Biomarkers of chronic inflammation and cognitive decline: A prospective observational study.

We sought to determine whether the biomarkers of chronic inflammation predict cognitive decline in a prospective observational study. We measured baseline serum soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in 282 participants of the University of Michigan Memory and Aging Project. Cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale for up to five time points.

Family environment and polygenic risk in the bipolar high-risk context.

Background: The interaction of polygenic risk (PRS) and environmental effects on development of bipolar disorder (BD) is understudied, as are high-risk offspring perceptions of their family environment (FE). We tested the association of offspring-perceived FE in interaction with BD-PRS on liability for BD in offspring at high or low familial risk for BD.

Methods: Offspring of a parent with BD (oBD;  = 266) or no psychiatric disorders ( = 174), aged 12-21 at recruitment, participated in the US and Australia.

How the VA is training the Next-Generation workforce for learning health systems.

Objectives: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been a national leader in Learning Health System (LHS) implementation due to its combined mission of research, education, clinical care, and emergency preparedness.

Validation of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Lewy Body Disease Module neuropsychological tests.

Introduction: This study assessed the construct validity and clinical utility of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) Module, consisting of the Speeded Attention and Noise Pareidolia Tasks.

Methods: Participants included 459 older adults diagnosed as cognitively normal (n = 202), or with non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 61), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 96), Alzheimer's disease dementia (n = 44), or LBD (n = 56).

Results: Speeded Attention demonstrated strong convergent validity and moderate discriminant validity when compared to established neuropsychological tests.

Clinical validation of the parent-report Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (TOCS): A pediatric open-source rating scale.

Background: There is a need to develop a multipurpose obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) measure that is useful for cross disorder research and as a reliable clinical rating scale. The current study examined the psychometric properties and established clinical cutoffs for the parent-report version of the Toronto Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (TOCS), a 21-item rating scale of obsessive-compulsive traits.

Method: Participants ranged in age from 6 to 21 years old and had a primary diagnosis of OCD ( = 350, 50% female), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ( = 820, 25% female), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ( = 794, 22% female), or were typically developing controls ( = 391, 51% female).

Mnemonic strategy training modulates functional connectivity at rest in mild cognitive impairment: Results from a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Mnemonic strategy training (MST) has been shown to improve cognitive performance and increase brain activation in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, little is known regarding the effects of MST on functional connectivity (FC) at rest. The aim of the present study was to investigate the MST focused on face-name associations effect on resting-state FC in those with MCI.

The design, evaluation, and reporting on non-pharmacological, cognition-oriented treatments for older adults: Results of a survey of experts.

Introduction: Cognitive decline and dementia significantly affect independence and quality of life in older adults; therefore, it is critical to identify effective cognition-oriented treatments (COTs; eg, cognitive training, rehabilitation) that can help maintain or enhance cognitive functioning in older adults, as well as reduce dementia risk or alleviate symptoms associated with pathological processes.

Methods: The Cognitive Intervention Design Evaluation and Reporting (CIDER), a working group from the Non-Pharmacological Interventions Professional Interest Area (NPI-PIA) of the Alzheimer's Association conducted as survey in 2017 with experts in COTs worldwide. The survey's aims were three-fold: (1) determine the common attitudes, beliefs, and practices of experts involved in the COTs research targeting older people; (2) identify areas of relative agreement and disagreement among experts in the field; and (3) offer a critical review of the literature, including recommendations for future research.

Concordance of genetic variation that increases risk for anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorders and that influences their underlying neurocircuitry.

Background: There have been considerable recent advances in understanding the genetic architecture of anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as the underlying neurocircuitry of these disorders. However, there is little work on the concordance of genetic variations that increase risk for these conditions, and that influence subcortical brain structures. We undertook a genome-wide investigation of the overlap between the genetic influences from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on volumes of subcortical brain structures and genetic risk for anxiety disorders and PTSD.

Reduced brain activation during inhibitory control in children with Val/Val genotype.

Introduction: Behavioral undercontrol is a well-established risk factor for substance use disorder, identifiable at an early age well before the onset of substance use. However, the biological mechanistic structure underlying the behavioral undercontrol/substance use relationship is not well understood. The enzyme catechol -methyltransferase (COMT) catabolizes dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex and striatum, brain regions involved in behavioral control.

Use of Antidepressants During Pregnancy?: What to Consider when Weighing Treatment with Antidepressants Against Untreated Depression.

Introduction Mood disorders impact many pregnant women, particularly those who have experienced symptoms prior to conception, and there are significant barriers, including stigma and access, to seeking and receiving appropriate treatments. Antidepressants are a helpful option in treating perinatal depression, but research on risks and benefits of antidepressant use in pregnancy is difficult given lack of "gold standard" comparative trials. Methods This paper summarizes current state of knowledge on the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy by providing a summary of the literature published in the past 3 years (January 2013-October 2015).

Reduction in delta activity predicted improved negative affect in Major Depressive Disorder.

While prior research has demonstrated a paradoxical antidepressant effect of slow-wave disruption (SWD), the specific dimensions of depression affected is still unclear. The current study aimed to extend this research by utilizing a dimensional approach in examining the antidepressant effects of SWD. Of particular interest is the affective dimension, as negative affect in depression is arguably the most salient characteristic of depression.

Trajectories of alcohol use over time among adults with alcohol dependence.

This study sought to identify trajectories of drinking behavior change over time in a sample of adults with current alcohol use disorder (AUD). We conducted secondary analyses of seven waves of data from a prospective longitudinal study of 364 adults (mean age=44.0 years, SD=12.

Inappropriate use of symptom-triggered therapy for alcohol withdrawal in the general hospital.

Objective: To determine if hospitalized medical and surgical patients were placed inappropriately on symptom-triggered therapy (STT) for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) and if certain conditions were more likely to be associated with inappropriate STT use or adverse events.

Patients And Methods: We randomly selected 124 (25%) of the 495 Mayo Clinic inpatients who received STT according to the Revised Clinical Institute for Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) protocol in 2003 and assessed them for STT appropriateness, defined as having both intact verbal communication and recent alcohol use. Adverse events, including delirium tremens, seizures, or death, were correlated with CIWA-Ar appropriateness.

Age and gender differences in the impact of psoriasis on quality of life.

Background: The impact of psoriasis upon the quality of life contributes significantly to the overall morbidity associated with the disease. An older age at onset of psoriasis and being a man have been associated previously with lower psychosocial morbidity. In order to further evaluate these potentially important mitigating factors, we examined the relation of age and gender on some aspects of psoriasis-related psychosocial morbidity.