diagnosis and variability in rates of progression to dementia raises questions regarding its utility for longitudinal tracking and prediction of cognitive change in PD. We examined baseline neuropsychological test and cognitive diagnosis predictors of cognitive change in PD.

Person-centered assessment of apathy and resistance to care in people living with dementia: Review of existing measures.

Introduction: The review described in this paper builds upon the Dementia Care Practice Recommendations (DCPR) published by the Alzheimer's Association in 2018 and addresses behavior change and the need for targeted outcome measures that evolve from person-centered frameworks and help evaluate interventions. Apathy and resistance to care (RTC) are two specific behavioral expressions of unmet need or distress exhibited by people living with dementia, which are upsetting to formal and family caregivers and compromise quality of life for people living with dementia.

Methods: We conducted literature searches of major databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, EBSCO, CINAHL) for papers examining apathy and RTC constructs in samples of people living with dementia.

Person-centered assessment of people living with dementia: Review of existing measures.

Introduction: Person-centered care and assessment calls for measurement tools that help researchers and providers understand people with dementia, their social relationships, and their experience of the care environment. This paper reviewed available measures and evaluated their psychometric properties.

Methods: Literature searches of major databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, EBSCO, CINAHL) for papers examining person-centered constructs in samples of people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

Medical help-seeking intentions for cognitive impairment by the patient.

Older adults represent one of the fastest growing population groups. As the aged population increases, incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias will also increase. Professionals agree that early intervention is essential for therapeutic and quality of life purposes; however, many older adults wait several months or years to seek medical help after first noticing signs of cognitive impairment.

Clinician Word Use in Dementia Evaluation Reports as a Function of Cognitive Impairment.

To examine the extent to which levels of cognitive status influence patterns of word use in dementia evaluation reports. We utilized neuropsychological evaluation reports from 61 geriatric primary care patients referred for suspected dementia. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count analysis was utilized to examine clinician language use in patient reports and whether language use differs dependent on the diagnosis rendered.

Geropsychology career pipeline perceptions.

Objective: Using the framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study aimed to ascertain attitudes and perceptions of geropsychology career paths, given the present notable geriatric workforce shortage.

Methods: An online survey was developed iteratively and disseminated through various modalities (i.e.

The Effects of Perceived Enjoyment of Activities on Cognition in Late-Life.

: The current cross-sectional study examines the relationship between both frequency and perceived enjoyment of leisure activities and cognitive scores.: We collected self-reported frequency and perceived pleasure of leisure activities from 58 healthy, community-dwelling older adults and administered a battery of cognitive tests, assessing all major domains (i.e.

Responsiveness to Change of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, and SCOPA-Cog in Non-Demented Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Clinical monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) for cognitive decline is an important element of care. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed to be a sensitive tool for assessing cognitive impairment in PD. The aim of our study was to compare the responsiveness of the MoCA to decline in cognition to the responsiveness of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's disease-cognition (SCOPA-Cog).

Psychometric Evaluation of the Symptoms of Dementia Screener (SDS) in a Geriatric Primary Care Population.

: The Symptoms of Dementia Screener (SDS) is an 11-item scale developed to screen for cognitive impairment. We aim to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SDS for use in primary care. : We analyzed data from 192 patients: 25 not impaired, 42 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 125 with dementia.

The cognitive functioning of older adult instrumental musicians and non-musicians.

This study examined similarities and differences in the cognitive profiles of older adult instrumental musicians and non-musicians. We compared neuropsychological test scores among older adult non-musicians, low-activity musicians (<10 years of lessons), and high-activity musicians (≥10 years of lessons), controlling for self-reported physical and social activity, years of education, and overall health. Significant differences among groups were found on tasks of visual spatial ability, naming, and executive functioning.

Differential item functioning analysis of items on the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 based on the presence or absence of cognitive impairment.

Objective: The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) is a screener for depressive symptoms in older adults. The present study aims to investigate the differential item functioning (DIF) of the GDS-15 items to determine whether or not they are biased by the presence of cognitive impairment.

Method: Data from 215 older patients were used to examine the GDS-15.

IRT Analysis of the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale: Identifying the Best Items for Use with Geriatric Patients in Primary Care.

Objective: The Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) (Grace & Malloy, 2001) assesses behavioral dysfunction associated with frontal-subcortical damage; it is often used to measure these indicators of executive dysfunction in older adults with possible dementia. Although prior research supports the FrSBe's clinical utility and factorial validity, little attempt has been made to examine which items are most useful for geriatric cases. The goal of the present study is to identify these items.

Psychological and social resources relate to biomarkers of allostasis in newly admitted nursing home residents.

Objectives: This paper presents preliminary baseline data from a prospective study of nursing home adaptation that attempts to capture the complexity of residents' adaptive resources by examining psychological, social, and biological variables from a longitudinal conceptual framework. Our emphasis was on validating an index of allostasis.

Method: In a sample of 26 long-term care patients, we measured 6 hormone and protein biomarkers to capture the concept of allostasis as an index of physiological resilience, related to other baseline resources, including frailty, hope and optimism, social support, and mental health history, collected via interview with the resident and collaterals.

Vascular risk factors, depression, and cognitive change among African American older adults.

Objective: Vascular burden has been linked to future depression and cognitive change in predominately European American samples. This study investigated these relationships in older African Americans.

Methods: To examine the connection between vascular risk factors, depression, and cognitive change, this study utilized data from 435 older African Americans.

Measuring mild cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

We examined the frequency of Parkinson disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and its subtypes and the accuracy of 3 cognitive scales for detecting PD-MCI using the new criteria for PD-MCI proposed by the Movement Disorders Society. Nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease completed a clinical visit with the 3 screening tests followed 1 to 3 weeks later by neuropsychological testing. Of 139 patients, 46 met Level 2 Task Force criteria for PD-MCI when impaired performance was based on comparisons with normative scores.

The impact of anticipatory grief on caregiver burden in dementia caregivers.

Purpose: Interest in anticipatory grief (AG) has typically focused on terminal diseases such as cancer. However, the issues involved in AG are unique in the context of dementia due to the progressive deterioration of both cognitive and physical abilities. The current study investigated the nature of AG in a sample of dementia caregivers and examined the relationship between AG and caregiver burden.

A confirmatory factor analysis of the Beck Anxiety Inventory in African American and European American young adults.

The anxiety literature is particularly sparse as it relates to African Americans, and there are few studies to date that have examined the factor structure of anxiety assessment tools within this population. The current study investigated the original two-factor structure of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in addition to two extant factor structures of the BAI in a non-clinical sample of African American and European American young adults. One hundred twenty one European American and 100 African American young adults completed the BAI.

Vascular risk and depression in the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE).

Objective: Although vascular depression has received considerable research attention, relatively little research in this area has focused on minority samples. This study investigated the association between baseline vascular risk factors (VRFs) and risk for elevated depressive symptoms at 2-year follow-up in a sample of 964 individuals without significant depressive symptomotology (CES-D < 12) or cognitive impairment (MMSE>or= 24) at baseline from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly.

Methods: We examined the associations between self-reported baseline vascular risk factors (chest pain, heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking) and a composite of these risk factors with elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D >or= 16) at 2-year follow-up.

Vascular disease and future risk of depressive symptomatology in older adults: findings from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study.

Background: The vascular depression hypothesis suggests that age-related vascular diseases and risk factors contribute to late-life depression. Although neuroimaging studies provide evidence for an association between depression and severity of vascular lesions in the brain, studies of depression and indicators of vascular risk have been less consistent.

Methods: We examined 1796 elders ages 70-79 from the Health, Aging and Body Composition study without depression at baseline and examined the association between prevalent vascular disease and related conditions at baseline and 2-year incidence of elevated depressive symptoms, defined as a score > 8 on the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale.

Structural equation modeling of sleep apnea, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction in children.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), often concomitant with obesity, increases the risk for the metabolic syndrome. One mechanism that may participate in this association is upregulation of inflammatory pathways. We used structural equation modeling to assess the interrelations between childhood obesity, OSA, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction.

The effects of widowhood and vascular risk factors on late-life depression.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the impact of conjugal loss on depression is greater in the presence of vascular risk factors (CVRFs) (stress vulnerability hypothesis), or whether conjugal loss and CVRFs are independent predictors of depression following spousal loss (independent pathways hypothesis).

Method: The current study is a secondary data analysis of the Changing Lives of Older Couples database, which is a study of older widowed persons. One thousand five hundred thirty-two participants engaged in a baseline interview, and interviews were conducted 6, 18, and 48 months after the death of a spouse.

Verbal learning and everyday functioning in dementia: an application of latent variable growth curve modeling.

This study used latent variable growth curve modeling to identify predictors and correlates of verbal learning over trials on a list-learning task in patients with dementia. Data from 116 patients evaluated at the Detroit satellite of the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center were incorporated in the present analyses. Patients were administered the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, examined independently by a geriatrician, and, if appropriate, given a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease according to criteria from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association.

Poststroke depression: a biopsychosocial approach.

Poststroke depression (PSD) is a form of geriatric depression that is associated with various negative outcomes. This article reviews existing research concerning the etiology, treatment, and prevention of PSD with particular emphasis on the development of a biopsychosocial conceptualization of PSD etiology and treatment. Existing intervention trials are reviewed.

Perspectives on depression, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive decline.

Context: The public health implications of depression and cognitive impairment in late life are enormous. Cognitive impairment and late-life depression are associated with increased risk for subsequent dementia; however, investigations of these phenomena appear to be proceeding along separate tracks. OBJECTIVES AND DATA SOURCE: The National Institute of Mental Health organized the conference "Perspectives on Depression, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Cognitive Decline" to consider how the varied perspectives might be better integrated to examine the associations among depression, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive decline and to illuminate the common or distinct mechanisms involved in these associations.