BrainFit: improving executive and subjective cognitive functioning in late-life mood disorders - a double-blind randomized active-controlled study evaluating the effect of online cognitive training.

Introduction: Unipolar and bipolar mood disorders in older adults are accompanied by cognitive impairment, including executive dysfunction, with a severe impact on daily life. Up and till now, strategies to improve cognitive functioning in late-life mood disorders (LLMD) are sparse. Therefore, we aimed to assess the efficacy of adaptive, computerized cognitive training (CT) on executive and subjective cognitive functioning in LLMD.

Musicality and social cognition in dementia: clinical and anatomical associations.

Human musicality might have co-evolved with social cognition abilities, but common neuroanatomical substrates remain largely unclear. In behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, social cognitive abilities are profoundly impaired, whereas these are typically spared in Alzheimer's disease. If musicality indeed shares a neuroanatomical basis with social cognition, it could be hypothesized that clinical and neuroanatomical associations of musicality and social cognition should differ between these causes of dementia.

A prediction model for electroconvulsive therapy effectiveness in patients with major depressive disorder from the Dutch ECT Consortium (DEC).

Reliable predictors for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) effectiveness would allow a more precise and personalized approach for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Prediction models were created using a priori selected clinical variables based on previous meta-analyses. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used, applying backwards selection to determine predictor variables while allowing non-linear relations, to develop a prediction model for depression outcome post-ECT (and logistic regression for remission and response as secondary outcome measures).

Trajectories of behavior and social cognition in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and primary psychiatric disorders: A call for better operationalization of socioemotional changes.

Background And Purpose: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD), such as mood, psychotic, and autism spectrum disorders, share similar clinical characteristics of behavior and social cognition. Better understanding of clinical progression in bvFTD and PPD is essential for adequate disease monitoring and trial design.

Methods: In this longitudinal study (N = 89), patients with bvFTD and PPD with at least one follow-up assessment were included from the Social Brain Project of the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam.

The Sensitivity of the Mini-Mental State Examination to Detect Objective Cognitive Side Effects Induced by Electroconvulsive Therapy: Results From the Dutch ECT Consortium.

Background: Monitoring cognitive side effects following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is crucial for balancing side effects and clinical effectiveness. Yet, evidence-based guidelines on cognitive testing following ECT are lacking. A frequently used test in global ECT practice is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Physical comorbidities of older age bipolar disorder (OABD) patients: A global replication analysis of prevalence and sex differences.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of physical morbidities between older aged patients with bipolar disorder (OABD) and non-psychiatric comparisons (NC), and to analyze sex differences in prevalence.

Methods: OABD was defined as bipolar disorder among adults aged ≥50 years. Outcomes analyzed were the prevalence of diseases affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, renal, musculoskeletal, and endocrine systems.

The pursuit for markers of disease progression in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: a scoping review to optimize outcome measures for clinical trials.

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by diverse and prominent changes in behavior and personality. One of the greatest challenges in bvFTD is to capture, measure and predict its disease progression, due to clinical, pathological and genetic heterogeneity. Availability of reliable outcome measures is pivotal for future clinical trials and disease monitoring.

Cognition in older age bipolar disorder: An analysis of archival data across the globe.

Background: Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder (BD) impact functioning and are main contributors to disability in older age BD (OABD). We investigated the difference between OABD and age-comparable healthy comparison (HC) participants and, among those with BD, the associations between age, global cognitive performance, symptom severity and functioning using a large, cross-sectional, archival dataset harmonized from 7 international OABD studies.

Methods: Data from the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) database, spanning various standardized measures of cognition, functioning and clinical characteristics, were analyzed.

Bipolar symptoms, somatic burden and functioning in older-age bipolar disorder: A replication study from the global aging & geriatric experiments in bipolar disorder database (GAGE-BD) project.

Objectives: The Global Aging & Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder Database (GAGE-BD) project pools archival datasets on older age bipolar disorder (OABD). An initial Wave 1 (W1; n = 1369) analysis found both manic and depressive symptoms reduced among older patients. To replicate this finding, we gathered an independent Wave 2 (W2; n = 1232, mean ± standard deviation age 47.

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of people with oldest older age bipolar disorder in a global sample: Results from the global aging and geriatric experiments in bipolar disorder project.

Objects: Studies of older age bipolar disorder (OABD) have mostly focused on "younger old" individuals. Little is known about the oldest OABD (OOABD) individuals aged ≥70 years old. The Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) project provides an opportunity to evaluate the OOABD group to understand their characteristics compared to younger groups.

Pre-treatment predictors of cognitive side-effects after treatment with electroconvulsive therapy in patients with depression: A multicenter study.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for major depressive episodes (MDE). However, ECT-induced cognitive side-effects remain a concern. Identification of pre-treatment predictors that contribute to these side-effects remain unclear.

Bipolarity in Older individuals Living without Drugs (BOLD): Protocol and preliminary findings.

Introduction: Although clinical guidelines regard prophylactic medication as the cornerstone of treatment, it is estimated almost half of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) live without medication. This group is underrepresented in research but can provide indispensable knowledge on natural course, resilience and self-management strategies. We aim to describe the clinical phenotype of patients diagnosed with BD who have discontinued maintenance treatment.

Sex Differences Among Older Adults With Bipolar Disorder: Results From the Global Aging & Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) Project.

Objective: Sex-specific research in adult bipolar disorder (BD) is sparse and even more so among those with older age bipolar disorder (OABD). Knowledge about sex differences across the bipolar lifespan is urgently needed to target and improve treatment. To address this gap, the current study examined sex differences in the domains of clinical presentation, general functioning, and mood symptoms among individuals with OABD.

Demographic and clinical associations to employment status in older-age bipolar disorder: Analysis from the GAGE-BD database project.

Objective: The current literature on employment in older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD) is limited. Using the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder Database (GAGE-BD), we examined the relationship of occupational status in OABD to other demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: Seven hundred and thirty-eight participants from 11 international samples with data on educational level and occupational status were included.

The risk of criminal behavior in the elderly and patients with neurodegenerative disease.

Behavioral changes are commonly observed in patients with dementia and can lead to criminal offenses, even without a history of criminal or antisocial behavior. Due to the growth of the aging population, this poses a rising problem to deal with for the criminal justice system and in general for society. Criminal behavior may include minor crimes such as theft or traffic violations, but also serious crimes such as physical abuse, sexual offense, or murder.

Diagnostic Instability Over Time in the Late-Onset Frontal Lobe Syndrome: When Can We Say it's FTD?

Objectives: Distinguishing sporadic behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders (PPD) remains challenging with the lack of robust biomarkers. An early bvFTD misdiagnosis in PPD cases and vice-versa is common. Little is known about diagnostic (in)stability over longer period of time.

Essential data dimensions for prospective international data collection in older age bipolar disorder (OABD): Recommendations from the GAGE-BD group.

Background: By 2030, over 50% of individuals living with bipolar disorder (BD) are expected to be aged ≥50 years. However, older age bipolar disorder (OABD) remains understudied. There are limited large-scale prospectively collected data organized in key dimensions capable of addressing several fundamental questions about BD affecting this subgroup of patients.

The course of psychiatric symptoms in older age bipolar disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic gives us the unique opportunity to study the course of psychiatric symptoms and resilience in older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD) whilst experiencing a collective long lasting stressor. The aim of this study was to investigate the course of depressive, manic and anxiety symptoms in OABD during the first six months of COVID-19 and how loneliness and mastery are associated with this course. Mastery is defined as the control one experiences over one's life and environment.

Bipolar I and bipolar II subtypes in older age: Results from the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) project.

Objectives: The distinction between bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and bipolar II disorder (BD-II) has been a topic of long-lasting debate. This study examined differences between BD-I and BD-II in a large, global sample of OABD, focusing on general functioning, cognition and somatic burden as these domains are often affected in OABD.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted with data from the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder (GAGE-BD) database.

Clinical correlates of late-onset versus early-onset bipolar disorder in a global sample of older adults.

Objectives: Late-onset bipolar disorder (LOBD) represents a significant subgroup of bipolar disorder (BD). However, knowledge for this group is mostly extrapolated from small studies in subjects with early/mixed age of illness onset. In this global sample of older adults with BD (OABD: ≥50 years old) we aim to characterize the sociodemographic and clinical presentation of LOBD (≥40 years at BD onset) compared to early-onset BD (EOBD: <40 years at BD onset).

Illness progression in older-age bipolar disorder: Exploring the applicability, dispersion, concordance, and associated clinical markers of two staging models for bipolar disorder in an older population.

Objectives: The validity and applicability of two existing staging models reflecting illness progression have been studied in bipolar disorder (BD) in adults, but not in older adult populations. Staging model A is primarily defined by the number and recurrence of mood episodes, model B is defined by the level of inter-episodic functioning. This study aimed to explore the applicability, dispersion, and concordance of, and associations with clinical markers in these two staging models in older-age bipolar disorder (OABD).

Cognitive functioning in late life affective disorders: Comparing older adults with bipolar disorder, late life depression and healthy controls.

Introduction: Both older age bipolar disorder (OABD) and late life depression (LLD) have been associated with cognitive dysfunction. It is unclear how cognitive functioning differs between these disorders and what the influence of current depressive symptoms is.

Methods: We compared OABD (n = 148), LLD (n = 378) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 132) on cognitive functioning.