Metacognition in Community-Dwelling Older Black and African American Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Cognitive assessment of older adults typically includes symptom reports and objective evaluations. However, there is often poor agreement between these measures. Cultural norms, stress, and anxiety may also influence cognitive self-appraisal and performance.

Construct validation of NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery premorbid cognitive functioning scores in Black and White older Americans with and without mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: Valid estimates of premorbid cognitive functioning (PMIQ) are crucial for the assessment of older adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease. We investigated the relationship between the NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery's (NIHTB-CB) Oral Reading Recognition (ORR) subtest and Wechsler Test of Adult Reading scores (WTAR, convergent validity). We also compared ORR to NIHTB-CB Flanker scores, where null relationships were expected (discriminant validity).

Meaning in challenging times: Sense of meaning supports wellbeing despite pandemic stresses.

The COVID-19 pandemic created stress and trauma for many individuals. Traumatic experiences often trigger reflection on meaning in life, with subsequent growth or despair. This study evaluates the role of meaning in life in buffering stressors in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mild Cognitive Impairment in African Americans Is Associated with Differences in EEG Theta/Beta Ratio.

Background: Identification of older individuals with increased risk for cognitive decline can contribute not only to personal benefits (e.g., early treatment, evaluation of treatment), but could also benefit clinical trials (e.

Task aftereffect reorganization of resting state functional brain networks in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment.

The view of the human brain as a complex network has led to considerable advances in understanding the brain's network organization during rest and task, in both health and disease. Here, we propose that examining brain networks within the task aftereffect model, in which we compare resting-state networks immediately before and after a cognitive engagement task, may enhance differentiation between those with normal cognition and those with increased risk for cognitive decline. We validated this model by comparing the pre- and post-task resting-state functional network organization of neurologically intact elderly and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) derived from electroencephalography recordings.

Mild, moderate, and severe intensity cut-points for the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale.

Background: The Respiratory Distress Observation Scale (RDOS) is a means for assessing respiratory distress when a patient is unable to give a dyspnea self-report. Cut-point determination was needed to guide clinical application.

Method: A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted in a prospective, observation study with inpatients ranked by nurse practitioners (NP) into levels of respiratory distress.