Symptom overlap between autism spectrum disorder, generalized social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults: a preliminary case-controlled study.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) frequently co-occur in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We studied which features distinguish 'pure' anxiety disordered patients from those with co-morbid ASD.

Method: In a case-controlled design in which groups were matched for age, sex and educational level, patients with OCD or SAD and co-morbid ASD were compared with patients with 'pure' (i.

Total cholesterol and oxysterols: early markers for cognitive decline in elderly?

In this prospective study we examined whether total cholesterol and the oxysterols 24S- and 27-hydroxycholesterol were related to cognitive performance and rate of cognitive decline in elderly, and whether these associations were modified by ApoE epsilon 4. Data were collected during 6 years of follow-up as part of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N=1181, age >or=65 years), and analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Cognitive performance was measured with the mini-mental state examination (general cognition), the auditory verbal learning test (memory) and the coding task (information processing speed).

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in the course of cognitive decline.

Background/aims: Anxiety and depression are common inpatients with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and recognition and treatment of these symptoms can improve their quality of life. The present study investigates anxiety and depression in different phases of cognitive decline.

Methods: The sample consisted of five groups of elderly people in different phases of cognitive decline; four from a community-based sample (Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam), and one group of elderly people diagnosed with AD.

[Mild cognitive impairment: a prodromal phase of dementia?].

Cognitive decline without dementia is common among older persons. A variety of clinical concepts have been introduced in the past 30 years, in order to describe these cognitive deficits arising in older persons. The most frequently used concept is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Contribution of metabolic syndrome components to cognition in older individuals.

Objective: Recent evidence suggests that the metabolic syndrome and inflammation affect cognitive decline in old age and that they reinforce each other. However, it is not known what the roles of the individual components of the metabolic syndrome on cognition are.

Research Design And Methods: The sample consisted of 1,183 participants in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam who were aged 65-88 years.

Target groups for the prevention of late-life anxiety.

Background: Anxiety disorders in older people are highly prevalent, yet there is little evidence to guide targeted prevention strategies.

Aims: To identify subgroups at increased risk of developing anxiety in later life.

Method: Anxiety was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression anxiety sub-scale in 1931 people aged 55-85 years followed over 3 years.

The effect of chronic benzodiazepine use on cognitive functioning in older persons: good, bad or indifferent?

Objective: This study investigates the effects of benzodiazepine (BZ) use on cognitive performance in elderly persons in a longitudinal design.

Study Design And Setting: Data were obtained from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), in the Netherlands. 2,105 respondents (>/=62 years of age) were included and had repeated measurements over a period of 9 years.

Childhood adversity, recent life events and depression in late life.

Background: The study investigates whether persons who have experienced childhood adversity are more likely to develop depressive symptoms when faced with recent events.

Method: Data were used from a population-based sample, aged 55 to 85 years (n=1887), which were not depressed at baseline. Childhood adversities and recent stressful life events were retrospectively assessed.

Cognitive functioning in elderly patients with early onset bipolar disorder.

Background: Very little is known about the long term cognitive sequelae of bipolar disorder.

Aim: To investigate neuropsychological functioning in older euthymic persons with early onset bipolar disorder.

Method: Fifteen older patients (age >60) with an early onset (<50 years) bipolar-I disorder in a euthymic mood were tested using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

[Predictors of dementia, the construction of classification trees].

In order to identify persons who are at risk for dementia in an early phase, two classification trees were developed. Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). The prevalence of dementia in the whole sample was 4.

Subjective needs of people with dementia: a review of the literature.

Objective: Insight into the individual care needs of the growing number of people with dementia is necessary to deliver more customized care. Our study aims to provide an overview of the literature on the subjective needs of people with dementia.

Method: Electronic databases were searched for publications on subjective needs between January 1985 and July 2005, and reference lists were cross-referenced.

Origin of the comorbidity of anxiety disorders and alcohol dependence: findings of a general population study.

A representative general population sample (n = 7,076) was used to study retrospectively and prospectively the nature of the relationship between co-morbid alcohol dependence and anxiety disorders. Four different models were tested: (1) anxiety disorders increase the risk of alcohol dependence; (2) alcohol dependence increases the risk of anxiety disorders; (3) family history or childhood traumatisation increase the risk of both alcohol dependence and anxiety disorders, and (4) comorbid conditions are a separate psychopathological entity. The data show that alcohol dependence does not precede the onset of anxiety disorders, that anxiety disorders do precede the onset of alcohol dependence, that family history is not very likely to be the third factor explaining the elevated comorbidity, and that in women childhood trauma might be partially responsible for the association between both disorders.

[Stability of personality in later life].

The relation of aging and the stability of personality in late life is evaluated by a literature review. The findings of six longitudinal studies reveal that rank-order consistency continues into old age. The mean-level stability reveals a concave curve for 'neuroticism' with an increase after age 80, a decrease for 'extraversion', and an increase for 'agreeableness'.

A randomized, controlled trial of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and sertraline versus a waitlist control group for anxiety disorders in older adults.

Objective: This study is the first to investigate the relative effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) compared with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI; sertraline) in a randomized, controlled trial on the treatment of anxiety disorders in older adults.

Method: Eighty-four patients 60 years of age and over with a principal diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, or social phobia were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 15 sessions of CBT, pharmacologic treatment with an SSRI (sertraline; maximum dosage 150 mg), or a waitlist control group. Participants completed measures of primary outcome (anxiety) and coexistent worry and depressive symptoms at baseline, posttreatment, and at three-month follow up.

Late-life depression: the differences between early- and late-onset illness in a community-based sample.

Background: Several studies have described etiological and clinical differences between elderly depressed patients with early onset of their illness compared to late onset. While most studies have been carried out in clinical samples it is unclear whether the findings can be generalized to the elderly population as a whole. The aim of this study was to compare early-onset (EOD) and late-onset (LOD) depressive illness in a community-based sample.

Effects of anxiety versus depression on cognition in later life.

Objective: The authors investigated the relationship between anxiety and cognition in older persons, taking account of comorbid depression.

Methods: Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), a large epidemiological study of 3,107 elderly citizens in The Netherlands. Anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale.

The outcome of anxiety disorders in older people at 6-year follow-up: results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.

Objective: To examine long-term outcome of late-life anxiety disorders and utilization of mental health care services.

Method: A cohort of subjects (aged > or = 55 years) with an anxiety disorder (n = 112) was identified in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (n = 3107). At 6 year follow-up, the rate of persistence and prognostic factors for persistence of anxiety were established.

Serum inflammatory proteins and cognitive decline in older persons.

Objective: To assess whether serum levels of the inflammatory proteins alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin (ACT), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and albumin are associated with cognitive decline in older persons.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 1,284 participants in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, aged 62 to 85 years. Cognition was assessed on general cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), memory (Auditory Verbal Learning Test), fluid intelligence (Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices), and information-processing speed (Coding Task) at baseline and at 3-year follow-up.

The impact of change in cognitive functioning and cognitive decline on disability, well-being, and the use of healthcare services in older persons. Results of Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.

The study investigated the impact of change in cognitive functioning and cognitive decline on disability, well-being, and the use of healthcare services among older persons in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). Data were collected from 1,349 subjects, aged 65-85 years, who had scores of 24 and higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline, over a period of 6 years in three waves. The results indicate that cognitive decline and changes in cognitive functioning in older persons who were either not impaired or only mildly cognitively impaired at baseline have an impact on disability, well-being, and the use of healthcare services.

Disaster and associated changes in physical and mental health in older residents.

Background: Long-term health consequences of disasters have not been studied extensively, one reason amongst others is that no pre-disaster observation is available. This study focuses on an aeroplane crash on an Amsterdam suburb. The ongoing Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam has one pre-disaster and several post-disaster observations, making it possible to study changes in health, taking pre-disaster health characteristics into account.

Stability and change of emotional functioning in late life: modelling of vulnerability profiles.

Background And Aims: The present study investigated stability and change in emotional well-being in a prospective study of a large sample of community-dwelling older adults (> or = 55 years). Emotional functioning was conceptualized according to the tripartite model distinguishing three aspects: general negative affect (NA), depression, and anxiety. The study tested models for the decline of mental health in late life based on the diathesis-stress model.