bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
RESEARCH ADVANCES USING DIGITAL METHODS TO ASSESS COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Britton Karysa , Hawks Zoe , Sliwinski Martin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This symposium highlights the use of digital methods to assess and contextualize cognition in older adults. Across five talks, we consider several digital cognitive assessment methods, including self-administered computerized tests and smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs). First, Dr. Louisa Thompson reports findings on the utility and acceptability of using well-validated, reliable digital cognitive assessments to screen for cognitive decline among older adults in primary care settings. Second, Dr. Zoë Hawks uses EMA and passive data from wearable sensors to investigate links between glucose and cognition in relation to neuropsychiatric risk. Third, Hannah Wilks discusses the importance of assessing both environmental and affective influences when examining cognition via EMA in individuals with symptoms of dementia. Fourth, Dr. Karina Van Bogart uses multilevel modeling to examine associations between levels of loneliness and self-reported memory lapses among older adults. Finally, Dr. Emorie Beck examines psychosocial influences on diurnal cycles of cognitive variation. Together, Dr. Martin Sliwinski will draw connections between research showcasing how digital methods can be employed to promote routine screening for cognitive decline, elucidate contextual factors that contribute to cognitive variation in older adults, and assess unique influences of individual differences on cognitive performance.
DYNAMIC ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN GLUCOSE AND ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY COGNITION IN TYPE 1 DIABETES
Authors: Hawks Zoe , Beck Emorie , Jung Lanee , Fonseca Luciana , Sliwinski Martin , Chaytor Naomi , Germine Laura 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Cognitive variability is associated with fall risk, cardiovascular mortality, and cognitive decline. Identifying factors that influence cognitive variability may inform evidence-based guidelines aimed at supporting cognitive and physical health across the lifespan. This goal is particularly salient in Type I Diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune condition characterized by large glucose fluctuations. T1D confers risk for neurodegeneration, and laboratory studies suggest that cognition is reduced when glucose is very low or very high. The present study leveraged advances in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and cognitive ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to clarify the impact of naturally-occurring glucose fluctuations on cognitive performance (sustained attention, processing speed) in 200 adults with T1D. Using hierarchical Bayesian modeling, we observed that large glucose fluctuations were associated with slower and less accurate processing speed. Glucose fluctuations were not related to sustained attention, and some individuals exhibited greater cognitive vulnerability to glucose fluctuations than others. Using data-driven lasso regression, we identified seven clinical characteristics that predicted individual differences in cognitive vulnerability to glucose fluctuations: age, time in hypoglycemia, lifetime severe hypoglycemic events, microvascular complications, glucose variability, fatigue, and characteristics (e.g. neck circumference) previously linked with weight and sleep apnea. These results establish the impact of glucose on processing speed in naturalistic environments and indicate that minimizing glucose fluctuations is important for optimizing processing speed. Beyond T1D, this work demonstrates how data from physiological sensors and EMA can be integrated to better understand individual differences in daily cognitive functioning and clinical risk.
INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION TO SUPPORT CAREGIVERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Authors: Telonidis Jacqueline , Hernandez Christopher , Rupper Randall , Morgan Jennifer , Supiano Katherine , Edelman Linda S , Dassel Kara 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Utah Geriatric Education Consortium (UGEC) is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program committed to providing age- and dementia-friendly education to primary care and geriatrics workforces and supporting caregivers of people with dementia. We partnered with three rural, multi-county Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to design and implement hybrid dementia caregiver conferences. Other partners included the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Utah Department of Health and Human Services, VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, and Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. Conference topics included: UGEC educational programs and resources; local AAA community-based programs and resources; dementia, depression, and delirium screening; understanding/responding to dementia-related behaviors; caregiver grief; VA healthcare enrollment and caregiver support programs. The conferences averaged 70.33 (range 54-92) in-person attendees and 12 (range 3-21) virtual attendees. Attendees reported positive levels of satisfaction on a 5-point scale, including that the conferences were engaging (X = 4.55) and effective (X = 4.62), provided examples useful to their education (X = 4.59), met stated goals (X = 4.53), and were better/a lot better compared to similar programs (X = 4.40). In-person attendees reported a sense of community amongst caregivers, and appreciation for the topics related to grief and caregiver support. Attendees suggested adding a caregiver panel, and more local long-term care services and support vendors. In conclusion, rural caregiver conferences which include in-person and virtual modalities meet the educational and flexibility needs of rural caregivers in Utah.
SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS ADULTHOOD AND AGING
Authors: Ghose Urmimala , Gerstorf Denis , Heckhausen Jutta 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Understanding how social relations evolve across adulthood, thereby shaping well-being in later life is a longstanding question in lifespan developmental research. The presented studies offer novel insights, utilizing innovative methodologies, diverse time scales, and varied samples. Chopik combined qualitative data from the Harvard Student Study Class of 1964 with machine learning techniques, reporting a larger and closer friends’ circle during freshman year to be associated with more positive life reflections, enhanced relationships, and reduced mental illness fifty years later. Chopik also explored historical changes in these associations using a novel cohort sequential design. Fiori et al. analyzed hierarchical network mapping and ecological momentary assessment data from the Stress and Well-being in Everyday Life study. Contrary to common theoretical expectations, they found that only interactions within the inner circle of social networks declined with age, and increased positivity in interactions extended beyond the inner circle. Hülür et al. conducted an event-contingent experience sampling study on older adults revealing that interactions with more close social partners were linked to higher well-being across communication modes. Digital text-based communication was identified as a compensatory mechanism for individuals with smaller social networks. Ghose et al. utilized a unique synthetic cohort matching method with Health and Retirement Study panel data, illustrating distinct well-being trajectories in older adults undergoing marital transitions compared to their never/continuously-married peers. Their results suggested more pronounced initial increase and subsequent decrease in depressive symptoms following spousal bereavement than divorce, with social strain identified as an additional risk factor in bereavement.
A NOVEL MRI-COMPATIBLE SYSTEM CHARACTERIZING THE EFFECTS OF AGING ON SUPRASPINAL SENSORIMOTOR CONTROL OF WALKING
Authors: Yue Hao , Shen Bin , Chen Yishu , Zhang Yufeng , Lü Jiaojiao , Manor Brad , Fu WeiJie , Zhou Junhong 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
As the only part in direct contact with the ground during walking, foot soles continuously perceive the somatosensory information (e.g., ground reaction forces). The activation of the supraspinal regions/networks in response to such somatosensory inputs is thus important for walking performance, which is oftentimes altered by aging and age-related conditions. It is challenging to characterize such supraspinal activations via traditional neuroimaging techniques (e.g., functional MRI, fMRI), since people are required to stay motionless during the MRI scan. We here thus developed a novel foot-sole stimulation system that simulates the pressure changes as experienced by each foot sole and the pace of foot switch during walking over the ground, and enables characterizing the walking-related activation of the supraspinal regions via fMRI. To examine its validity and reliability of simulation, 10 younger and 10 older adults completed two trials of 10-meter walking. The recorded temporal changes of pressure on foot soles of each step were recorded and used to program the motion of the system with high validity and reliability (r=0.90~0.95, p&lt; 0.0001). The phantom imaging test showed that the signal-to-noise ratio of the MR image in system-working (29.84±4.32) was similar to that (29.78±3.76) in off-working condition (p=0.73), suggesting great MRI compatibility. The block-designed fMRI test showed that compared to resting, multiple supraspinal regions (e.g., postcentral and precuneus gyrus) (p&lt; 0.005) were activated by the foot-sole stimulation. This novel MRI-compatible system provides a novel tool to characterize the effects of aging and age-related conditions on the supraspinal sensorimotor control of walking.
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN GRATITUDE AND MORTALITY AMONG OLDER US WOMEN
Authors: Chen Ying , Okereke Olivia , Kim Eric , Tiemeier Henning , Kubzansky Laura , VanderWeele Tyler 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Gratitude, as a positive emotion, is a potentially modifiable psychological factor that may enhance healthy aging. However, the association between gratitude and mortality has not been studied. Using data from the Nurses’ Health Study (N=52,169 U.S. female nurses, mean age=79 years, 2016 questionnaire wave to December 2019), Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated the hazard ratio of deaths by self-reported levels of gratitude at baseline. Gratitude was assessed with the 6-item Gratitude Questionnaire, a validated measure of one’s general tendency to experience grateful affect. Deaths were identified from the National Death Index, state statistics records, reports by next of kin, and the postal system. Causes of death were ascertained by physicians through reviewing death certificates and medical records. Over 158,374 person-years of follow-up, 5,343 incident deaths were identified. Greater gratitude was associated with a substantially lower hazard of mortality. For instance, the highest vs. lowest tertile of gratitude was associated with a 10% lower hazard of all-cause deaths (95% confidence interval of hazard ratio: 0.82, 0.97), adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics, social participation, religious involvement, physical health, lifestyle factors, and mental health. When considering cause-specific deaths, gratitude was inversely associated with each specific cause of death. This inverse association was strongest with deaths due to cardiovascular disease. This study provides the first empirical evidence suggesting that experiencing grateful affect is associated with a lower risk of mortality in later life. Interventions designed to increase the experience of grateful affect may provide a novel avenue for increasing longevity among older adults.
QUANTIFYING PACE OF AGING AMONG OLDER ADULTS: AN ANALYSIS WITH HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY
Authors: Balachandran Arun , Pei Heming , Kothari Meeraj , Dominigue Benjamin , Furuya Alex , Belsky Dan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Rise in global population aging and age-related morbidities calls for measures that that can detect differences in aging trajectories in time to reduce and prevent disease burdens. Pace of Aging (PoA) measure captures longitudinal change in human physiology across multiple systems and captures within-individual changes. However, there has been no investigations of the measure around a sample of older adults to identify who are aging fast and who are most likely to gain from interventions. Using nine biomarkers representing three types of data (blood biomarkers, physical assessments, and functional tests) in the Health and Retirement Study (in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016), we studied PoA among 13,379 adults aged 40 or above at their first biomarker measurement. Our results extend analysis of PoA into later life and establish its associations with morbidity, disability, and mortality. Racial disparities in PoA represent opportunities for health intervention and prevention. Pace of Aging was more rapid in older as compared to younger participants. Independent of age, participants with faster Pace of Aging were at increased risk of cognitive impairment, incident chronic disease, disability, and death over follow-up compared to those with slower Pace of Aging (e.g. mortality HR=1.94 95%CI[1.82-2.08]). Population groups with shorter life expectancies exhibited faster Pace of Aging. Pace of Aging is a new tool for bio-social gerontology that can inform projections and evaluate trends in aging-related health changes in populations around the world.
AGE DIFFERENCES IN MILLING BEHAVIOR AND PERCEIVED STRESS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Burns Reilly , Piazza Jennifer , Rusmevichientong Pimbucha , Wood Michele 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
In a disaster, milling behavior refers to persistently seeking relevant information. It occurs most often when levels of emergency preparedness are low and the disaster is unexpected (Wood et al., 2012). Excessive milling can create a sense of vulnerability and lead to a decline in feelings of trust and readiness (Ejeta et al., 2015). One antidote to milling is effective communication and well-designed programs that increase levels of disaster preparedness. Unfortunately, such communication and programs are often ineffective for older adults (Brown & Haun, 2014). The current study examined age differences in knowledge and milling behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included 425 individuals from Orange County, CA (18-87, mean age 47.02 years), who completed an online survey. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that higher levels of milling were associated with higher levels of perceived stress, particularly among the older adults in the sample (B =.031, p =.026). Older adults also reported being less knowledgeable about what they can do to prepare for a pandemic (B = -.009, p =.044). Results remained significant after adjusting for education, race, and gender. Findings suggest that increasing older adults’ knowledge of a disaster through trusted sources may reduce milling behavior, which could decrease levels of stress in this population during a disaster.
MEMORY CHANGES IN COGNITIVELY HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: AGE EFFECTS IN MEMORY-BASED INFERENCE
Authors: Charles Cara , Rockette Ra’Shida , Bowman Caitlin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Memory changes in older age are well documented, even among cognitively healthy older adults. Most prior research has focused on age-related declines in remembering details of individual experiences. However, memory-based inference is another important memory ability that allows us to make connections across separate experiences to make novel decisions. Little is known about the extent of age differences in inference abilities. In the present experiment, we administered an inference task to young and cognitively healthy older adults that asked them to both remember pairs of items that were presented directly (e.g., apple – truck, truck - clock) and that could be combined to form an indirect inference association that was not shown (e.g., apple-clock). Test results showed above-chance performance in older adults for both remembering direct pairs and making inferences. However, older adults performed worse than young adults overall, with a larger age deficit in inference compared to direct memory. We also tested for age differences in the ability to remember which context the associations were learned in (direct vs. indirect) because a loss of context memory can indicate separate experiences have been combined in memory. Successful inference was more likely to lead to a loss of context memory in older adults compared to young adults, but further analyses indicate that strategic responding in older adults could account for this difference. Overall, we found that older adults had an additional cost to forming inferences compared to remembering direct items, but the underlying mechanisms of that difference will require future investigation.
STRESS RESPONSE DURING COGNITIVE TASKS USING EEGS
Authors: Vergara Kristine , Khalil Mohammad , George Kiran 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Abstract - Drawing upon literature indicating the potential positive effects of engaging in cognitive tasks, particularly memory games, on the mental well-being of older adults, this study aims to investigate the relationship between cognitive tasks and stress responses among the aging population. We hypothesize that older adult participants who engage in memory games will exhibit varied stress responses based on the difficulty levels of the tasks. In this preliminary investigation, we present initial findings from a subset of participants (N = 7) aged 65 and above, focusing on their EEG readings collected during memory game sessions using the g.Nautilus Research headset. Our preliminary analysis suggests a correlation between increased task difficulty and elevated theta and delta brain wave activity, indicating heightened stress responses during more challenging cognitive tasks. Ongoing data processing using MATLAB will allow for a more comprehensive comparison of EEG signals between individuals with and without significant health conditions, further elucidating the relationship between cognitive tasks and stress levels among older adults. These preliminary insights pave the way for a deeper understanding of the impact of cognitive activities on stress responses in this population, with implications for the development of targeted interventions within healthcare and mental wellness frameworks. Keywords: Aging, stress, cognitive tasks, Electroencephalography (EEG), MATLAB
ACCEPTABILITY OF THE RESOURCE CONNECTION FOR RURAL CAREGIVERS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA
Authors: Hoel Sydney , White Lillian , Zuraw Matthew , Hill Jordan , Elliot Christian , Pickett Andrew , Werner Nicole 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Rural family caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience higher caregiver burden and lower social supports compared to urban ADRD caregivers. However, research regarding how to better connect rural ADRD caregivers to resources in the community is lacking. CareVirtue Resource Connection, a web-based platform designed with rural ADRD caregivers and rural community organizations, aims to provide rural ADRD caregivers with personalized and hyper-localized resources. We conducted a 30-day field test of Resource Connection with rural ADRD caregivers (N=15) followed by semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ perceptions of CareVirtue Resource Connection acceptability. The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to Resource Connection acceptability based on the post-use interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using deductive content analysis guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (i.e., ease of use and usefulness) using an iterative team-based coding process. ADRD caregivers were self-identified rural, aged Mean=70.1 years (59-81 years), 80.0% women (n=12), and 93.3% white (n=14). Facilitators to Resource Connection acceptability included having all resources provided in one space, resource recommendations based on need and location, notifications about new resources, connecting with other caregivers, emotional and mental health benefits, and the ability to share resource information with others. Acceptability barriers included limited time to connect with provided resources, mismatch of resources to ADRD stage, and a lack of local resources. Results suggest key areas for improving the design that will inform intervention refinement prior to large-scale effectiveness testing.
AMBIGUOUS LOSS AND RESILIENCE IN THE FAMILY CONTEXT OF DEMENTIA: A META-SYNTHESIS
Authors: Chan Athena Chung Yin , Perkins Cade , Garcia Lizbeth , Lyons Sophia , Hernandez Frank , Singer Jonathan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Having family members living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (ADRDs) triggers high distress due to ambiguous loss. Ambiguous loss is an unclear loss with no resolution or closure to the physical presence and psychological absence of a loved family member. Resilience may buffer the distress from ambiguous loss in the family context of ADRDs. Existing reviews primarily focus on carer resilience. Little is known about the family processes navigating losses related to ADRDs. This meta-synthesis of qualitative studies aims to synthesize the family processes of ambiguous losses and resilience in the context of people with ADRDs. Peer-reviewed articles published after 1990 were identified in four electronic databases. A keyword search was performed associated with qualitative or mixed methods, dementia, and resilience or ambiguous loss. Seventy-two articles from 17 countries were included. Findings suggested the coexistence of resilience and ambiguous loss among persons with ADRDs and their family members. For individual-level and family-level resilience, three themes emerged, including belief systems (i.e., acceptance, gratitude, focusing on present and seeing positives in situations), organizational processes (i.e., finding support in friends and family, self-care and self-love), and communication / problem-solving (i.e., use of humor, working as a team). For intrapersonal and interpersonal ambiguous loss, two themes emerged including physical (i.e., loss of self-care, privacy and autonomy, current and expected future roles) and emotional (i.e., loss of identity, pride or dignity, sense of purpose, shame associated with memory loss, and home is no longer home). This meta-analysis calls for culturally-tailored family-based practice and policy.