Socio-ecological barriers to behavior change-oriented dementia prevention: a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' perspectives.

Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to: (1) identify socio-ecological barriers to behavior change-oriented dementia (AD/ADRD) prevention from the perspectives of healthcare professionals, and (2) propose strategies to address these barriers during a clinical trial for an AD/ADRD prevention program ().

Method: Multidisciplinary healthcare professionals involved in geriatric care ( = 26, experience > 17 years) from diverse clinics within a medical center participated in focus groups. Using the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM), 5 focus groups were conducted to identify individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and societal barriers.

A Mindfulness-Based Lifestyle Intervention for Dementia Risk Reduction: Protocol for the My Healthy Brain Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Lifestyle behavior change and mindfulness have direct and synergistic effects on cognitive functioning and may prevent Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). We are iteratively developing and testing My Healthy Brain (MHB), the first mindfulness-based lifestyle group program targeting AD/ADRD risk factors in older adults with subjective cognitive decline. Our pilot studies (National Institutes of Health [NIH] stage 1A) have shown that MHB is feasible, acceptable, and associated with improvement in lifestyle behavior and cognitive outcomes.

Dietary patterns, inflammatory biomarkers and cognition in older adults: An analysis of three population-based cohorts.

Background: Targeting effective strategies to prevent cognitive decline is key in the aging population. Some diets have been linked to a slower cognitive decline, potentially through reducing inflammation. We aimed at determining the effect of inflammatory dietary patterns (IDPs) on cognitive function in three population-based cohorts.

Pet Attachment and Anxiety and Depression in Middle-Aged and Older Women.

Importance: Understanding how attachment to pets can alleviate depression and anxiety offers valuable insights for developing preventive and therapeutic strategies, particularly for those with insecure attachment styles from childhood trauma.

Objective: To determine if a close bond with a pet is associated with reduced depression and anxiety, especially among women who experienced childhood abuse.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study involved women who voluntarily enrolled in the Mind Body Study (MBS), a substudy of the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS2) focusing on psychosocial factors.

Optimizing the Implementation of a Lifestyle Dementia Prevention Intervention for Older Patients in an Academic Healthcare System.

Background: Interventions that promote healthy lifestyles are critical for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). However, knowledge of the best practices for implementing AD/ADRD prevention in healthcare settings remains limited.

Objective: We aimed to qualitatively identify barriers and facilitators to implementing a clinical trial of a novel lifestyle intervention (My Healthy Brain) in our medical center for older patients with subjective cognitive decline who are at-risk for AD/ADRD.

Association between number of Adverse Childhood Experiences and depression among older adults is moderated by race.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and history of depression among older adults and to explore the interaction by race.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data among 60,122 older respondents (≥ 60 years old). The ACE score (zero, one, two-three, ≥four) included questions assessing exposure to eight types of ACEs before age 18.

From Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to an Antiracism Strategic Plan: An Academic Department of Psychiatry's Journey.

The efforts of an academic psychiatry department to embark on an antiracism strategic planning process are outlined, including the establishment of an antiracism task force charged with the development of an antiracism strategic plan. The initial process of the task force is described, recommendations are summarized, and future directions are outlined.

Timing and duration of dog walking and dog owner's chronotype in relation to incident depression risk among middle to older-aged female nurses.

Background: We examined associations between dog ownership, morning dog walking and its timing and duration, and depression risk in female nurses, exploring effect modification by chronotype. We hypothesized that dog ownership and morning walking with the dog are associated with lower odds of depression, and that the latter is particularly beneficial for evening chronotypes by helping them to synchronize their biological clock with the solar system.

Methods: 26,169 depression-free US women aged 53-72 from the Nurses' Health Study 2 (NHS2) were prospectively followed from 2017-2019.

Effect of multivitamin-mineral supplementation versus placebo on cognitive function: results from the clinic subcohort of the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) randomized clinical trial and meta-analysis of 3 cognitive studies within COSMOS.

Background: Longer effects of multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplementation on late-life cognitive function remain untested using in-person, detailed neuropsychological assessments. Furthermore, insufficient evidence exists for healthcare providers to recommend daily MVM supplements to prevent cognitive decline.

Objectives: This study aimed to test MVM effects on cognitive change using in-person, detailed neuropsychological assessments and conduct a meta-analysis within COSMOS (COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study) cognitive substudies for a robust evaluation of MVM effects on cognition.

Apolipoprotein E and Its Association With Cognitive Change and Modification of Treatment Effects of Vitamin D3 and Omega-3s on Cognitive Change: Results From the In-Clinic Subset of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ε4 allele is associated with cognitive decline; however, its potential to modify effects of vitamin D3 and omega-3s supplementation on later-life cognition is unclear. Our objectives were to estimate among the in-clinic subset of a randomized trial: (1) associations between APOE-ε4 and global and domain-specific cognitive change, with exploration of potential sex and race differences; and (2) modification by APOE-ε4 of effects of vitamin D3 and omega-3s supplementation on cognitive change.

Methods: From an ancillary study of depression prevention within a completed 2 × 2 factorial trial testing vitamin D3 (2 000 IU per day), omega-3s (1 g per day), and/or placebos, we included 743 older adults with baseline in-person neuropsychiatric assessments and APOE genotyping data.

Potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday preferences for persons with cognitive impairment.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing guidelines and restrictions brought on changes in the everyday experiences of older adults. It is not clear, however, to what extent the pandemic has impacted the importance of everyday preferences for persons with cognitive impairment (CI) or the proxy ratings of those preferences. The sample of this study included 27 dyads of persons with CI and their care partners.

Metabolomics and Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, and Phobic Symptoms in the VA Normative Aging Study.

Traditional approaches to understanding metabolomics in mental illness have focused on investigating a single disorder or comparisons between diagnoses, but a growing body of evidence suggests substantial mechanistic overlap in mental disorders that could be reflected by the metabolome. In this study, we investigated associations between global plasma metabolites and abnormal scores on the depression, anxiety, and phobic anxiety subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) among 405 older males who participated in the Normative Aging Study (NAS). Our analysis revealed overlapping and distinct metabolites associated with each mental health dimension subscale and four metabolites belonging to xenobiotic, carbohydrate, and amino acid classes that were consistently associated across all three symptom dimension subscales.

Individuals with depression exhibiting a pro-inflammatory phenotype receiving omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids experience improved motivation-related cognitive function: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial.

Cognitive impairment related to major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent, debilitating and is lacking in effective treatments; dysregulated inflammatory physiology is a putative mechanism and may represent a therapeutic target. In depressed individuals exhibiting a pro-inflammatory phenotype who were enrolled in a 12-week randomized placebo-controlled trial of 3 doses of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3-FA), we examined: (i) the relationship between dysregulated inflammatory physiology and baseline cognitive impairment; (ii) improvement in cognitive impairment following treatment; and (iii) the association between baseline inflammatory biomarkers and change in cognitive impairment for those receiving treatment. We randomized 61 unmedicated adults aged 45.

Relation of serum BDNF to major depression and exploration of mechanistic roles of serum BDNF in a study of vitamin D3 and omega-3 supplements for late-life depression prevention.

This study: 1) examined cross-sectional and longitudinal relations of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to late-life depression (LLD); 2) tested effects of vitamin D3 and omega-3s on change in BDNF; 3) explored modifying or mediating roles of BDNF on effects of vitamin D3 and omega-3s for LLD. We selected 400 adults from a completed trial of vitamin D3 and omega-3 supplements for LLD prevention. BDNF was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Child Maltreatment Among Older Adults: A Narrative Review of Psychotherapeutic Interventions and Clinical Considerations.

Objectives: The goals of this narrative review are to review the literature on psychotherapeutic interventions for older adults with histories of child maltreatment (CM) and to examine the unique considerations for assessing, diagnosing, and treating older adults with CM histories.

Methods: Online database searches were conducted to identify the extant research into the efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions for older adults with CM-related trauma.

Results: Eight studies met inclusion criteria.

Pilot Study of Second-Generation DNA Methylation Epigenetic Markers in Relation to Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Older Adults.

Background: Associations between epigenetic aging with cognitive aging and neuropsychiatric measures are not well-understood.

Objective: 1) To assess cross-sectional correlations between second-generation DNA methylation (DNAm)-based clocks of healthspan and lifespan (i.e.

Re-remembering the influence of randomized β-carotene on cognitive decline.

The wave of individuals impacted by dementia continues to rise rapidly as worldwide lifespan increases. Dietary strategies to slow cognitive decline and prolong time to clinical dementia remain understudied, but with potentially powerful public health consequences. Indeed, previously conducted large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of micronutrients remain an under-leveraged resource to study changes in cognitive performance.

Projection of Care Partners' Preferences in the Proxy Assessments of Everyday Preferences for Persons With Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: Bias in surrogate decision-making can occur when proxy decision-makers overestimate the degree to which their preferences are shared by others, resulting in a projection of their beliefs onto others. The purpose of this study is to assess projection of care partners' preferences onto surrogate assessments of everyday preferences for persons with cognitive impairment (CI) and to address clinical and demographic factors as predictors of projection.

Methods: The sample included 116 dyads of persons with CI (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score ≥ 0.

Relationship between pet ownership and risk of high depressive symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood.

Background: Only few longitudinal studies with high risk of bias have examined relationship between pets and adolescents' mental health.

Methods: Our prospective cohort study followed depression-free US adolescents aged 12-18, enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study from pet ownership assessment in 1999 to possible occurrence of high depressive symptoms defined based on the McKnight Risk Factor Survey between 2001 and 2003. Propensity-score-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using generalized estimating equation models.