Cross-Sectional Examination of Homocysteine Levels with Sarcopenia and Its Components in Memory Clinic Outpatients.

Background: Homocysteine is a common risk factor for cognitive impairment and sarcopenia. However, very few studies have shown an association between sarcopenia and serum homocysteine levels after adjustment for cognitive function.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between homocysteine and sarcopenia in memory clinic patients.

Dietary habits and medical examination findings in Japanese adults middle-aged or older who live alone.

Objective: The influence of living alone on multiple food and nutrition behaviors across a range of ages and genders has not been sufficiently investigated. Moreover, to our knowledge, no studies have described both dietary status and medical examination findings in persons living alone. Among individuals who attended a health checkup in a rural town in Japan, we investigated dietary habits and medical examination findings in persons living alone and those living with one or more other persons.

Efficacy of group-based multi-component psycho-education for caregivers of people with dementia: A randomized controlled study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the ability of a group-based multi-component psycho-educational intervention (GMC-PEI) to reduce depression, and improve caregiving appraisals, coping skills of informal caregivers and the condition of people with dementia.

Methods: In this randomized controlled and blinded trial, we enrolled 54 informal caregivers of people with dementia visiting the Japan National Center of Geriatrics and Gerontology, and divided them into GMC-PEI and control groups. The intervention group received a 12-week GMC-PEI program that included six 2-h structured sessions to enhance their knowledge of dementia, caregiving skills and coping skills.

Possibility of Using Quantitative Assessment with the Cube Copying Test for Evaluation of Visuo-spatial Function in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of the Cube Copying Test (CCT) for quantitative assessment of visuo-spatial function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: The CCT, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), and other neuropsychological tests were administered to 152 AD outpatients. For the quantitative assessment of CCT, we scored the points of connection (POC) and the number of plane-drawing errors (PDE) and categorized the pattern classification (PAC).

The Association between Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and the Gut Microbiome: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated an association between the gut microbiome and cognitive function. However, the associations between the gut microbiome and brain parenchyma damage, and their underlying mechanisms, remain unclear.

Materials And Methods: We performed a cross-sectional sub-analysis using data from our prospective cohort study to determine the association between the gut microbiome and cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).

Mild hyponatremia is associated with low skeletal muscle mass, physical function impairment, and depressive mood in the elderly.

Background: Mild hyponatremia (serum sodium 130-135 mEq/L) is a common electrolyte disorder in the elderly. However, its association with both sarcopenia and cognitive function remains to be clarified. Therefore, here we investigated the association of mild hyponatremia with skeletal muscle mass, physical function, and cognitive function in the elderly.

Functional Decline and Body Composition Change in Older Adults With Alzheimer Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study at a Japanese Memory Clinic.

Background: There is a dearth of longitudinal data on body composition, function, and physical performance in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objectives: The aim was to describe the trajectories of function, body composition, and physical performance in older adults with AD.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data were collected from older adults (n=1402) diagnosed with AD (mean age: 78.

Hearing impairment is associated with cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Hearing impairment (HI) is associated with dementia. However, the cognitive screening tasks effective in older community dwellers presenting with HI are unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively and cross-sectionally investigated the associations between HI and cognitive function assessed with screening tasks using data from two healthcare check-up programs for community dwellers ≥65 years old in 2018.

Prognosis prediction model for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease created by integrative analysis of multi-omics data.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD), but not all MCI patients develop AD. Biomarkers for early detection of individuals at high risk for MCI-to-AD conversion are urgently required.

Methods: We used blood-based microRNA expression profiles and genomic data of 197 Japanese MCI patients to construct a prognosis prediction model based on a Cox proportional hazard model.

Identification of potential blood biomarkers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease through RNA sequencing analysis.

Background: With demographic shifts toward older populations, the number of people with dementia is steadily increasing. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and no curative treatment is available. The current best strategy is to delay disease progression and to practice early intervention to reduce the number of patients that ultimately develop AD.

Impact of Cognitive Frailty on Activities of Daily Living, Cognitive Function, and Conversion to Dementia Among Memory Clinic Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Very few studies have investigated the impact of cognitive frailty in clinical settings, especially in memory clinic populations.

Objective: To examine the impact of cognitive frailty on activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive function, and conversion to dementia among memory clinic patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were 248 MCI patients (mean age, 76.

Effects of cognitive and visual loads on driving performance after take-over request (TOR) in automated driving.

The present study investigated effects of cognitive and visual loads on driving performance after take-over request (TOR) in an automated driving task. Participants completed automated driving in a driving simulator without a non-driving related task, with an easy non-driving related task, and with a difficult non-driving related task. The primary task was to monitor the environment and the system state.

Sally-Anne test and regional cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Aim: It was recently reported that theory of mind is disturbed in mild Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Some studies have reported reduced scores of ADD patients on false belief tests, even on first-order false belief tests. However, few studies have pursued the neural substrate of false belief tests in patients with ADD in a real-world setting.

[Association between the Gut Microbiome and Cognitive Function].

Dysregulation of the gut microbiome is associated with several life-threatening conditions, and might therefore represent a useful target for the prevention of dementia. However, the relationship between the gut microbiome and dementia has not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we recruited outpatients visiting our memory clinic to participate in this study.

The relationship between the gut microbiome and mild cognitive impairment in patients without dementia: a cross-sectional study conducted in Japan.

Recent studies have revealed an association between the dysregulation of the gut microbiome and dementia. However, whether this dysregulation is associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of cognitive decline, in patients without dementia remains unclear. We performed a cross-sectional analysis to determine the association between the gut microbiome and MCI.

The Effectiveness of Training Programs on the Fidelity of Neuropsychological Tests.

Background: There will probably be an exponential increase in the number of seniors suffering from dementia, as aging is the greatest risk factor for this disease. Therefore, neuropsychological tests to assessing dementia are likely to play an increasingly important role for medical services in Japan. This study developed and evaluated the usefulness of a training program on neuropsychological tests aimed at promoting the understanding of testers with regard to the cognitive functions and communication required in the neuropsychological testing process.

A comparison of machine learning classifiers for dementia with Lewy bodies using miRNA expression data.

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common subtype of neurodegenerative dementia in humans following Alzheimer's disease (AD). Present clinical diagnosis of DLB has high specificity and low sensitivity and finding potential biomarkers of prodromal DLB is still challenging. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently received a lot of attention as a source of novel biomarkers.

Impact of loss of independence in basic activities of daily living on caregiver burden in patients with Alzheimer's disease: A retrospective cohort study.

Aim: To investigate the association between decline of basic activities of daily living (ADL) in each dimension and change in caregiver burden in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: This retrospective study included 117 outpatients with Alzheimer's disease who presented to the Memory Clinic at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology in Japan between September 2010 and April 2014 (mean age 77.3 ± 6.

Cross-Sectional Association Between Cognitive Frailty and White Matter Hyperintensity Among Memory Clinic Patients.

Background: Cognitive frailty (CF) is defined as simultaneous presence of physical frailty (PF) and cognitive impairment among older adults without dementia. Although white matter hyperintensities (WMH) as expressions of cerebral small vessel disease are associated with physical and cognitive decline and could manifest as CF, this association remains yet to be clarified.

Objects: To clarify the association between CF and WMH among memory clinic patients.