Psychological outcomes of dementia risk estimation in MCI patients: Results from the PreDADQoL project.

Introduction: Understanding the impact of biomarker-based dementia risk estimation in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their care partners is critical for patient care.

Methods: MCI patients and study partners were counseled on Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker and dementia risk was disclosed. Data on mood, quality of life (QoL), and satisfaction with life (SwL) were obtained 1 week and 3 months after disclosure.

A randomized, open-label clinical trial in mild cognitive impairment with EGb 761 examining blood markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Although beta-amyloid (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau remain the preferred targets for disease-modifying treatments (DMT) against Alzheimer's disease (AD), part of the pathophysiological mechanisms of cognitive impairment are related to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. In mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage of AD and other neurodegenerative conditions, the joint appearance of inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic alterations are the common pathways of neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration. The standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba EGb 761 interferes with the pathogenic mechanisms involved in both the development of cognitive impairment due to AD and that of vascular origin.

Sex, Neuropsychiatric Profiles, and Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer's Disease Dementia: A Latent Class Analysis.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be disruptive for patients and their families.

Objective: We aimed to classify patients based on NPS and to explore the relationship of these classes with sex and with caregiver burden.

Methods: The study cohort comprised individuals with AD dementia diagnosed at Ace Alzheimer Center in Barcelona, Spain, between 2011-2020.

Biomarker-Based Risk Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease Dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Psychosocial, Ethical, and Legal Aspects.

Background: Today, a growing number of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) wish to assess their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. The expectations as well as the effects on quality of life (QoL) in MCI patients and their close others through biomarker-based dementia risk estimation are not well studied.

Objective: The PreDADQoL project aims at providing empirical data on effects of such prediction on QoL and at developing an ethical and legal framework of biomarker-based dementia risk estimation in MCI.

Dementia Care in Times of COVID-19: Experience at Fundació ACE in Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Fundació ACE is a non-profit organization providing care based on a holistic model to persons with cognitive disorders and their families for 25 years in Barcelona, Spain. Delivering care to this vulnerable population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has represented a major challenge to our institution.

Objective: To share our experience in adapting our model of care to the new situation to ensure continuity of care.

Genome-wide association analysis of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes reveal novel loci associated with Alzheimer's disease and three causality networks: The GR@ACE project.

Introduction: Large variability among Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases might impact genetic discoveries and complicate dissection of underlying biological pathways.

Methods: Genome Research at Fundacio ACE (GR@ACE) is a genome-wide study of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes, defined based on AD's clinical certainty and vascular burden. We assessed the impact of known AD loci across endophenotypes to generate loci categories.

Exploring Genetic Associations of Alzheimer's Disease Loci With Mild Cognitive Impairment Neurocognitive Endophenotypes.

The role of genetic risk markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mediating the neurocognitive endophenotypes (NEs) of subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has rarely been studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between well-known AD-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and individual NEs routinely evaluated during diagnosis of MCI, AD, and other dementias. The Fundació ACE (ACE) dataset, comprising information from 1245 patients with MCI, was analyzed, including the total sample, amnestic MCI (aMCI) ( = 811), and non-amnestic MCI (naMCI) ( = 434).

Patient Engagement: The Fundació ACE Framework for Improving Recruitment and Retention in Alzheimer's Disease Research.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) research is at a critical time. The global society is increasingly aware of the frightening rate of growth of the human and financial burden caused by this condition and of the urgent need to halt its progression. Consequently, the scientific community holds great responsibility to quickly put in place and optimize the machinery necessary for testing new treatments or interventions.

Social Representation of Dementia: An Analysis of 5,792 Consecutive Cases Evaluated in a Memory Clinic.

Background: Different interpretations of cognitive impairment and dementia due to differences in health structures, such as cultural differences could affect the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. it is reasonable to expect that the social and family impact of the disease and coping strategies will differ among societies.

Objective: The general aim of this study is to understand the social representations of dementia, its associated practices, and the effects they imply.

Beneficial Effects of an Integrated Psychostimulation Program in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The existing pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) can only slow the progression of symptoms or delay admission to long-term care facilities. The beneficial effects of non-drug treatments are poorly studied.

Objective: To describe the effects of an Integrated Psychostimulation Program (IPP) in patients with mild-moderate AD treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; and to identify factors related to greater benefit of the IPP.