Social Loneliness in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Predictive Factors and Associated Clinical Characteristics.

Background: Loneliness and social isolation are considered public health problems among older individuals. In addition, both increase the risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia. The Social Loneliness construct has been proposed to refer to these harmful social interaction-related factors.

Cognitive Training Modulates Brain Hypersynchrony in a Population at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Recent studies demonstrated that brain hypersynchrony is an early sign of dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that can represent a proxy for clinical progression. Conversely, non-pharmacological interventions, such as cognitive training (COGTR), are associated with cognitive gains that may be underpinned by a neuroprotective effect on brain synchrony.

Objective: To study the potential of COGTR to modulate brain synchrony and to eventually revert the hypersynchrony phenomenon that characterizes preclinical AD.

Val66Met Polymorphism and Gamma Band Disruption in Resting State Brain Functional Connectivity: A Magnetoencephalography Study in Cognitively Intact Older Females.

The pathophysiological processes undermining brain functioning decades before the onset of the clinical symptoms associated with dementia are still not well understood. Several heritability studies have reported that the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor () Val66Met genetic polymorphism could contribute to the acceleration of cognitive decline in aging. This mutation may affect brain functional connectivity (FC), especially in those who are carriers of the Met allele.

Efficacy of Cognitive Training in Older Adults with and without Subjective Cognitive Decline Is Associated with Inhibition Efficiency and Working Memory Span, Not with Cognitive Reserve.

The present study explores the role of cognitive reserve, executive functions, and working memory (WM) span, as factors that might explain training outcomes in cognitive status. Eighty-one older adults voluntarily participated in the study, classified either as older adults with subjective cognitive decline or cognitively intact. Each participant underwent a neuropsychological assessment that was conducted both at baseline (entailing cognitive reserve, executive functions, WM span and depressive symptomatology measures, as well as the Mini-Mental State Exam regarding initial cognitive status), and then 6 months later, once each participant had completed the training program (Mini-Mental State Exam at the endpoint).

APOE ε4 Modulation of Training Outcomes in Several Cognitive Domains in a Sample of Cognitively Intact Older Adults.

Background: Most research points to the ɛ4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene as the most recognizable genetic risk factor associated with Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. It has been also suggested that the APOEɛ4 allele has a negative influence on cognitive functioning, which begins long before cognitive impairment becomes manifest. However, still, little is known about the APOEɛ4 interaction with cognitive intervention programs.