Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Dysphagia is an important feature of neurodegenerative diseases and potentially life-threatening in primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but remains poorly characterised in these syndromes. We hypothesised that dysphagia would be more prevalent in nonfluent/agrammatic variant (nfv)PPA than other PPA syndromes, predicted by accompanying motor features and associated with atrophy affecting regions implicated in swallowing control.

Methods: In a retrospective case-control study at our tertiary referral centre, we recruited 56 patients with PPA (21 nfvPPA, 22 semantic variant (sv)PPA, 13 logopenic variant (lv)PPA).

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Familial frontotemporal dementia is an autosomal dominant heritable form of frontotemporal dementia, a form of dementia characterised by changes in personality, behaviour and communication which typically onsets in mid-life. Children of an affected parent are at 50% risk of inheriting the responsible genetic mutation and developing frontotemporal dementia themselves. Individuals living at-risk have high psychological morbidity, for example they report struggling with guilt and anxiety about risk to themselves and their children, decisions about whether to get tested, uncertainty about onset of symptoms, and see their risk as a barrier in life.

Defining the typical characteristics of orthostatic headache in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

Background: Orthostatic headache (OH) is a common feature of various conditions, including spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), but no precise definition currently exists outlining the typical OH characteristics. This ambiguity risks misdiagnosis with unnecessary investigations and delay in institution of treatment. The present study aimed to carry out structured phenotyping of OH in patients with SIH with the aim of outlining its typical characteristics.

Enrollment in Medicare is associated with fewer outpatient mental healthcare visits among those with mental health symptoms.

Objective: To test whether enrolling in traditional Medicare (TM) or Medicare Advantage (MA) at age 65 reduces mental healthcare utilization among individuals with mental health symptoms and low or moderate family incomes.

Study Setting And Design: We employ a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, comparing the likelihood of having an outpatient mental health visit or a psychotropic drug fill among individuals younger than or older than the age 65 Medicare eligibility threshold.

Data Sources And Analytic Sample: We analyze 2014-2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data.

Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in Clinical Trials Related to Familial Frontotemporal Dementia: A Qualitative Study.

Aims: Familial frontotemporal dementia (fFTD) is an inherited neurodegenerative condition characterised by executive dysfunction, impairments in social cognition, behaviour and language. Although no disease-modifying interventions are currently available, several treatments are undergoing clinical trials. This study sought to understand the barriers and facilitators to taking part in such trials, as well as general perceptions of the treatments undergoing trial.