Effect of Neurotoxin Exposure on Blood Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer Disease.

Aim: To determine whether exposure to neurotoxins in midlife is associated with changes in blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer disease pathology.

Methods: Blood cadmium, lead, neurofilament light (NfL) chain, total tau (TTau), and amyloid beta (Aβ) 40 and Aβ42 concentrations were measured in 1516 participants in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study. Linear mixed-effect models were used to determine associations between baseline cadmium and lead levels and baseline NfL, TTau, and Aβ42/Aβ40, and 10-year change in concentrations using repeated measures of these biomarkers as the outcome.

Associations of Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use With Cognition, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Depressive Symptoms.

ObjectivesDetermine associations of hearing loss (HL) and hearing aid (HA) use with cognition, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and depressive symptoms. Participants were from the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study or Beaver Dam Offspring Study. HL was defined as pure-tone average (.

Associations of sensory and motor function with blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease in midlife.

Pathological biomarkers of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) change decades before clinical symptoms. Common sensory and motor changes in aging adults may be early markers of neurodegeneration. We investigated if midlife sensory and motor functions in Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) participants (N = 1529) were associated with longitudinal changes in blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration (neurofilament light chain (NfL); total tau (TTau)) and AD (amyloid beta (Aβ)).

Inflammation, metabolic dysregulation and environmental neurotoxins and risk of cognitive decline and impairment in midlife.

Background: Age-related declines in cognitive function may begin in midlife.

Purpose: To determine whether blood-based biomarkers of inflammation, metabolic dysregulation and neurotoxins are associated with risk of cognitive decline and impairment.

Methods: Baseline blood samples from the longitudinal Beaver Dam Offspring Study (2005-2008) were assayed for markers of inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and environmental neurotoxins.

Better cognitive function in younger generations - Insights from two cohort studies of middle-aged to older adults in Wisconsin.

Background: Understanding generational trends in dementia and cognitive decline is essential to quantify future healthcare needs and may help identify interventions and preventions. We aimed to determine whether individuals from more recent generations showed better neurocognitive function.

Methods: This cross-sectional study combined data from 4439 participants (mean age 64 years (SD = 13); 57% were women) from the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study and Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

Prevalence of Self-Reported Hearing Loss and Associated Risk Factors: Findings From the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported hearing loss and associated risk factors in a representative population-based study of Wisconsin residents.

Method: Survey of the Health of Wisconsin participants with data on self-reported hearing loss were included. We reported prevalence of self-reported hearing loss with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), overall, and stratified by age and sex.

Association of Central Retinal Arteriolar and Venular Equivalents with Brain-aging and Macular Ganglion Cell-inner Plexiform Layer Thickness.

Introduction: Neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in aging are growing public health concerns. This study investigates associations between central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalents (CRAE, CRVE) and brain-aging, a sensory and cognitive test composite measure, and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness, a biomarker of neurodegeneration.

Methods: Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) participants are adult children (baseline (2005-2008) age 21-84 years) of the population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study participants.

The pupil constriction to light is associated with cognitive measures in middle-aged and older adults.

Aims: The evidence relating the pupil light reflex (PLR) and cognition have been inconsistent. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the association between the PLR and cognition in community-dwelling middle-aged and older individuals.

Methods: Pupil reactivity was recorded in a subgroup of 403 participants (mean age 60.

Effect of Long-Term Storage on the Reliability of Blood Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease and Neurodegeneration.

Background: Stored blood samples from longitudinal cohort studies may be useful for studying biomarkers of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the reliability of amyloid-β40 and amyloid-β42 (Aβ40, Aβ42), total tau (TTau), and neurofilament light (NfL) concentrations measured in blood samples stored long-term at -80°C.

Methods: Aβ40, Aβ42, TTau, and NfL were measured in serum and plasma samples from two longitudinal cohort studies.

Factors Affecting Hearing Aid Adoption by Adults With High-Frequency Hearing Loss: The Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

Purpose: Hearing loss (HL) is common among middle-age and older adults, but hearing aid adoption is low. The purpose of this study was to measure the 10-year incidence of hearing aid adoption in a sample of primarily middle-age adults with high-frequency HL and identify factors associated with hearing aid adoption.

Method: This study included 579 adults (ages 34-80 years) with high-frequency pure-tone average > 25 dB HL (3-8 kHz) enrolled in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

The Association of Psychological Well-Being With Sensory and Cognitive Function and Neuronal Health in Aging Adults.

Objectives: Psychological well-being (PWB) may be a potential modifiable risk factor of age-related diseases. We aimed to determine associations of PWB with sensorineural and cognitive function and neuronal health in middle-aged adults.

Methods: This study included 2039 Beaver Dam Offspring Study participants.

Benefit of Musical Training for Speech Perception and Cognition Later in Life.

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the long-term associations of musical training with speech perception in adverse conditions and cognition in a longitudinal cohort study of middle-age to older adults. Method This study is based on Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study participants. We asked participants at baseline (1993-1995) about their musical training.

Factors Associated with the Macular Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer Thickness in a Cohort of Middle-aged U.S. Adults.

Significance: The macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) may serve as a quick and easily obtained measure of generalized neurodegeneration. Investigating factors associated with this thickness could help to understand neurodegenerative processes.

Purpose: This study aimed to characterize and identify associated factors of the mGCIPL thickness in a Beaver Dam Offspring Study cohort of middle-aged U.

Exposure to Cadmium, Lead, and Tobacco Smoke and the 10-Year Cumulative Incidence of Olfactory Impairment: The Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

Importance: Olfactory impairment is common in older adults. Identification of modifiable risk factors for olfactory impairment at midlife has the potential to reduce the burden of olfactory impairment at older ages.

Objective: To determine the 10-year cumulative incidence of olfactory impairment and evaluate potentially modifiable risk factors for impairment including exposure to cadmium, lead, and tobacco smoke.

Predicting hearing aid use in adults: the Beaver Dam Offspring Study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to (i) develop a model that predicts hearing aid (HA) use and (ii) determine if model fit is improved by adding factors not typically collected in audiological evaluations.

Design: Two models were created and evaluated. The "clinical" model used factors typically collected during audiologic clinical evaluations.

Incidence of Hearing Impairment and Changes in Pure-Tone Average Across Generations.

Importance: Age-adjusted prevalence of hearing impairment (HI) decreased across generations in the 20th century, suggesting that HI is partially preventable. It is not known whether HI incidence differs by generation.

Objectives: To examine whether HI incidence and change in pure-tone average (PTA) differ by generation and identify factors underlying these differences.

Longitudinal Decline on the Dichotic Digits Test.

Purpose The dichotic digits test (DDT) is commonly administered in clinical and research settings, but it is not well understood how performance changes in aging. The purpose of this study is to determine the 5-year change on the free recall task and right ear advantage (REA) in a population-based cohort and factors associated with change. Method Participants in the population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study, who completed the DDT during the fourth (2009-2010) and fifth (2013-2016) examination periods were included ( = 865, = 72.

Generational Differences in the 10-year Incidence of Impaired Contrast Sensitivity.

Purpose: To determine if incidence of contrast sensitivity (CS) impairment differs by generation and identify factors to explain these differences.

Methods: The Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES) and Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) are cohort studies of aging adults in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Baseline examinations occurred from 1993 to 1995 (BDES) and 2005-2008 (BOSS).

Macular Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer as a Marker of Cognitive and Sensory Function in Midlife.

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases are public health challenges in aging populations. Early identification of people at risk for neurodegeneration might improve targeted treatment. Noninvasive, inexpensive screening tools are lacking but are of great potential.

A Novel Method for Classifying Hearing Impairment in Epidemiological Studies of Aging: The Wisconsin Age-Related Hearing Impairment Classification Scale.

Purpose Longitudinal population-based cohort data were used to develop a standardized classification system for age-related hearing impairment using thresholds for frequencies (0.5-8 kHz) typically measured in cohort studies. Method Audiometric testing data collected in the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study from participants ( = 1,369) with four visits (1993-1995, 1998-2000, 2003-2005, and 2009-2010) were included (10,952 audiograms).

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies five novel loci for age-related hearing impairment.

Previous research has shown that genes play a substantial role in determining a person's susceptibility to age-related hearing impairment. The existing studies on this subject have different results, which may be caused by difficulties in determining the phenotype or the limited number of participants involved. Here, we have gathered the largest sample to date (discovery n = 9,675; replication n = 10,963; validation n = 356,141), and examined phenotypes that represented low/mid and high frequency hearing loss on the pure tone audiogram.

Cadmium, obesity, and education, and the 10-year incidence of hearing impairment: The beaver dam offspring study.

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine the 10-year incidence of hearing impairment (HI) and associated risk factors in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS; 2004-present), a large middle-aged cohort followed for 10 years.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Hearing thresholds were measured at baseline (2005-2008) and 5- (2010-2013) and 10-year (2015-2017) follow-up examinations.

Associations of Hearing Sensitivity, Higher-Order Auditory Processing, and Cognition Over Time in Middle-Aged Adults.

Background: Age-related hearing loss (impairment in hearing sensitivity and/or higher-order auditory processing) and cognitive decline are common co-occurring impairments in elderly adults. Their relation in the process of aging remains insufficiently understood. We aim to assess the temporal relations of decline in hearing sensitivity, higher-order auditory processing, and cognition in middle-aged adults.

RISK FACTORS FOR HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN TYPE 1 DIABETES.

Studies have demonstrated that glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a significant predictor of hearing impairment in type 1 diabetes. We identified additional factors associated with hearing impairment in participants with type 1 diabetes from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and its observational follow-up, the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study. A total of 1,150 DCCT/EDIC participants were recruited for the Hearing Study.

Neuroprotective Biomarkers and Cognitive Function in a Long-Term Prospective Population-based Study of Aging US Adults.

Background: Relationships between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), aldosterone, and cognition in aging were evaluated in the population-based Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (1993 to present).

Methods: Beginning in 1998 to 2000, cognitive impairment was assessed by report of physician diagnoses and the Mini-Mental State Examination. In 2009 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016, information was collected on diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment/dementia.