Biomarkers.

Background: Blood-based Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers have been increasingly employed for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, thanks to high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing AD from healthy controls or other dementia types. p-tau217 exhibits stronger associations with AD hallmarks in CSF and brain, compared to other p-tau isoforms. Furthermore, the majority of these studies have been conducted in non-Hispanic Whites, limiting our understanding of the performances and utility of these biomarkers across ethnicities.

Biomarkers.

Background: There has been a great advancement in clinical application of blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) over the past years. We aimed to examine whether cardiovascular comorbidities may contribute to clinical cognitive impairment in individuals with low level of these biomarkers.

Method: The current cross-sectional study included 969 elderly [562 cognitively unimpaired, 407 cognitive impairment (104 amnestic MCI and 303 AD)] participants of the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) study.

Biomarkers.

Background: CADASIL, linked to NOTCH3 variants, is a primary monogenic cause of vascular dementia, leading to vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) observable in early stages. The NIH-funded USA CADASIL Consortium aims to explore CADASIL's onset and progression in the USA, crucial due to varying phenotype-genotype associations globally. The consortium will identify biological and clinical markers across the disease spectrum, contributing to clinical trial preparations.

Biomarkers.

Background: Brain aging (BA) involves the gradual deterioration of brain systems and is associated with chronological age (CA). Measures of BA have been validated and adopted in aging and neurological disease research (Biondo, 2022; Eickhoff, 2021) and could be a useful clinical tool. BA predicts CA in healthy adults (Cole, 2017) and accelerated BA precede Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms (Elliott, 2021).

Biomarkers.

Background: Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) exhibit a genetic form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we leveraged biobanked plasma samples from a completed clinical trial focused on anti-inflammatory treatment, Vitamin E, for DS. The trial's primary endpoint was on cognition, and Vitamin E treatment was not found to be significantly beneficial.

Biomarkers.

Background: Small vessel cerebrovascular disease (CVD), visualized as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is associated with risk and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in clinical, community, and genetic studies of AD. However, it is unclear whether these observations indicate a role of CVD in AD pathogenesis. One approach towards understanding whether there is a mechanistic or fundamental function of CVD in AD pathogenesis is by examining whether genetic risk factors for AD are also associated with WMH.

Biomarkers.

Background: While the association between sleep quality and brain health is well established, the role of aging in this relationship is largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the interaction between sleep and age on cortical thickness using samples from large-scale cohort studies. Age was examined in both linear and non-linear (quadratic) terms, in order to determine the presence of critical age ranges that may exhibit more significant sleep-related brain structural changes.

Biomarkers.

Background: The characterization of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD related dementias (ADRD) pathophysiology has been revolutionized by the development of highly sensitive blood-based biomarkers. Although blood-based biomarkers allow for greater access, cost effectiveness, and scalability, there are limitations for their implementation in resource-constrained low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and rural settings, where access to equipment, freezers, and assays is often limited. Dried blood spot (DBS) collection emerges as a promising, convenient, and cost-effective method for acquiring blood samples in these contexts, but it is unclear whether highly sensitive assays typically applied to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, or serum can detect biomarker concentrations accurately.

Biomarkers.

Background: Blood-based biomarkers able to detect atypical neuropathology could serve as a cost-effective and noninvasive screening to include participants with Down syndrome (DS) in anti-amyloid clinical trials. Accurately placing these novel biomarkers on the AD pathological cascade as proposed by the AT(N) framework informs relative disease progression of individuals. This work examines associations between plasma pTau217 accumulation, PET amyloid positivity, and cognitive status in adults with Down syndrome.

Public Health.

Background: The Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study is an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study that began in 1994 and aims to identify risk and preventive factors for dementia. ACT randomly selects and enrolls Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPWA) health plan members age ≥ 65 years. Historically, the cohort make up has been 88% non-Hispanic White participants.

Genetic Concordance of Staphylococcus aureus From Oropharyngeal and Sputum Cultures in People With Cystic Fibrosis.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) may not expectorate sputum at young ages or after they receive CFTR modulators. While oropharyngeal swabs are commonly used to test for lower airway pathogens, it is unknown whether Staphylococcus aureus from the oropharynx matches the strain(s) infecting the lungs. Our goal was to determine whether oropharyngeal and sputum isolates of S.

Public Health.

Background: Subjective social status in the US (SSS) is related to physical, mental, and cognitive health independent of socioeconomic status, yet few studies have assessed SSS in one's community or examined how SSS may function differentially across the intersection of race and gender. This study aimed to assess the relationships between SSS-US, SSS-community, brain health, and cognitive reserve utilizing an intersectional lens to extend the literature on social determinants of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) risk.

Methods: Participants were 867 older adults from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP).

Public Health.

Background: High-income countries (HICs) are over-represented in current global dementia incidence rates, skewing estimates. Variance in diagnostic methods between HICs and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is speculated to contribute to the regional differences in rates. Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) offers a unique opportunity to address these research inequalities by harmonising data from international studies, including representation from LMICs.

Public Health.

Background: This talk will review the Framework and discuss how it can be used to help conceive of and design research studies into cognitive reserve, brain maintenance and brain reserve. It will also highlight several funded pilot awards that emerged to implement the operational definitions. Finally, the talk will highlight the fourth Collaboratory workshop at which a set of collaborative research projects were initiated that make use of the Framework and address both human and nonhuman cognition.

Public Health.

Background: Racial differences in the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia (ADRD) are well documented in aging populations. Using data from a large longitudinal study of adults, Black-White disparities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were estimated and putative mediators of Black-White disparities in cognitive function were examined.

Method: The prevalence of MCI was determined algorithmically for Black and White adults, and longitudinal indicators of income, educational attainment, and interpersonal discrimination were used to conduct a parallel mediation analysis of Black-White disparities in executive function and episodic memory.

Public Health.

Background: Insulin Resistance (IR) is implicated in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Dietary changes may promote brain health in older adults with metabolic abnormalities. An extensive animal literature suggests pro-cognitive and beneficial systemic and brain effects of intermittent fasting (IF) that may mitigate AD risk.

Public Health.

Background: Increasing underrepresented racial and ethnic minority group (URG) participation in early-stage Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) research is critical to inclusive characterization of underlying pathology and testing of disease-modifying treatments. One promising recruitment strategy to accelerate URG participation is for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to facilitate referrals. The use of HCP-facilitated recruitment strategies across the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) network, a major referral source for ADRD multisite observational and clinical trials, has not been examined.

Public Health.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a significant global health challenge, with limited pharmacological interventions available. Physical activity (PA) is a promising therapeutic approach for delaying AD onset and mitigating neuropathology. Only a handful of meta-analyses have explored the effects of exercise interventions on structural MRI (sMRI)-estimated brain volumes in adults with mixed cognitive statuses, two of which found positive effects on left and bilateral hippocampal volume (HV).

Public Health.

Background: Evidence from diverse fields implicates lipid dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease (AD) pathogenesis. However, lipid consumption at the individual level does not vary greatly within most study cohorts, and multiple lipids are rarely well-measured concurrently. In contrast, mean lipid intakes at the country-level can be precisely estimated and can vary substantially across countries.

Public Health.

Background: Cancer diagnosis is related to poor short-term cognition, reflecting the condition, stress, and management. Less is known about long-term relationships between time since cancer diagnosis and cognition. We evaluated the association between recency of cancer diagnosis and cognition.

Public Health.

Background: Socio-cultural and language-appropriate study materials and instruments are critical for accurate assessment of cognitive function in people from diverse backgrounds. Most research uses cognitive tests based on Western, industrialized, English-speaking cultures and may not reflect global experiences. The purpose of this study was to describe the translations of study materials and cultural adaptations that were developed for the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease (ACAD).

Public Health.

Background: Education is associated with cognitive functioning and risk of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD). However, researchers rarely consider anything about education other than highest degree completion. Do schools' social and academic contexts and students' other (non-attainment) schooling outcomes independently predict cognitive outcomes? If so, this opens the possibility of manipulating educational policies and practices to improve long term cognitive well-being.

Public Health.

Background: A substantial body of research points to the persistence of educational credential gradients in cognitive function across the life course, from early adulthood through old age. Fewer studies have considered the roles of educational opportunities and achievements early in the life course in shaping (1) educational credential gradients or (2) variation in cognitive function among those with the same credentials. As a result, researchers underestimate the contribution of education writ large to variation in cognitive performance later in life.

Public Health.

Background: Persons with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are known to have higher risk of cognitive impairment (CI), including age-related cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia; however, the characteristics of CI and the determinants and mechanisms in prediabetes and T2D remain unclear. Addressing these gaps is critical since over half of the U.S.

Public Health.

Background: Stress has emerged as a risk factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, there is limited research on the impact cumulative individual and familial stress has on AD. This study aims to investigate the relationship between stress and AD within a global cohort of underrepresented populations including Black Americans (BAs), Hispanic/Latinos (H/Ls), and Africans (As).