Social Determinants of Health, Risk and Resilience against Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: The Healthy Brain Initiative.

Background: Few studies have investigated associations between perceived social determinants of health (SDOH) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) biomarkers or between SDOH and resilience against ADRD.

Objective: To examine associations between perceived and objective SDOH and ADRD-related outcomes.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data on≥50-year-olds without dementia in the Healthy Brain Initiative (n = 162).

Objective estimation of m-CTSIB balance test scores using wearable sensors and machine learning.

Accurate balance assessment is important in healthcare for identifying and managing conditions affecting stability and coordination. It plays a key role in preventing falls, understanding movement disorders, and designing appropriate therapeutic interventions across various age groups and medical conditions. However, traditional balance assessment methods often suffer from subjectivity, lack of comprehensive balance assessments and remote assessment capabilities, and reliance on specialized equipment and expert analysis.

The Mediating Role of Cortical Atrophy on the Relationship between the Resilience Index and Cognitive Function: Findings from the Healthy Brain Initiative.

Background: Lifestyle factors are linked to differences in brain aging and risk for Alzheimer's disease, underscored by concepts like 'cognitive reserve' and 'brain maintenance'. The Resilience Index (RI), a composite of 6 factors (cognitive reserve, physical and cognitive activities, social engagement, diet, and mindfulness) provides such a holistic measure.

Objective: This study aims to examine the association of RI scores with cognitive function and assess the mediating role of cortical atrophy.

Emerging drugs for dementia with Lewy Bodies: a review of Phase II & III trials.

Introduction: Despite faster cognitive decline and greater negative impact on patients and family caregivers, drug development efforts in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) fall behind those for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Current off-label drug DLB treatment options are limited to symptomatic agents developed to address cognitive deficits in AD, motor deficits in Parkinson's Disease, or behavioral symptoms in psychiatric disease. Aided by recent improvements in DLB diagnosis, a new focus on the development of disease-modifying agents (DMA) is emerging.

Global rural health disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: State of the science.

Introduction: Individuals living in rural communities are at heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), which parallels other persistent place-based health disparities. Identifying multiple potentially modifiable risk factors specific to rural areas that contribute to ADRD is an essential first step in understanding the complex interplay between various barriers and facilitators.

Methods: An interdisciplinary, international group of ADRD researchers convened to address the overarching question of: "What can be done to begin minimizing the rural health disparities that contribute uniquely to ADRD?" In this state of the science appraisal, we explore what is known about the biological, behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental influences on ADRD disparities in rural settings.

Mindfulness and Care Experience in Family Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia.

Background: Greater mindfulness, the practice of awareness and living in the moment without judgement, has been linked to positive caregiving outcomes in dementia caregivers and its impact attributed to greater decentering and emotion regulation abilities. Whether the impact of these mindfulness-based processes varies across caregiver subgroups is unclear.

Objective: Analyze cross-sectional associations between mindfulness and caregiver psychosocial outcomes, considering different caregiver and patient characteristics.

The Resilience Index: A Quantifiable Measure of Brain Health and Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

Background: There is increasing interest in lifestyle modification and integrative medicine approaches to treat and/or prevent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

Objective: To address the need for a quantifiable measure of brain health, we created the Resilience Index (RI).

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 241 participants undergoing a comprehensive evaluation including the Clinical Dementia Rating and neuropsychological testing.

A Modified CAIDE Risk Score as a Screening Tool for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults.

Background: Although an efficacious dementia-risk score system, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) was derived using midlife risk factors in a population with low educational attainment that does not reflect today's US population, and requires laboratory biomarkers, which are not always available.

Objective: Develop and validate a modified CAIDE (mCAIDE) system and test its ability to predict presence, severity, and etiology of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Methods: Population consisted of 449 participants in dementia research (N = 230; community sample; 67.

The Cognitive & Leisure Activity Scale (CLAS): A new measure to quantify cognitive activities in older adults with and without cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Potentially modifiable dementia risk factors include diet and physical and cognitive activity. However, there is a paucity of scales to quantify cognitive activities. To address this, we developed the Cognitive & Leisure Activity Scale (CLAS).

Characterization of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and mild cognitive impairment using the Lewy body dementia module (LBD-MOD).

Introduction: The National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Research Center program added the Lewy body dementia module (LBD-MOD) to the Uniform Data Set to facilitate LBD characterization and distinguish dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer's disease (AD). We tested the performance of the LBD-MOD.

Methods: The LBD-MOD was completed in a single-site study in 342 participants: 53 controls, 78 AD, and 110 DLB; 79 mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD); and 22 MCI-DLB.

The Effect of Baseline Patient and Caregiver Mindfulness on Dementia Outcomes.

Background: Mindfulness is the practice of awareness and living in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness-based interventions may improve dementia-related outcomes. Before initiating interventions, it would be beneficial to measure baseline mindfulness to understand targets for therapy and its influence on dementia outcomes.

The Effect of Sociodemographics, Physical Function, and Mood on Dementia Screening in a Multicultural Cohort.

Purpose: To assess age, sex, race and ethnicity disparities in cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults and identify factors that contribute to these disparities.

Patients And Methods: Cognitive performance (global and domain-specific) and self-reported cognitive function were compared among Black (N=57), Hispanic (N=139), and White (N=108) older adults. The impact of socioeconomic status (SES), physical functionality, and mood indicators was assessed with a combination of hierarchical general linear models and mediation analysis.

The positive and negative appraisals of caregiving (PANAC) scale: A new measure to examine the caregiving experience in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Introduction: Dementia caregiving is often examined as a monolithic experience describing the challenges caregivers face, exploring one construct at a time, with little research on the positive experiences of caregiving. To address this, we developed the Positive and Negative Appraisals of Caregiving (PANAC) scale.

Methods: PANAC was validated in 253 patient-caregiver dyads.

The Number Symbol Coding Task: A brief measure of executive function to detect dementia and cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) affect over 5.7 million Americans and over 35 million people worldwide. Detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early ADRD is a challenge to clinicians and researchers.

The Quick Physical Activity Rating (QPAR) scale: A brief assessment of physical activity in older adults with and without cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) currently affect over 5.7 million Americans and over 35 million people worldwide. At the same time, over 31 million older adults are physically inactive with impaired physical performance interfering with activities of daily living.

Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease using Dual-task Gait Assessments and Machine Learning.

Objective: Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) can increase access to treatment and assist in advance care planning. However, the development of a diagnostic system that d7oes not heavily depend on cognitive testing is a major challenge. We describe a diagnostic algorithm based solely on gait and machine learning to detect MCI and AD from healthy.

Using a patient-reported outcome to improve detection of cognitive impairment and dementia: The patient version of the Quick Dementia Rating System (QDRS).

Introduction: Community detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) is a challenge. While Gold Standard assessments are commonly used in research centers, these methods are time consuming, require extensive training, and are not practical in most clinical settings or in community-based research projects. Many of these methods require an informant (e.

Dual-Task Gait Assessment and Machine Learning for Early-detection of Cognitive Decline.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects approximately 30 million people worldwide, and this number is predicted to triple by 2050 unless further discoveries facilitate the early detection and prevention of the disease. Computerized walkways for simultaneous assessment of motor-cognitive performance, known as a dual-task assessment, has been used to associate changes in gait characteristics to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with early-stage disease. However, to our best knowledge, there is no validated method to detect MCI using the collective analysis of these gait characteristics.

What older adults do with the results of dementia screening programs.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are often under-recognized in the community. MCI/ADRD screening could offer benefits such as early treatment, research participation, lifestyle modification, and advanced care planning. To date, there are no clear guidelines regarding the benefits vs.

Intention to Screen for Alzheimer's Disease by Residential Locale.

A random digit dialing sample from Missouri (USA) was used to compare associations between psychosocial factors and Alzheimer's disease (AD) screening intention based on residential locale. Linear regression associations between demographics and five psychosocial constructs (dementia knowledge, perceived screening benefits, preventive health behaviors, perceived susceptibility, and self-efficacy) and screening intention were compared by residential locale. Participants ( = 932) had a mean age of 62 years (urban: = 375; suburban: = 319, rural: = 238).

Perceived Benefits of Using Nonpharmacological Interventions in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia With Lewy Bodies.

The current qualitative research explored perceived effects of three nonpharmacological interventions (chair yoga [CY], participatory music intervention [MI], and chair-based exercise [CBE]) in managing symptoms in older adults with Alzheimer's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies from family caregivers' perspectives. Three focus groups were conducted following completion of the 12-week interventions. Constant comparative analysis determined whether each intervention had perceived effects on symptoms, based on caregivers' perspectives.

Feasibility of Conducting Nonpharmacological Interventions to Manage Dementia Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study assessed the feasibility of conducting 3 nonpharmacological interventions with older adults in dementia, exploring the effects of chair yoga (CY), compared to music intervention (MI) and chair-based exercise (CBE) in this population. Using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT), 3 community sites were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to CY, MI, or CBE. Participants attended twice-weekly 45-minute sessions for 12 weeks.

Sarcopenic obesity and cognitive performance.

Background: Sarcopenia and obesity both negatively impact health including cognitive function. Their coexistence, however, can pose an even higher threat likely surpassing their individual effects. We assessed the relationship of sarcopenic obesity with performance on global- and subdomain-specific tests of cognition.

The genetics of dementia with Lewy bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the most common non-AD neurodegenerative disease has in the past several decades attracted the attention of the neurological scientific community due to its highly negative impact on the quality of life of both the affected individuals and those caring for them. The strong hereditary component in related conditions such as PD and AD and the description of a number of DLB families suggest that genetic factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of DLB. This chapter focuses on currently proposed causal and risk genes and their role in the pathophysiology of DLB, discusses the feasibility of genetic therapy and genetic testing in the diagnostic and treatment of DLB and provides directions for future research.

Improving data collection, documentation, and workflow in a dementia screening study.

Background: A clinical study team performing three multicultural dementia screening studies identified the need to improve data management practices and facilitate data sharing. A collaboration was initiated with librarians as part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) informationist supplement program. The librarians identified areas for improvement in the studies' data collection, entry, and processing workflows.