Clinical Manifestations.

Background: PET quantifies tau and amyloid-ß (Aß) pathology in preclinical AD. A 2-min digital clock-drawing test (DCTclock ) captures clock-drawing outcomes and processes, potentially more sensitive to cognitive deficits in preclinical AD than pencil-and-paper tests. The DCTclock summary score comprised subscores targeting multi-domain cognitive performance (i.

Integrating Diversity, Culture, and Equity into the Neuropsychological Evaluation.

Cognition is influenced by a host of factors, including the patient's medical, psychiatric, and developmental history; sociocultural and demographic factors; modifiable behavioral factors; and structural and social determinants of health. Neuropsychological approaches include interpreting test data in the context of these factors to classify impairment and derive a cognitive diagnosis accurately. Failure to integrate an individual's sociodemographic, sociocultural, and developmental background can result in diagnostic errors, which have critical clinical implications for patient care.

Physical activity moderates the association between executive function and functional connectivity in older adults.

Recent evidence suggests that physical activity may influence the functional connectivity of the aging brain. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of physical activity on the association between executive function and functional connectivity of key brain networks and graph theory metrics in community-dwelling older adults. Participants were 47 older adults (M = 73 years; SD = 5.

The Relations Between Physical Activity Level, Executive Function, and White Matter Microstructure in Older Adults.

The population of older adults is increasing, indicating a need to examine factors that may prevent or mitigate age-related cognitive decline. The current study examined whether microstructural white matter characteristics mediated the relation between physical activity and executive function in older adults without any self-reported psychiatric and neurological disorders or cognitive impairment (N = 43, mean age = 73 y). Physical activity was measured by average intensity and number of steps via accelerometry.

Frailty and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cross-Sectional Studies.

The relationship between cognitive function and frailty among older adults is a growing area of research due to the implications of cognitive and physical decline for functional independence in late life. Multiple studies demonstrate a meaningful relationship between these two factors, which together may constitute increased risk of negative health outcomes for older adults. The current analysis was conducted to 1) systematically review current evidence for differences in cognitive performance based on frailty status among older adults and provide quantitative evidence for the magnitude of this effect, and 2) assess the influence of demographic and methodological variables on this effect.

Exercise interventions do not impact brain volume change in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Exercise interventions have been shown to positively impact cognitive function in older adults, but the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of exercise on the brain are not well understood. Here, we aimed to synthesize and quantitatively analyze the current literature on exercise interventions and brain volume change in older adults and to examine the impact of key demographic and intervention features as well as study quality. This study was pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018091866).

Pre-Morbid IQ Moderates the Relationship between Cognitive Performance and Performance-Based Functional Status in Older Adults.

: The current study sought to evaluate the relationship between cognitive performance and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) performance in a population of community dwelling older adults, and assess to what extent this relationship is moderated by cognitive reserve (Premorbid-IQ): 123 community-dwelling older adults completed a general cognitive assessment, a word-reading based premorbid-IQ estimate (PMIQE) measure, and the performance-based Direct Assessment of Functional Status, Revised (DAFS-R). Moderated regression analysis was used to assess the influence of PMIQE on the relationship between cognitive performance and IADLs.: There was a significant main effect of cognitive performance on IADLs, and no main effect of PMIQE on functional IADLs.

A Multi-method Investigation of the Personality Correlates of Functional Ability in Older Adults.

Objectives: This study evaluated the role of personality in predicting functional ability (FA) in older adults using self-report, collateral report, and performance-based measures of FA.

Methods: Participants included older adults (N = 131) who completed a personality measure (NEO-FFI), a self-report of FA (OARS ADL), and participated in a performance-based assessment of FA (DAFS-R). In addition, each participant had a collateral complete a collateral report of FA (OARS ADL).

Education Differentially Buffers Cognitive Performance in Black and White Older Adults.

Objectives: Given that black American older adults are more likely to have lower educational attainment and perform worse on cognitive tests than white Americans, we examined whether increased education would confer greater cognitive advantage to black Americans on measures of global and specific domains of cognitive function.

Methods: The sample included 522 community-dwelling older adults from a larger study. An analysis of covariance was conducted with race and education as between-participant factors and global cognition as the dependent variable.

Body mass index and its relation to neuropsychological functioning and brain volume in healthy older adults.

Obesity is a growing concern worldwide because of its adverse health effects, including its negative impact on cognitive functioning. This concern is especially relevant for older adults, who are already likely to experience some cognitive decline and loss of brain volume due to aging, (Gea et al., 2002).