Are depressive symptoms in mild cognitive impairment predictive of conversion to dementia?

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The association between depressive symptoms and conversion to dementia is not yet clear. This longitudinal study was conducted to ascertain whether depressive symptoms in aMCI patients are predictive of conversion to dementia.

The 10-word learning task in the differential diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease and elderly depression: A cross-sectional pilot study.

Objectives: Identification of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become very important. Episodic memory tasks appear to have predictive power for indicating early AD. Deficits in encoding and storage processes that are characteristic of AD, however, must be distinguished from non-AD deficits that can also affect memory, including difficulties that may be present in depression.

Adolescents' mental health outcomes according to different types of exposure to ongoing terror attacks.

This study investigates the impact of several types of exposure to terror attacks on adolescents' psychological outcomes in the context of ongoing terror. A total of 913 adolescents (51% girls) aged 12 to 18 years (12-13.6 = 33%; 13.

Verbal cued recall as a predictor of conversion to Alzheimer's disease in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: This study was set up to investigate whether neuropsychological tests are able to predict conversion to AD among Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients.

Methods: At baseline the cognitive part of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly (CAMCOG), the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), a Dutch variation of Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Memory Impairment Screen plus (MISplus) and the Visual Association Test (VAT) were administered to 40 patients diagnosed with MCI. After 18 months, MCI-patients were reassessed and a follow-up diagnosis was established.

Differentiation between dementia and depression among older persons: can the difference between actual and premorbid intelligence be useful?

We wanted to investigate whether the difference between actual and premorbid intelligence can be useful to make an early differentiation between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and depression among elderly. A Dutch version of the National Adult Reading Test (NLV), a measure of premorbid IQ and the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a measure of actual intelligence were administered to patients with mild (34) and moderate (27) AD, depressed elderly (36) and healthy control subjects (51). Logistic regression analyses revealed that intellectual decline (i.

Coping styles as moderating the relationships between terrorist attacks and well-being outcomes.

This study aims to explore use of coping strategies among adolescents and their relationships with well being in the context of ongoing terrorism. Furthermore, we aim to explore to what extent coping styles in addition to exposure variables explain well being of adolescents facing ongoing terror. During September 2003, after three years of ongoing terror attacks, 913 Israeli adolescents aged 12-18 years, completed the following questionnaires during regular class sessions: Demographics, Achenbach's Youth Self Report; Exposure to Terror and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) questionnaire; Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS) and Brief Symptoms Inventory.

Socio-emotional and language development of 2-year-old children born after PGD/PGS, and parental well-being.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess socio-emotional and language development in 2-year-old children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and genetic aneuploidy screening (PGS), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and natural conception (NC) and to assess parental well-being.

Methods: Parents of 2-year-old PGD/PGS (n = 41), ICSI (n = 35) and NC (n = 53) singleton children were recruited. The socio-emotional development of the children was assessed using the Child Behavioural Checklist (CBCL) and the Short Temperament Scale for Toddlers.

The expectations and experiences of children attending Burn Camps: a qualitative study.

The use of evaluation forms has increased with the steadily growing interest in child-centered research. The purpose of this study is 2-fold: 1) to examine the benefits of attending the National Burn Camp, a therapeutic recreation program set up in Belgium for burn-injured children aimed at alleviating the impact of their burns, and 2) to evaluate the camp program from the standpoint of the children, their parents, and the staff members to make improvements to the program. Evaluation forms were gathered from 19 children (12-18 years), parents (N = 14), and staff members (N = 20) who agreed to fill out open-ended questions at different times.

Mental and psychomotor development of 2-year-old children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis/screening.

Background: Embryo biopsy is a new invasive procedure applied in ART for diagnostic purposes in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or to increase pregnancy rate in preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). The objective of this study is to assess mental and psychomotor developmental outcomes in 2-year-old children born after PGD/PGS, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and natural conception (NC).

Methods: Two-year-old PGD/PGS (n = 70), ICSI (n = 70) and naturally conceived (n = 70) singleton children were recruited.

Follow-up of cognitive and motor development of 10-year-old singleton children born after ICSI compared with spontaneously conceived children.

Background: This is the first follow-up study of the cognitive, psychosocial, family-relational and medical development of ICSI children at ages 8 and 10. Second-wave study results on the cognitive and motor development of 10-year-old ICSI children are discussed and compared with the outcome at 8 years.

Methods: Developmental outcomes of 109 10-year-old singletons born through ICSI after at least 32 weeks of gestation were compared with those of 90 singletons of the same age born after spontaneous conception (SC).

Differentiation between mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease and depression by means of cued recall.

Background: Discriminating Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from depression is a challenge in psychogeriatric medicine. A study was set up to ascertain whether cued recall could be useful in differentiating early AD and MCI from depression among elderly individuals.

Method: The Visual Association Test (VAT) and the Memory Impairment Screen-plus (MIS-plus) were administered together with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to 40 MCI patients, 35 mild AD patients, 46 depressed patients and 52 healthy control subjects.

Mild cognitive impairment: what's in a name?

Background: Nowadays the term mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is used to fill the gap between cognitive changes associated with normal ageing and those associated with dementia. Despite some agreement in general definitions, MCI is still a heterogeneous clinical syndrome for which no DSM-IV criteria have yet been established. Criteria by Petersen et al.

Cognitive and motor development of 8-year-old children born after ICSI compared to spontaneously conceived children.

Background: As a continuation of two large-scale, multicentre studies on the development of 5-year-old ICSI children, we present results of the follow-up study undertaken on the cognitive and motor development of 8-year-old ICSI children.

Methods: Developmental outcomes of 151 8-year-old singletons born through ICSI after 32 weeks of gestation were compared with those of 153 singletons of the same age born after spontaneous conception (SC). Part of this population was seen in a cohort at the age 5 years.

Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: an empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation.

Elderly people are often confronted with stressful events that threaten psychological homeostasis. Nevertheless, the lack of a general age-related drop in life satisfaction remains intriguing. The objective of this study was to analyze the basic mechanisms of perceived control and self-protective processes.

What does it mean for youngsters to grow up in a lesbian family created by means of donor insemination?

In many countries fertility services still refuse to inseminate lesbian couples because they believe the child's welfare would be at stake. One of their concerns is that these children will be stigmatized because of their non-traditional family structure. In this follow-up study, we interviewed children from lesbian donor insemination (DI) families about how they present their 'non-traditional' family to people in their immediate social environment.

International collaborative study of intracytoplasmic sperm injection-conceived, in vitro fertilization-conceived, and naturally conceived 5-year-old child outcomes: cognitive and motor assessments.

Objective: To date, very few studies have been conducted on the neurodevelopmental well-being of children conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The limitations of these studies often include a lack of comparison with a demographically matched, naturally conceived (NC) group and the investigation of only very young children, with relatively small samples sizes. One study showed that there were no differences in IQ scores among ICSI-conceived, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-conceived, and NC children at 5 years of age.

Psychological follow-up study of 5-year-old ICSI children.

Background: The developmental outcomes of children born after ICSI are still a matter of concern. The purpose of the present study was to investigate psychological outcomes for 5-year-old children born after ICSI and compare these with outcomes for children born after spontaneous conception (SC).

Methods: Three hundred singleton children born after ICSI in Belgium, Sweden and the USA were matched by maternal age, child age and gender.

Why do children want to know more about the donor? The experience of youngsters raised in lesbian families.

In this study, we focus on the donor origin of youngster who are raised in lesbian donor insemination (DI) families. The aim was to explore why some of these DI children like to know more about the donor while others do not, these data were gathered by means of a semi-structured interview. Secondly, we investigated, by means of several questionnaires, whether psychological variables such as global self-esteem, emotional and behavioral adjustment and children's perception of the quality of the parent-child relationship were in some way linked to whether or not they wanted to know more about the donor.

Family functioning in lesbian families created by donor insemination.

The quantitative and qualitative data of this study on family functioning in lesbian donor insemination families reveal that according to both parents and children, the quality of children's relationship with the social mother is comparable to that with the biological mother. Unlike fathers in heterosexual families, the lesbian social mother is as much involved in child activities as is the biological mother. Furthermore, the lesbian social mother has as much authority as does the father in heterosexual families.

Short cognitive/neuropsychological test battery for first-tier fitness-to-drive assessment of older adults.

Since fitness-to-drive evaluation of elderly drivers has become an important issue, we developed a short first-tier screening battery to evaluate the necessity for further referral to specialised centres. Our sample consisted of 84 subjects between 65 and 96 years who came to the Belgian Road Safety institute for a fitness-to-drive evaluation. Using cross-validated discriminant analyses, the predictive power of a battery consisting of the Trail Making Test, Part A, a visual acuity test, a clock drawing test, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and age was analysed.

Predicting at-fault car accidents of older drivers.

Considerable research shows car accidents are difficult to predict using screening tests. The objective of this exploratory study is to determine whether detailed accident analysis taking into account the specific accident type might enhance the predictive power of a standardised road test and a set of selected neuropsychological tests. Moreover, this study addresses the validity and reliability of performance-based driving evaluation.

An attempt to reconstruct children's donor concept: a comparison between children's and lesbian parents' attitudes towards donor anonymity.

Background: This study investigated the donor concept of children who were born by means of donor insemination (DI), and their lesbian parents.

Methods: A total of 41 children aged between 7 and 17 years, and 45 parents, took part in the follow-up study. In-depth topic interviews were used to reconstruct how DI children and their mothers perceived the donor.

Can strategic and tactical compensation reduce crash risk in older drivers?

Objective: to determine whether the use of strategic and tactical compensation can successfully improve safety in older drivers.

Methods: 84 healthy subjects aged between 65 and 96 were referred for a fitness-to-drive evaluation. Using ANOVA and contrast analysis, we tested the hypothesis that bad drivers who have had no car accidents use more active compensation strategies than bad drivers who have caused accidents in the previous 12 months.