Does "no" mean "sometimes"? How older adults respond to the same depression symptoms with different response formats.

In this report we describe problems associated with the administration of binary choice response questionnaires, with particular attention to depression measures given to older adults. A convenience sample of 77 respondents aged 70+ completed two different versions of the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Versions were identical except for having either two- or four- response option formats.

Hypercortisolemic depression is associated with the metabolic syndrome in late-life.

Introduction: Depression has been hypothesized to be associated with metabolic abnormalities which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Such a link could be due to increased HPA-axis activity. This study investigates the cross-sectional relationship between depression, urinary cortisol and metabolic syndrome in an older population.

Education and Cognitive Decline in Older Americans: Results From the AHEAD Sample.

Although education is consistently related to better cognitive performance, findings on the relationship between education and age-associated cognitive change have been conflicting. Using measures of multiple cognitive domains from four waves of the Asset and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old study, a representative sample of Americans aged 70 years and older, the authors performed growth curve modeling to examine the relationships between education, initial cognitive score, and the rate of decline in cognitive function. More years of education were linked to better initial performance on each of the cognitive tests, and higher levels of education were linked to slower decline in mental status.

A flame burning within.

Inflammation is a human being's primary defense against threats to homeostasis that are encountered every day. Especially in old age, when regulatory mechanisms responsible for inflammatory responses may be ineffective or damaged, the result can be adverse pathological conditions, and an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The inflammation response is a plastic network composed of redundant signaling among several different mediators.

Life expectancy with cognitive impairment in the older population of the United States.

Objectives: This article provides estimates of the prevalence of cognitive impairment by age and sex for a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population aged 70 and over.