Search results for "dysfunction"
showing 10 items of 1129 documents
The association between objective vision impairment and mild cognitive impairment among older adults in low- and middle-income countries
2021
Aim: The association between visual impairment and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been investigated to date. Thus, we assessed this association among older adults from six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (China, India, Ghana, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa) using nationally representative datasets. Methods: Cross-sectional, community-based data from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) were analyzed. Visual acuity was measured using the tumbling ElogMAR chart, and vision impairment (at distance and near) was defined as visual acuity worse than 6/18 (0.48 logMAR) in the better-seeing eye. The definition of MCI was based on the National Institute on Aging…
The relevance of nutrition for the concept of cognitive frailty
2016
Purpose of review Physical and cognitive frailty are interrelated and synergistic syndromes more frequently seen in old age, which represent intermediate stages between aging successfully and disability. Poor nutrition is a fundamental determinant for both conditions, while various dietary components are proposed to prevent and/or improve them. This updated review discusses the possible influence of nutritional factors on cognitive frailty and its potential mediators. Recent findings Oxidative stress, low-grade systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, and altered autophagy, all associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, are proposed mechanisms to explain the influe…
Health-Related Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older People with Cognitive Impairment: EQ-5D-3L Measurement Properties
2020
Background: Assessing quality of life (QoL) in older people with cognitive impairment is a challenge. There is no consensus on the best tool, but a short, user-friendly scale is advised. Objective: This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the self-reported and generic EQ-5D (including the EQ index and EQ visual analog scale [VAS]) in community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment. Methods: Cross-sectional study analyzing the feasibility, acceptability, reliability, and validity of the EQ-5D based on 188 self-administered questionnaires in a sample of community-dwelling older adults with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of 10 to 24 points. Results: The …
Designing ICTs for Users with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Usability Study
2020
Background: Research has supported the cost-effectiveness of cognitive training tools enhanced by information and communication technologies (ICT) in several populations, including individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and age-related cognitive decline. The implementation of ICTs in this population, however, is sometimes challenging to their cognitive and age characteristics. Ultimately, this might compromise the effectiveness of ICT-enhanced therapies in this population. The aim of this study is to test the usability and acceptability of a European project prototype for elderly care, in an attempt to explore the ICT design needs of users with MCI. Methods: Participants were 28 i…
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Hippocampus in MCI and Early Alzheimer's Disease
2011
The hippocampus is among the first brain structures to be affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Microstructural alterations within this region have been quantified in vivo using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a relatively novel MRI-based technique for mapping diffusion properties of water. Existing evidence indicates that DTI-derived mean diffusivity (MD) of the anterior hippocampus is more predictive than ordinary volumetric indices of the degree of episodic memory impairment in patients with early AD. Thus, altered MD of the (anterior) hippocampus might be highly indicative of hippocampal dysfunction, thereby potentially qualifying this measure as a candidate marker for monitor…
Effect of soluble guanylyl cyclase activator and stimulator therapy on nitroglycerin-induced nitrate tolerance in rats
2015
Chronic nitroglycerin (GTN) anti-ischemic therapy induces side effects such as nitrate tolerance and endothelial dysfunction. Both phenomena could be based on a desensitization/oxidation of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC). Therefore, the present study aims at investigating the effects of the therapy with the sGC activator BAY 60-2770 and the sGC stimulator BAY 41-8543 on side effects induced by chronic nitroglycerin treatment. Male Wistar rats were treated with nitroglycerin (100mg/kg/d for 3.5days, s.c. in ethanol) and BAY 60-2770 (0.5 or 2.5mg/kg/d) or BAY 41-8543 (1 and 5mg/kg/d) for 6days. Therapy with BAY 60-2770 but not with BAY 41-8543 improved nitroglycerin-triggered endothelial …
The relationship between loneliness and cognition in healthy older men and women: The role of cortisol
2018
Abstract Loneliness has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older people, as well as a dysregulation of Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. In addition, it has been suggested that women are more vulnerable to the negative effects of loneliness on health. Our aim was to analyze the effect of HPA-axis functioning as a mediator in the relationship between loneliness and cognitive function, and interactions depending on sex, in healthy older people. To do so, 86 healthy older people (52.3% female) from 60 to 80 years old (M = 67.44, SD = 4.37) completed the revised UCLA loneliness scale. A neuropsychological battery was administered to …
Cumulative Prognostic Score Predicting Mortality in Patients Older Than 80 Years Admitted to the ICU
2019
OBJECTIVES To develop a scoring system model that predicts mortality within 30 days of admission of patients older than 80 years admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING A total of 306 ICUs from 24 European countries. PARTICIPANTS Older adults admitted to European ICUs (N = 3730; median age = 84 years [interquartile range = 81‐87 y]; 51.8% male). MEASUREMENTS Overall, 24 variables available during ICU admission were included as potential predictive variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of 30‐day mortality. Model sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were evaluated with receiver operating characteris…
Behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of cognitive control in ex-obese adults
2017
Impaired cognitive control functions have been documented in obesity. It remains unclear whether these functions normalize after weight reduction. We compared ex-obese individuals, who successfully underwent substantial weight loss after bariatric surgery, to normal-weight participants on measures of resistance to interference, cognitive flexibility and response inhibition, obtained from the completion of two Stroop tasks, a Switching task and a Go/NoGo task, respectively. To elucidate the underlying brain mechanisms, event-related potentials (ERPs) in the latter two tasks were examined. As compared to controls, patients were more susceptible to the predominant but task-irrelevant stimulus …
Harmonized benchmark labels of the hippocampus on magnetic resonance: The EADC-ADNI project
2015
Abstract Background A globally harmonized protocol (HarP) for manual hippocampal segmentation based on magnetic resonance has been recently developed by a task force from European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium (EADC) and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Our aim was to produce benchmark labels based on the HarP for manual segmentation. Methods Five experts of manual hippocampal segmentation underwent specific training on the HarP and segmented 40 right and left hippocampi from 10 ADNI subjects on both 1.5 T and 3 T scans. An independent expert visually checked segmentations for compliance with the HarP. Descriptive measures of agreement between tracers were intraclass cor…