Evaluation of Brain Age as a Specific Marker of Brain Health.

Brain age is a powerful marker of brain health. Furthermore, brain age models are trained on large datasets, thus giving them a potential advantage in predicting outcomes - much like the success of finetuning large language models for specific applications. However, it is also well-accepted in machine learning that models trained to directly predict specific outcomes (i.

Associations of Circulating Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 Levels With Progression of Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease, Cognitive Decline, and Incident Dementia.

Background: The association between platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) with cerebral small-vessel disease and cognition in dementia-free subjects remains uninvestigated.

Methods And Results: A prospective cohort of dementia-free subjects was recruited from memory clinics and followed up for 5 years. Annual neurocognitive assessments and twice-yearly brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed.

Longitudinal associations between β-amyloid and cortical thickness in mild cognitive impairment.

How beta-amyloid accumulation influences brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease remains contentious with conflicting findings. We aimed to elucidate the correlations of regional longitudinal atrophy with cross-sectional regional and global amyloid in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and no cognitive impairment. We hypothesized that greater cortical thinning over time correlated with greater amyloid deposition, particularly within Alzheimer's disease characteristic regions in mild cognitive impairment, and weaker or no correlations in those with no cognitive impairment.

Association of Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8 with Cognitive Decline in an Asian Memory Clinic Population.

Background: Neuroinflammation has been postulated to play an important role in cognitive impairment, cognitive decline, and dementia. Inflammatory biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 are found to be associated with the neuro-inflammatory process and worse cognitive function. However, it is unknown whether these interleukins are associated with long-term cognitive function.

Validation of the Informant Quick Dementia Rating System (QDRS) among Older Adults in Singapore.

Background: The Quick Dementia Rating System (QDRS) is a brief and rapid tool that can be administered by an informant without the need for a trained assessor.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the validity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the informant QDRS in a Singapore memory clinic sample.

Methods: We assessed a total of 177 older adults, among whom, 32 had no cognitive impairment (NCI), 61 had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 84 had dementia.

Domain-Specific Cognitive Trajectories Among Patients with Minor Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack in a 6-Year Prospective Asian Cohort: Serial Patterns and Indicators.

Background: Long-term post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) has often been overlooked, especially among patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Objective: To assess 6-year domain-specific cognitive trajectories among survivors of minor stroke or TIA and to identify possible indicators associated with cognitive trajectories, as well as long-term and incident PSCI.

Methods: Eligible participants completed cognitive and clinical assessments at baseline (2 weeks after stroke) and up to 5 follow-up visits in 6 years.

Distinct BOLD variability changes in the default mode and salience networks in Alzheimer's disease spectrum and associations with cognitive decline.

Optimal levels of intrinsic Blood-Oxygenation-Level-Dependent (BOLD) signal variability (variability hereafter) are important for normative brain functioning. However, it remains largely unknown how network-specific and frequency-specific variability changes along the Alzheimer's disease (AD) spectrum and relates to cognitive decline. We hypothesized that cognitive impairment was related to distinct BOLD variability alterations in two brain networks with reciprocal relationship, i.

Cerebral microinfarcts affect brain structural network topology in cognitively impaired patients.

Cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs), a novel cerebrovascular marker, are prevalent in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and associated with cognitive impairment. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of how CMIs influence cognition remains uncertain. We hypothesized that cortical-CMIs disrupted structural connectivity in the higher-order cognitive networks, leading to cognitive impairment.

Validation of the Total Cerebrovascular Disease Burden Scale in a Community Sample.

Background: A total cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) burden scale was previously constructed and an inverse association of CeVD burden and cognition was found. However, the generalizability of the CeVD scale has not been examined.

Objective: The objective was to validate the previously constructed total CeVD burden scale by establishing its association with cognitive function and dementia diagnosis in a community sample.

Association of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Cerebrovascular Disease Burden and Cognition.

Background And Purpose: The present study sought to examine the association between the burden of cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) as assessed by multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and neurocognitive function.

Methods: Cognitively impaired patients and controls were tested on an extensive neuropsychological battery and underwent multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging. CeVD markers determined from magnetic resonance imaging included the presence of multiple lacunes, multiple cerebral microbleeds, and moderate or severe white matter hyperintensities as markers for small-vessel disease and cortical stroke and intracranial stenosis as markers for large-vessel disease.