Neurocognition and its predictors in a linguistically and culturally diverse cohort of people with HIV.

: HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects Black and Latino people in the United States, yet there is a lack of research on predictors of neurocognitive outcomes in these groups. We examined neurocognitive performance and its key predictors across White, Black, and Latino people with HIV (PWH). : Participants included 586 PWH of White, Black, and Latino (English- and Spanish-speaking) background.

A longitudinal study of cannabis use and risk for cognitive and functional decline among older adults with HIV.

Cannabis use is rapidly increasing among older adults in the United States, in part to treat symptoms of common health conditions (e.g., chronic pain, sleep problems).

Emotional health and its association with neurocognition in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White people with HIV.

Objective: Emotional functioning is linked to HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment, yet research on this association among diverse people with HIV (PWH) is scant. We examined emotional health and its association with neurocognition in Hispanic and White PWH.

Methods: Participants included 107 Hispanic (41% primarily Spanish-speakers; 80% Mexican heritage/origin) and 216 White PWH (Overall age: = 53.

Ethnic/Racial Disparities in Longitudinal Neurocognitive Decline in People With HIV.

Background: To examine longitudinal neurocognitive decline among Latino, non-Latino Black, and non-Latino White people with HIV (PWH) and factors that may explain ethnic/racial disparities in neurocognitive decline.

Methods: Four hundred ninety nine PWH (13.8% Latino, 42.

Predictors of Incident Mild Cognitive Impairment and Its Course in a Diverse Community-Based Population.

Background And Objectives: To investigate sociodemographic and medical predictors of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subsequent course of MCI at follow-up, including sustained MCI diagnosis, classification as cognitively normal, and progression to dementia.

Methods: Within a community-based cohort, diagnoses of MCI were made with a published algorithm. Diagnosis of dementia was based on clinical consensus.

Misattributions of the source of health-related information in HIV disease.

: Growing access to both legitimate and dubious sources of health information makes accurate source memory increasingly important, yet it may be negatively impacted by conditions that impair prefrontal functioning, including HIV. This study hypothesized that instructions supporting source encoding on a health-related memory task would disproportionately benefit source memory of people with HIV (PWH), and to examine the pattern of source memory errors that are observed.: 102 individuals (61 HIV+, 41 HIV-) completed comprehensive neurobehavioral (including health literacy) and neuromedical evaluations, and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions for a health-related memory task: explicitly participants to attend to the source of health statements presented to them, which were either health professionals or lay-persons, whereas no such instruction was provided in a condition.

COMT val158met genotype alters the effects of methamphetamine dependence on dopamine and dopamine-related executive function: preliminary findings.

The Met-allele of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism slows metabolism and increases bioavailability of dopamine (DA) in the prefrontal cortex compared to the Val-allele. Healthy Met-carriers outperform Val-carriers on executive function (EF) tests, yet this 'advantage' disappears in methamphetamine (METH) dependence. Met-carriers may be disproportionately vulnerable to METH-related perturbations of DA, yet it is unknown whether COMT modulates METH effects on CSF DA biomarkers.

Subgingival microbiome and clinical periodontal status in an elderly cohort: The WHICAP ancillary study of oral health.

Background: There is a sparsity of data describing the periodontal microbiome in elderly individuals. We analyzed the association of subgingival bacterial profiles and clinical periodontal status in a cohort of participants in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP).

Methods: Dentate individuals underwent a full-mouth periodontal examination at six sites/tooth.

Cannabis Exposure is Associated With a Lower Likelihood of Neurocognitive Impairment in People Living With HIV.

Background: Aging and HIV have adverse effects on the central nervous system, including increased inflammation and neural injury and confer risk of neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Previous research suggests the nonacute neurocognitive effects of cannabis in the general population are adverse or null. However, in the context of aging and HIV, cannabis use may exert beneficial effects due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Predictors of Episodic Memory Performance Across Educational Strata: Multiple-Group Comparisons.

Objectives: Low educational attainment is a risk factor for more rapid cognitive aging, but there is substantial variability in cognitive trajectories within educational groups. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that confer resilience to memory decline within educational strata.

Methods: We selected 2573 initially nondemented White, African American, and Hispanic participants from the longitudinal community-based Washington Heights/Inwood Columbia Aging Project who had at least two visits.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Neurocognitive Impairment in a U.S. Military Cohort of Persons Living with HIV.

: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) is a well-known complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and may be influenced by a number of psychological factors. We examined the relationship between NCI and mental health disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in a cohort of 189 active-duty and retired U.S.

Effects of trauma, economic hardship, and stress on neurocognition and everyday function in HIV.

Objective: The causes of neurocognitive and everyday functioning impairment among aging people living with HIV (PLWH) are multifactorial. Exposure to stress and trauma can result in neurocognitive deficits via activation of neurological and other biological mechanisms.

Method: PLWH (n = 122) and persons without HIV (n = 95), 35-65 years of age, completed four questionnaires that were used to generate a trauma, economic hardship (food insecurity and low socioeconomic status), and stress composite variable (TES).

White matter damage, neuroinflammation, and neuronal integrity in HAND.

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HANDs) persist even with virologic suppression on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not well understood. We performed structural magnetic resonance imaging and MR spectroscopy (MRS) in HIV+ individuals without major neurocognitive comorbidities. Study participants were classified as neurocognitively unimpaired (NU), asymptomatic (ANI), mild neurocognitive disorder (MND), or HIV-associated dementia (HAD).

Does bilingualism protect against cognitive aging?: Methodological issues in research on bilingualism, cognitive reserve, and dementia incidence.

Recent studies of bilingualism as a protective factor in cognitive aging have reported conflicting findings, and researchers have begun to explore the methodological complications that may explain differences across studies. This article details the current research landscape and addresses several issues relevant to the study of bilingualism and late-life cognitive function: study design, establishing causal relationships, confounding factors, operationalizing bilingualism, predicting cognitive level versus cognitive change, and incorporating brain structural variables to interrogate cognitive reserve.