Cell-based serum anticholinergic activity assay and working memory in cognitively healthy older adults before and after scopolamine: An exploratory study.

Background: A new cell-based serum anticholinergic activity (cSAA) assay that measures anticholinergic activity specifically at muscarinic M1 receptors and eliminates many of the drawbacks of the existing assay was developed by our team.

Aims: We aimed to study the relationship between changes in working memory and executive function with changes in cSAA using the new assay in cognitively healthy older adults.

Methods: Cognitively healthy participants aged 50 years and above, received a single dose of 0.

Associations of visual paired associative learning task with global cognition and its potential usefulness as a screening tool for Alzheimer's Dementia.

Objective: Appropriate screening is integral to the early diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD). The Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task is a digital cognitive task that is free of cultural, language, and educational biases. This study examined the association between the PAL task performance and global cognition and the usefulness of the PAL task as a screening tool for AD.

Effects of repetitive paired associative stimulation on brain plasticity and working memory in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot randomized double-blind-controlled trial.

Design: Pilot randomized double-blind-controlled trial of repetitive paired associative stimulation (rPAS), a paradigm that combines transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with peripheral median nerve stimulation.

Objectives: To study the impact of rPAS on DLPFC plasticity and working memory performance in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Thirty-two patients with AD (females = 16), mean (SD) age = 76.

The Impact of Anticholinergic Burden on Functional Capacity in Persons With Schizophrenia Across the Adult Life Span.

Anticholinergic burden (ACB) from medications impairs cognition in schizophrenia. Cognition is a predictor of functional capacity; however, little is known about ACB effect on functional capacity in this population. This study assesses the relationship between ACB and functional capacity across the life span in individuals with schizophrenia after controlling for ACB effect on cognition.

Effects of bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation on working memory and global cognition in older patients with remitted major depression: A pilot randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To assess the effects of a 10-day course of bilateral anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on working memory and global cognition in elderly participants with remitted major depressive disorder at 14 days (primary outcome) and 90 days (secondary outcome) post intervention.

Design: Randomized double blind controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov # NCT02212366).

Theta-Gamma Coupling and Working Memory in Alzheimer's Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Working memory deficits are common among individuals with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Yet, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these deficits. Theta-gamma coupling-the modulation of high-frequency gamma oscillations by low-frequency theta oscillations-is a neurophysiologic process underlying working memory.

Anticholinergic Burden and Cognition in Older Patients With Schizophrenia.

Objective: Older individuals with schizophrenia are at risk of being treated with anticholinergic medications due to the prevalence of medical comorbidities and polypharmacy. High anticholinergic burden impairs cognition and is a risk factor for Alzheimer's dementia. Thus, we assessed the impact of anticholinergic burden on Alzheimer's dementia-related and schizophrenia-related cognitive functions in older patients with schizophrenia.

Extent of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Plasticity and Its Association With Working Memory in Patients With Alzheimer Disease.

Importance: The extent of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plasticity in Alzheimer disease (AD) and its association with working memory are not known.

Objectives: To determine whether participants with AD had impaired DLPFC plasticity compared with healthy control participants, to compare working memory between participants with AD and controls, and to determine whether DLPFC plasticity was associated with working memory.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included 32 participants with AD who were 65 years or older and met diagnostic criteria for dementia due to probable AD with a score of at least 17 on the Mini-Mental State Examination and 16 age-matched control participants.

An optimal combination of MCCB and CANTAB to assess functional capacity in older individuals with schizophrenia.

Introduction: Cognitive deficits predict functional capacity in patients with schizophrenia including in late life. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) are widely used to assess cognition in this population. The aim of this study was to determine a minimal set of subtests across the two batteries that would be strongly associated with functional capacity in older patients with schizophrenia.

The influence of medical burden severity and cognition on functional competence in older community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia.

Objective: Cognition predicts functional competence among individuals with schizophrenia across the lifespan. However, as these individuals age, increasing levels of medical burden may also contribute to functional deficits both directly and indirectly through cognition. Thus, we assessed the relationship among, cognition, medical burden, and functional competence in older individuals with schizophrenia.