Pet ownership and maintenance of cognitive function in community-residing older adults: evidence from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA).

Pet ownership has been associated with reduced deterioration in physical health as older adults age; little research focused on deterioration in cognitive function. We examine the relationship of pet, dog, cat ownership, and dog walking to changes in cognitive function among 637 generally healthy community-dwelling older adults (185 pet owners) aged 50-100 years (M = 68.3, SD = 9.

Alzheimer's disease genetic risk and cognitive reserve in relationship to long-term cognitive trajectories among cognitively normal individuals.

Background: Both Alzheimer's disease (AD) genetic risk factors and indices of cognitive reserve (CR) influence risk of cognitive decline, but it remains unclear whether they interact. This study examined whether a CR index score modifies the relationship between AD genetic risk factors and long-term cognitive trajectories in a large sample of individuals with normal cognition.

Methods: Analyses used data from the Preclinical AD Consortium, including harmonized data from 5 longitudinal cohort studies.

Associations of Olfaction With Longitudinal Trajectories of Brain Volumes and Neuropsychological Function in Older Adults.

Background And Objectives: Olfactory function declines with aging, and olfactory deficits are one of the earliest features of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. Previous studies have shown that olfaction is associated with brain volumes and cognitive function, but data are exclusively cross-sectional. We aimed to examine longitudinal associations of olfaction with changes in brain volumes and neuropsychological function.

Herpes Viruses in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging: Associations With Brain Volumes, Cognitive Performance, and Plasma Biomarkers.

Background And Objectives: Although an infectious etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD) has received renewed attention with a particular focus on herpes viruses, the longitudinal effects of symptomatic herpes virus (sHHV) infection on brain structure and cognition remain poorly understood, as does the effect of sHHV on AD/neurodegeneration biomarkers.

Methods: We used a longitudinal, community-based cohort to characterize the association of sHHV diagnoses with changes in 3 T MRI brain volume and cognitive performance. In addition, we related sHHV to cross-sectional differences in plasma biomarkers of AD (β-amyloid [Aβ]), astrogliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]), and neurodegeneration (neurofilament light [NfL]).

SPARCL1 Accelerates Symptom Onset in Alzheimer's Disease and Influences Brain Structure and Function During Aging.

We recently reported that alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M) is a biomarker of neuronal injury in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and identified a network of nine genes co-expressed with A2M in the brain. This network includes the gene encoding SPARCL1, a protein implicated in synaptic maintenance. Here, we examine whether SPARCL1 is associated with longitudinal changes in brain structure and function in older individuals at risk for AD in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Sex-Dependent Associations of Serum Uric Acid with Brain Function During Aging.

Serum uric acid (SUA) is an abundant natural antioxidant capable of reducing cellular oxidation, a major cause of neurodegenerative disease. In line with this, SUA levels are lower in Alzheimer's disease; however, the association between SUA and cognition remains unclear. Results from studies examining the effects of SUA on cognition may be difficult to interpret in the context of normal versus pathological aging.

Association Between Accelerated Multimorbidity and Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Older Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging Participants without Dementia.

Objectives: To explore the association between rate of physical health deterioration, operationalized as rising multimorbidity overtime, and longitudinal decline in cognitive function in older adults without dementia.

Design: Longitudinal (Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)).

Setting: Community.

State- and trait-dependent associations of vitamin-D with brain function during aging.

We investigated whether (1) serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the group-specific component (GC) gene-regulating serum 25(OH)D levels are associated with cognition in older individuals; and (2) whether causal relationships exist between 25(OH)D and cognition during aging. Data from 1207 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were analyzed (mean follow-up, 10.4 years) to test associations between serum 25(OH)D and cognition.

Sex differences in cognitive trajectories in clinically normal older adults.

Age effects on cognitive functioning are well-documented, but effects of sex on trajectories of cognitive aging are less clear. We examined cognitive ability across a variety of measures for 1,065 to 2,127 participants (mean baseline age 64.1 to 69.

Dietary antioxidant intake and its association with cognitive function in an ethnically diverse sample of US adults.

Background: Dietary antioxidants can inhibit reactions accompanying neurodegeneration and thus prevent cognitive impairment. We describe associations of dietary antioxidants with cognitive function in a large biracial population, while testing moderation by sex, race, and age and mediation by depressive symptoms.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 1274 adults (541 men and 733 women) aged 30 to 64 years at baseline (mean [standard deviation] = 47.

Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and cognitive performance among US adults: evidence from a large national survey.

Background: Helicobacter pylori seropositivity is a potential risk for poor cognition among US adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, Phase 1 (1988-1991), were used. Measures included age group-specific neuropsychological test batteries and two measures of H.

Variability in performance: identifying early signs of future cognitive impairment.

Objective: The current study examined whether year-to-year variability in cognitive performance differ between individuals cognitively unimpaired and individuals who subsequently develop dementia.

Method: Analyses included a case-control sample of Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA; mean [M] age = 69.90, standard deviation [SD] = 8.

Stress and cognitive function in Latino farmworkers.

Background: Job stress has been associated with cognitive function, but the relationship is often overlooked when considering occupational health and safety issues of farmworkers. This study examined the relationship between stress and change in stress with change in cognitive function in a representative sample of 123 Latino farmworkers.

Methods: A prospective study design was used in which stress and cognitive function data were collected at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.

Serum leptin, thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels interact to affect cognitive function among US adults: evidence from a large representative survey.

Neuroanatomical connections point to possible interactions between areas influencing energy homeostasis and those influencing cognition. We assessed whether serum leptin, thyroxine, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are associated with and interact to influence cognitive performance among US adults. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-1994) were used.

Personality traits prospectively predict verbal fluency in a lifespan sample.

In a community-dwelling sample (N = 4,790; age range 14-94), we examined whether personality traits prospectively predicted performance on a verbal fluency task. Open, extraverted, and emotionally stable participants had better verbal fluency. At the facet level, dispositionally happy and self-disciplined participants retrieved more words; those prone to anxiety and depression and those who were deliberative retrieved fewer words.

Statins and serum cholesterol's associations with incident dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Background: Statin use and serum cholesterol reduction have been proposed as preventions for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: 1604 and 1345 eligible participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) were followed after age 50 for a median time of around 25 years, to examine the incidence of dementia (n=259) and MCI (n=138), respectively. Statin use (ever-use and time-dependent use), total cholesterol levels (TC; first visit and time-dependent), TC change trajectory from first visit and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C):TC ratio (first visit and time-dependent) were the main exposures of interest.

Sex differences in the association of the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele with incidence of dementia, cognitive impairment, and decline.

We examined longitudinal associations between the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (ApoE4(+) status) and several cognitive outcomes and tested effect modification by sex. Data on 644 non-Hispanic Caucasian adults, from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) were used. Dementia onset, cognitive impairment and decline were assessed longitudinally.

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on the relative influence of education and literacy on cognitive functioning.

Previous research has shown that reading ability is a stronger predictor of cognitive functioning than years of education, particularly for African Americans. The current study was designed to determine whether the relative influence of literacy and education on cognitive abilities varies as a function of race or socioeconomic status (SES). We examined the unique influence of education and reading scores on a range of cognitive tests in low- and higher-SES African Americans and Whites.