Development of a checklist for cognitive assessment requirements (CARE) based on a Delphi consensus study.

Situational factors can influence cognitive performance and should be considered for conducting cognitive assessments. The objective of this project was to develop a checklist for Cognitive Assessment Requirements (CARE) to identify these situational factors before conducting cognitive assessments and account for them. This study employed a four-round Delphi approach involving 22 experts to identify situational factors that can impact cognitive assessment results.

Brain-age prediction: Systematic evaluation of site effects, and sample age range and size.

Structural neuroimaging data have been used to compute an estimate of the biological age of the brain (brain-age) which has been associated with other biologically and behaviorally meaningful measures of brain development and aging. The ongoing research interest in brain-age has highlighted the need for robust and publicly available brain-age models pre-trained on data from large samples of healthy individuals. To address this need we have previously released a developmental brain-age model.

The protocol for an observational Australian cohort study of CADASIL: The AusCADASIL study.

Introduction: Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a rare genetic condition with a broad phenotypic presentation. This study aims to establish the first Australian cohort of individuals affected by CADASIL (AusCADASIL) and examine its clinical features and longitudinal course, and to investigate neuroimaging and blood biomarkers to assist in early diagnosis and identify disease progression.

Methods: Participants will be recruited from six study centres across Australia for an observational study of CADASIL.

Normative Modeling of Brain Morphometry Across the Lifespan Using CentileBrain: Algorithm Benchmarking and Model Optimization.

We present an empirically benchmarked framework for sex-specific normative modeling of brain morphometry that can inform about the biological and behavioral significance of deviations from typical age-related neuroanatomical changes and support future study designs. This framework was developed using regional morphometric data from 37,407 healthy individuals (53% female; aged 3-90 years) following a comparative evaluation of eight algorithms and multiple covariate combinations pertaining to image acquisition and quality, parcellation software versions, global neuroimaging measures, and longitudinal stability. The Multivariate Factorial Polynomial Regression (MFPR) emerged as the preferred algorithm optimized using nonlinear polynomials for age and linear effects of global measures as covariates.

Enhancing precision of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified (TICS-M) using the Rasch model.

The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified (TICS-M) is a well-established and widely used screening instrument for dementia and assessment of global cognitive function in older people. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the TICS-M and to enhance the accuracy of the instrument using Rasch methodology. Partial Credit Rasch model was applied to the TICS-M scores.

Using network analysis to validate domains of the modified telephone interview for cognitive status.

Background: The modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) is a widely used tool for assessing global cognitive functions and screening for cognitive impairments. The tool was conceptualised to capture various cognitive domains, but the validity of such domains has not been investigated against comprehensive neuropsychological assessments tools. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the associations between the TICS-M domains and neuropsychological domains to evaluate the validity of the TICS-M domains using network analysis.

Network of mental activities, cognitive function and depression in older men and women.

Background: Evidence suggests that lifestyle activities impact cognitive and mental health in older populations. However, how lifestyle factors are associated with one another, and which factors are most important for cognitive function and mental health has received comparatively little attention.

Design: Bayesian-Gaussian network analysis was used to investigate unique associations between mental activities (MA; i.

Correlates of Gait Speed Among Older Adults From 6 Countries: Findings From the COSMIC Collaboration.

Background: Few studies have compared gait speed and its correlates among different ethnogeographic regions. The goals of this study were to describe usual and rapid gait speed, and identify their correlates across Australian, Asian, and African countries.

Methods: We used data from 6 population-based cohorts of adults aged 65+ from 6 countries and 3 continents (N = 6 472), with samples ranging from 231 to 1 913.

Prospective Memory Function Predicts Future Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia.

Objectives: This study aimed to test whether prospective memory (PM) was an early cognitive marker of future cognitive decline and incident dementia using longitudinal data spanning 8 years from the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study.

Methods: At baseline, 121 participants aged 72-91 years were tested in PM using a validated PM task, Virtual Week, which included time- and event-based tasks presented with varying regularity. Responses were scored "Correct" if completed accurately and "Missed" if the target was not remembered at any time.

Establishing conversion of the 16-item Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly scores into interval-level data across multiple samples using Rasch methodology.

Background: The 16-item Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE-16) is a well-validated and widely-used measure of cognitive changes (CCs) among older adults. This study aimed to use Rasch methodology to establish psychometric properties of the IQCODE-16 and validate the existing ordinal-to-interval transformation algorithms across multiple large samples.

Methods: A Partial Credit Rasch model was employed to examine psychometric properties of the IQCODE-16 using data (n = 918) from two longitudinal studies of participants aged 57-99 years: the Older Australian Twins Study (n = 450) and the Canberra Longitudinal Study (n = 468), and reusing the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS) sample (n = 400).

Cognition, function, and prevalent dementia in centenarians and near-centenarians: An individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of 18 studies.

Introduction: There are limited data on prevalence of dementia in centenarians and near-centenarians (C/NC), its determinants, and whether the risk of dementia continues to rise beyond 100.

Methods: Participant-level data were obtained from 18 community-based studies (N = 4427) in 11 countries that included individuals ≥95 years. A harmonization protocol was applied to cognitive and functional impairments, and a meta-analysis was performed.

Reliability, Validity, and User-Experience of Remote Unsupervised Computerized Neuropsychological Assessments in Community-Living 55- to 75-Year-Olds.

Background: Self-administered computerized neuropsychological assessments (CNAs) provide lower cost, more accessible alternatives to traditional in-person assessments but lack critical information on psychometrics and subjective experience of older adults in remote testing environments.

Objective: We used an online brief battery of computerized tasks selected from the Cogstate Brief Battery (CBB) and Cambridge Brain Sciences (CBS) to 1) determine test-retest reliability in an unsupervised setting; 2) examine convergent validity with a comprehensive 'gold standard' paper-and-pencil neuropsychological test battery administered in-person; and 3) explore user-experience of remote computerized testing and individual tests.

Methods: Fifty-two participants (mean age 65.

Aging Is Associated With Multidirectional Changes in Social Cognition: Findings From an Adult Life-Span Sample Ranging From 18 to 101 Years.

Objectives: Normal adult aging is associated with changes in social cognition. Although 4 social cognitive domains have been identified (social perception, theory of mind [ToM], affective empathy, and social behavior), no study has tested all 4 domains concurrently in a life-span sample, limiting understanding of the relative magnitude of age-related changes across domains. This study addresses this gap by providing the first assessment of all 4 social cognitive domains in an adult life-span sample.

Networks of inflammation, depression, and cognition in aging males and females.

Background: Prioritizing the maintenance of healthy cognitive aging and personalizing preventive interventions to enhance their effectiveness is crucial as the global population ages. Systemic inflammation and depression in older people have been associated with decreased levels of cognition but results have been inconsistent.

Aims: To explore the interactive network of inflammation, depression and cognition by sex in older people.