4 results
12 Purpose in Life, Loneliness, and Subjective Cognitive Decline in an Ethnically Diverse US Sample
- Celina F. Pluim, Juliana A. U. Anzai, Jairo E. Martinez, Diana Munera, A. Paola Garza-Naveda, Clara Vila-Castelar, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, Liliana Ramirez-Gomez, Julian Bustin, Cecilia M. Serrano, Ganesh M. Babulal, Maira Okada de Oliveira, Yakeel T. Quiroz
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 326-327
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), the self-reported experience of worsening cognitive abilities (Jessen et al., 2014), is associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Modifiable factors such as purpose in life (PiL), the experience of living a meaningful life where one’s life goals are attainable or being achieved (Boyle et al., 2009), and loneliness, an individual’s perceived social isolation (Luhmann & Hawkley, 2016), are known to be associated with SCD. These relationships are understudied among ethnically diverse groups. Using an online survey, we examined associations between PiL, loneliness and SCD in older ethnically diverse individuals living in the US.
Participants and Methods:870 older adults (126 Latino, 74 Black, 33 Asian, and 637 White; average age=67.0 [7.6]) completed an online survey including the Life Purpose Questionnaire, the Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and the Everyday Cognition scale (ECog), which measures subjective cognitive concerns in memory, language, executive function, and divided attention. Chi-square tests and analyses of variance were conducted to assess group differences in SCD and demographic/lifestyle predictors. Multiple regressions and correlations were conducted to assess the relationships between ethnicity and PiL with SCD, and the moderating effect of race/ethnicity. Multiple regressions and correlations were conducted to identify sociodemographic and lifestyle predictors of SCD in each study group.
Results:White participants were older (p<.001), and White and Asian groups had higher levels of education (p=.009) compared to Latinos. The White group had a higher proportion of female (p=.016) and middle-income (p=.019) respondents. Black participants had higher PiL (p=.035) and lower loneliness (p=.047) compared to White participants; there were no group differences in ECog ratings (p=.143). Regression results indicated that higher PiL associated with lower SCD in the whole sample (β=-.435, p<.001). The interaction between PiL and ethnic group was significant (β=.078, p=.025), suggesting the relationship between PiL and SCD was strongest in White participants, followed by Asian, then Latino, and finally Black participants. In Latinos, female sex (β=-.281, p=.004) and higher PiL (β=-.240, p=.034) predicted lower SCD ratings. In White participants, higher PiL (β = -.394, p < .001), and lower loneliness (β = .128, p = .003) predicted lower SCD ratings. Correlation analyses revealed no significant associations with SCD in the Black group, although the correlation between loneliness and SCD was trending (r=.222, p=.063). In the Asian group, greater PiL was associated with lower SCD ratings (r=-.439, p=.011).
Conclusions:Our findings suggest that PiL may be protective against SCD, particularly in Latino, Asian, and White adults. Differential predictive factors of SCD were also identified for our study groups, suggesting certain groups may benefit from specific targeted interventions. Overall, findings suggest that interventions geared toward increasing PiL and/or mitigating loneliness may help reduce SCD and the risk of cognitive decline in older adults in the US. As the current study was cross-sectional and faced sample size limitations in Asian and Black groups, future studies should include longitudinal assessment of these associations with larger and more representative samples to confirm our findings.
94 Physical Activity, Emotional Functioning, and Cognitive Concerns During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Older Adults in the US
- Perla K. Ortiz-Acosta, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, Valeria Torres, Jairo E. Martínez, Ana Baena, Diana Munera, Enmanuelle Pardilla-Delgado, Celina Pluim, Ganesh Babulal, Liliana Ramírez-Gómez, Clara Vila-Castelar, Joshua Fox Fuller, Yakeel T. Quiroz
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 394-395
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Physical inactivity is associated with a greater risk of frailty, neuropsychiatric symptoms, worse quality of life, and increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Little is known about how physical activity engagement of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic relates to subjective cognitive concerns and management of emotional distress. This study aimed to examine whether there were changes in physical activity during the pandemic in older adults at baseline and 3 months compared to before the pandemic and whether these changes varied based on age, sex, income level, and employment status. Further, we examined whether individuals who reported engaging in less physical activity experienced greater subjective cognitive difficulties and symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who maintained or increased their physical activity levels.
Participants and Methods:301 participants (73% non-Hispanic whites) completed an online survey in either English or Spanish between May and October 2020 and 3 months later. The Everyday Cognition Scale was used to measure subjective cognitive decline, the CES-D-R-10 scale to measure depressive symptoms, and the GAD-7 scale to measure anxiety symptoms. Changes in physical activity were measured with the question “Since the coronavirus disease pandemic began, what has changed for you or your family in regard to physical activity or exercise levels?” with options “less physical activity,” “increase in physical activity,” or “same activity level.” Income was self-reported as high, middle, or low. Analyses of chi-squared tests were used to examine differences in physical activity maintenance by age, income level, sex, and employment status.
Results:Most individuals (60%) reported having decreased their physical activity levels during the pandemic, at baseline and 3-month followup. There were differences in physical activity levels based on income and age: participants with a high income reported engaging in more physical activity than those with low income (X^2=4.78, p =.029). At the 3-month follow-up, middle-income participants reported being less active than the high-income earners (X^2=8.92, p=.003), and younger participants (55-65 years, approximately) reported being less active than older participants (X^2=5.28, p =.022). Those who reported an increase in their physical activity levels had fewer cognitive concerns compared to those who were less active at baseline, but this difference was not seen in the 3-month follow-up. Participants of all ages who reported having maintained or increased their physical activity levels had fewer depressive symptoms than those who were less active (p < 0.0001). Those who reported maintaining their physical activity levels exhibited fewer anxiety symptoms than those who were less active (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:Older adults reported changes in physical activity levels during the pandemic and some of these changes varied by sociodemographic factors. Further, maintaining physical activity levels was associated with lower symptoms of depression, anxiety, and cognitive concerns. Encouraging individuals and providing resources for increasing physical activity may be an effective way to mitigate some of the pandemic’s adverse effects on psychological wellbeing and may potentially help reduce the risk for cognitive decline. Alternately, it is possible that improving emotional distress could lead to an increase in physical activity levels and cognitive health.
Subjective Cognitive Decline and its Relation to Verbal Memory and Sex in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals from a Colombian Cohort with Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease
- Jairo E. Martinez, Enmanuelle Pardilla-Delgado, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, Clara Vila-Castelar, Rebecca Amariglio, Jennifer Gatchel, Daniel C. Aguirre-Acevedo, Yamile Bocanegra, Ana Baena, Eliana Henao, Victoria Tirado, Claudia Muñoz, Margarita Giraldo-Chica, Francisco Lopera, Yakeel T. Quiroz
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 28 / Issue 6 / July 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 June 2021, pp. 541-549
-
- Article
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Findings regarding sex differences in SCD are inconsistent. Studying sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired individuals with autosomal-dominant AD (ADAD), who will develop dementia, may inform sex-related SCD variations in preclinical AD. We examined sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired mutation carriers from the world’s largest ADAD kindred and sex differences in the relationship between SCD and memory performance.
Methods:We included 310 cognitively unimpaired Presenilin-1 (PSEN-1) E280A mutation carriers (51% females) and 1998 noncarrier family members (56% females) in the study. Subjects and their study partners completed SCD questionnaires and the CERAD word list delayed recall test. ANCOVAs were conducted to examine group differences in SCD, sex, and memory performance. In carriers, partial correlations were used to examine associations between SCD and memory performance covarying for education.
Results:Females in both groups had greater self-reported and study partner-reported SCD than males (all p < 0.001). In female mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p = 0.02) and study partner-reported SCD (p < 0.001) were associated with worse verbal memory. In male mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p = 0.03), but not study partner-reported SCD (p = 0.11) was associated with worse verbal memory.
Conclusions:Study partner-reported SCD may be a stronger indicator of memory decline in females versus males in individuals at risk for developing dementia. Future studies with independent samples and preclinical trials should consider sex differences when recruiting based on SCD criteria.
Association Between Visual Memory and In Vivo Amyloid and Tau Pathology in Preclinical Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease
- Yamile Bocanegra, Joshua T. Fox-Fuller, Ana Baena, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, Clara Vila-Castelar, Jairo Martínez, Heirangi Torrico-Teave, Francisco Lopera, Yakeel T. Quiroz
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 27 / Issue 1 / January 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 August 2020, pp. 47-55
-
- Article
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Visual memory (ViM) declines early in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it is unclear whether ViM impairment is evident in the preclinical stage and relates to markers of AD pathology. We examined the relationship between ViM performance and in vivo markers of brain pathology in individuals with autosomal dominant AD (ADAD).
Methods:Forty-five cognitively unimpaired individuals from a Colombian kindred with the Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) E280A ADAD mutation (19 carriers and 26 noncarriers) completed the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure immediate recall test, a measure of ViM. Cortical amyloid burden and regional tau deposition in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and inferior temporal cortex (IT) were measured using 11C-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (PET) and 11F-flortaucipir PET, respectively.
Results:Cognitively unimpaired carriers and noncarriers did not differ on ViM performance. Compared to noncarriers, carriers had higher levels of cortical amyloid and regional tau in both the EC and IT. In cognitively unimpaired carriers, greater cortical amyloid burden, higher levels of regional tau, and greater age were associated with worse ViM performance. Only a moderate correlation between regional tau and ViM performance remained after adjusting for verbal memory scores. None of these correlations were observed in noncarriers.
Conclusions:Results suggest that AD pathology and greater age are associated with worse ViM performance in ADAD before the onset of clinical symptoms. Further investigation with larger samples and longitudinal follow-up is needed to examine the utility of ViM measures for identifying individuals at high risk of developing dementia later in life.