Background: Depression among older adults is a pressing public health concern, necessitating accurate assessment tools. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) offers a brief and efficient means of screening depressive symptoms, yet its performance across ethno-racial groups remains understudied. This study aimed to compare the ability of various brief forms of the GDS to detect depressive symptoms and to assess potential ethno-racial differences in symptom endorsement among White, Black/African-American, and American Indian/Alaska Native older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Control Hosp Epidemiol
June 2024
Introduction: It is critical to develop more inclusive Alzheimer's disease (AD) research protocols to ensure that historically excluded groups are included in preclinical research and have access to timely diagnosis and treatment. If validated in racialized groups, plasma AD biomarkers and measures of subtle cognitive dysfunction could provide avenues to expand diversity in preclinical AD research. We sought to evaluate the utility of two easily obtained, low-burden disease markers, plasma amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40, and intra-individual cognitive variability (IICV), to predict concurrent and longitudinal cognitive performance in a sample of Black adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Understanding the association of MetS risk factors to processing speed and executive function in the pre-clinical stages of ADRD in under-represented groups would offer insight on potential mechanisms through which MetS associates with ADRD risk.
Objective: Examine association of MetS features and processing speed and executive function across three racial groups.
Background: The relationship between healthy and positive aging and dementia and cognitive impairment has received limited attention in the field of aging. Affect impacts cognitive changes and processes, and cognitive impairment is associated with affective comorbidities. The purpose of the study was to examine (a) whether happiness, helplessness, and hopelessness are linked to cognitive health status, and (b) whether these associations differ by race.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF