bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using remote evaluations to cognitively test African American communities reduces racial disparities and enhances Alzheimer’s disease awareness
Authors: Johnson David K , Adesida Praise , Montenegro Esteban , Merrick Shanette 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundAfrican Americans are at greater risk for cognitive decline and development of Alzheimer’s Disease than any other ethnic population. Systemic and financial barriers block access to healthcare in many African American communities, preventing possibility for evaluation and treatment. During the COVID pandemic, Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc (NBS) augmented the California Cognitive Assessment Battery to become a take‐home and remote administered platform that ensured a convenient and safe cognitive evaluation. Preliminary analysis assessed the usability of the tablets among healthy African American adults.MethodTwelve out of the 20 participants recruited from East Oakland, California, took part in this study. The average participant age was 52.58 (SD = 15.22), ranging from 22 to 69 years old, 58.3% were female. About 33.3% of the participants obtained a higher education after high school, the level of education ranging from high school diploma to graduate degree. Symptoms of dementia were not reported.Participants were repeat tested two times between March and April 2021. Testing kits contained a Microsoft Pro tablet, charger, headset, mouse, modem, and USB port, provided by NBS. Units were set up and taken down in participants’ homes by an NBS staff before and after each cognitive evaluation, respectively. The tablet’s software, California Cognitive Assessment Battery, or CCAB, was created by NBS to maintain communication between a remote evaluator and the test‐taker throughout testing.ResultTwelve African Americans adults, 58.3% women and 33.3% holding a degree higher than a high school diploma, were evaluated consecutively for two days from March through April 2021. In general, the 30‐test battery could be completed within 2 hours. Of those participating, 100% completed all 30 tests within the allotted time.ConclusionDuring a verbal exit interview with their examiner, participants preferred the remote evaluation for its comfortability and convenience, and the test helped show their cognitive ability and areas that needed work. These results demonstrated that remotely monitored cognitive evaluations administered at home have great promise in reducing healthcare disparities between African Americans and other ethnicities.
Use of modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS‐M) for cognitive impairment analysis one year after COVID‐19 hospitalization in Brazil
Authors: Sacramento Luiz Gustavo Guimarães , Sousa Danielle Calil , Leite Arnaldo Santos , Fernandes Bruna Achtschin , Caramelli Paulo , Marinho Carolina Coimbra 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundCOVID‐19 infection primarily affects the respiratory system despite of short and medium‐term cognitive impairment has been increasingly reported. The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS‐M), validated for cognitive screening after stroke, assesses domains such as orientation, attention/calculation, language, and immediate and delayed episodic memory. Thus, the TICS‐M might be useful to remotely screen for cognitive impairment in individuals affected by COVID‐19.MethodCross‐sectional multicenter study in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with participants hospitalized with COVID‐19 confirmed by RT‐PCR or serology. All patients were aged 18+ years. Clinical and sociodemographic data were obtained through electronic medical records and/or interviews. Cognitive impairment screening was performed one year after hospital admission using the TICS‐M, with a cutoff point of 14 out of 39.ResultNinety‐six patients were submitted to the test, of which 50 (52.1%) were women, 72 (75%) were self‐declared non‐white, 59 (64.15%) did not complete elementary school and the median age was 62 years (interquartile range 49‐69). There was no significant association between lower TICS‐M scores and sociodemographic data or previous medical history, except for higher educational level that appears to be a protective factor to lower scores on TICS‐M (OR 0.089, 95% CI:0,01‐0,7, p 0.008), which is demonstrated in Table 1. There was also no association between the scores and the clinical course during hospitalization as displayed in Table 2. Furthermore, length of hospital stay (p = 0.232) and length of stay in Intensive Care Unit (p = 0.565) did not impact the scores.ConclusionIn this study, 15% of the sample had cognitive impairment one year after hospitalization for COVID‐19 according to TICS‐M. The absence of an association between known risk factors for cognitive deficits and worse scores on the TICS‐M might have been influenced by the fact that only 13.5% of our sample did not have comorbidities. Lower education level was the only factor associated with worse scores, which indicates a possible need to adapt the test or the cutoff point for different educational levels.
Construction of a questionnaire to evaluate cognitive domains based on the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders ‐ DSM‐5 for neurocognitive disorders
Authors: Diniz Maissa Ferreira , de Faria Rocha João Victor , de Souza Sarah Mendonça Mendes , Lin Filipe Jin Jen , Costa Giulia , Bicalho Maria Aparecida Camargo , Malloy‐Diniz Leandro F , de Paula Jonas Jardim , de Mattos Viana Bernardo 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe functional status decline is an important marker for the diagnosis of Neurocognitive Disorders and it is essential in the differentiation between mild and major cognitive impairment. Thus, instruments that assess cognitive‐functional status decline in Portuguese are important for the care of Brazilian older adults.MethodDevelopment of a cognitive‐functional status assessment questionnaire through six steps: (1) Psychological system definition; (2) Properties and subsystems; (3) Dimensionality; (4) Constructive and Operational Definitions; (5) Operationalization of items; (6) Analysis of the items. The analysis of the items included the performance of a semantic analysis by judges and a pilot group composed of older adults and their informants.ResultThe Questionnaire for Assessment of Cognitive Domains and Functionality (QACDF) was developed with 30 items, 5 items per each one of the six DSM5’s cognitive domains, in Likert format, and with an informant and patient versions. Each item of the questionnaire was developed to assess a change in a functional status/behavior or cognitive complaint that was most related to a cognitive domain and its subsystem. The general agreement index among the judges ranged from 0.68 to 0.91 (68% to 91%), with an agreement greater than 70% for most domains. The pilot study included 15 older adults with an average age of 79 years (SD = 6.9), average education of 4 years (SD = 4.4), and their respective informants, with an average age of 50.9 years (SD = 11.3), and average schooling of 13.8 years (SD = 4.5). In the pilot study, adjustments were made in some of the items, such as simplifying and reducing instructions, as well as replacing terms that were difficult to understand among participants. Adequate agreement results were obtained for most items in the first analysis performed. The QACDF was reviewed and submitted to a second analysis by judges composed of Brazilian’s top references in dementia assessment.ConclusionThe QADCF has semantic characteristics suitable for Brazilian older adults and the adequate agreement among judges suggests a substantial theoretical correlation of the items to cognitive domains and functional status/behavior/cognitive complaint. Studies of its application in clinical scenarios are suggested.
The effect of virtual reality and physical exercise training on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Thapa Ngeemasara , Park Hye‐Jin , Yang Ja‐Gyeong , Park Kyung Won , Park Hyuntae 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundNumerous studies have shown that aerobic and resistance exercises, including leisure time physical activity help to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Recently potential of cognitive training using immersive virtual reality (VR) has been growing in the non‐pharmacological interventions for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there are not enough studies comparing the impact of two different interventional approaches on cognition and brain function especially on MCI patients. Therefore, we investigated the effectiveness of two non‐pharmacological intervention using VR and aerobic‐and resistance physical exercise (PE) on cognitive and brain function of older adults with MCI.MethodThis study included 99 participants (70.8 ± 5.4) with MCI randomly assigned to PE, VR, and control group. The PE training consisted of aerobic and resistance exercise performed for 50 mins 5 times/week for 12 weeks. The immersive VR‐based cognitive training consisted of series of cognitive games. 24 sessions of VR training (three days/week) were performed, and each session was 100 mins long. Global cognitive function was measured with Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) test. Resting‐state electroencephalography (EEG) of neural oscillatory activity in different frequency bands was measured. Physical function was measured with hand grip strength (HGS), gait speed and timed up and go test.ResultAfter the intervention period, VR significantly enhanced global cognition (p<0.045) and HGS (p<0.001) whereas PE significantly improved HGS (p<0.001) compared to baseline. One way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of resting state EEG showed decreased theta/beta power ratio (TBR) (p<0.018) in the central region of the brain in PE group compared to the control group. Although not significant, VR group also showed decreased TBR compared to control group.ConclusionOur study findings suggest that VR based cognitive training enhances both global cognition and physical function of older adults with MCI. The decrease in resting state TBR in PE and VR group also indicated improved attention. Further studies should peruse the effect of VR exergaming intervention, a combination of PE and cognitive games, to yield peak benefits on MCI patients.
Cardiorespiratory fitness is an important marker of cognitive performance in older Latin Americans
Authors: Johnson David K , Montenegro Esteban , Kramer Abigail , Salazar‐Villanea Monica , Cahn‐Weiner Deborah 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundOur previous research with older non‐Hispanic whites demonstrated that with increasing cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) there was a concomitant linear increase in processing speed (PS) performance. PS has also been found in a number of reports as a potential precursor to memory decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive aging. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the same cognitive benefits imbued by CRF generalize within a healthy Latino aging community living in Costa Rica (CR).Method415 community dwelling older adults (315 CR and 100 non‐Hispanic whites living in the United States) with a mean age of 71 (SD = 5.29) years old were recruited from the Epidemiology and Development of Alzheimer’s Disease (EDAD), a large international study of Latino cognitive aging. Participants completed neuropsychological testing and a graded treadmill exercise stress test. We compared the relationship between Oxygen Uptake Efficiency Slope (OUES) and a composite measure of PS (Digit Symbol, Block Design, and Stroop Color Naming). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted.ResultCRF (OUES) significantly predicted PS within the CR (B = 0.50; p < .001) group and non‐Hispanic white (B = 0.25; p < .05) group after controlling for age and sex. The relationship between CRF and the PS factor showed a non‐significant misfit when the relationship was constrained to be equal on both groups (χ² (1) = 0.39, p = 0.53), hence the relationship is equivalent between groups.ConclusionIn a healthy sample of older individuals living in CR we found the same score profile and interrelationships that were identified among non‐Hispanic whites living in the United States. CRF and PS are clinically meaningful therapeutic targets for dementia prevention among older Latin Americans.
Association between 18F – FDG uptake and global cognitive performance in individuals at risk of dementia
Authors: Jaramillo‐Jimenez Alberto , Khalifa Khadija Nasralla , Tovar Diego , Borda Miguel Germán , Sonnesyn Hogne , Ferreira Daniel , Buter Tirza C.E. , Maple‐Grødem Jodi , Oppedal Ketil , Aarsland Dag 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundCardiometabolic disorders (CMD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) have been associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. However, brain glucose metabolism has not been compared between patients with CMD and MCI, and little is known about its associations with global cognitive performance. Here we examined regional brain 18F – FDG uptake in patients with CMD and MCI, and analyzed its potential associations with global cognitive performance.Methods55 patients with increased risk for developing dementia were recruited (MCI = 22; CMD = 33) in this cross‐sectional study. As a measure of brain glucose metabolism, PET/CT was performed and the mean uptake value in brain regions of interest (ROI) was obtained and standardized by whole brain uptake. Global cognitive performance was examined using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). Group differences in brain metabolism and cognitive performance were examined. We conducted separate linear regression models considering standardized MMSE as the dependent variable, and mean 18F – FDG uptake in each of the ROI (and its CMD/MCI group‐interactions) as independent variables. Our models were adjusted by age, gender, years of education, and presence of at least one APOE e4 allele, and corrected for multiple testing with the False Discovery Ratio (FDR < 0.01).ResultsThe CMD and MCI groups were comparable in age, gender, education, and mean 18F‐FDG uptake across all the ROIs, but significantly different in MMSE (Table 1). Adjusted models for global cognitive performance showed significant group interactions with the mean 18F – FDG uptake in bilateral caudate and hippocampus, as well as in left‐hemisphere amygdala, cuneus, fusiform gyrus, and opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus. Thus, significant negative associations of 18F – FDG uptake in the above ROIs and cognitive performance was observed in the MCI group (Figure 1 & Table 2).ConclusionsIn MCI patients, reduced global cognitive performance was significantly associated with high brain glucose metabolism in bilateral caudate and hippocampus, and with the left fusiform gyrus, cuneus, and inferior frontal gyrus (opercular part). These asymmetric associations between high metabolism and low cognitive performance could suggest compensatory effects in MCI patients but further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Associations between placental growth factor, white matter lesions, and vascular risk factors in non‐demented elderly individuals
Authors: Gertje Eske Christiane , Janelidze Shorena , van Westen Danielle , Stomrud Erik , Palmqvist Sebastian , Hansson Oskar , Mattsson‐Carlgren Niklas 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundPlacental growth factor (PlGF) is a pro‐inflammatory marker of angiogenesis, which may play a role in cardiovascular disease and is upregulated by hyperglycemia. In non‐demented elderly, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) PlGF is strongly associated with white matter lesions (WML), a commonly used measure of cerebrovascular disease. However, it is unclear to what degree CSF PlGF and WML provide overlapping or complementary information about pathological processes in the brain. To investigate this, we tested associations for different vascular risk factors with CSF PlGF and WML.Methods495 cognitively unimpaired (CU) elderly and 247 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from the Swedish BIOFINDER study were included. CSF samples were analyzed for PlGF, Aβ40 and Aβ42. Information about the vascular risk factors stroke (present in 8%), hypertension (35%), diabetes (9%), and ischemic heart disease (IHD) (10%) was collected. Associations between WML and PlGF as well as their associations with these risk factors were tested with linear regression models. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, Aβ status, and intracranial volume.ResultsPlGF was associated with WML in the whole group (β = 0.18; CI 0.14‐0.22), and in diagnostic subgroups CU (β = 0.16; CI 0.10‐0.21) and MCI (β = 0.17; CI 0.11‐0.24). Stroke (β = 0.44; CI 0.29‐0.59) and hypertension (β = 0.12; CI 0.03‐0.20) were associated with WML, whereas diabetes (β = 0.37; CI 0.15‐0.60) was associated with PlGF. There was also a nominally significant association between WML and IHD (β = 0.15; CI 0.017‐0.29). In diagnostic subgroups, associations between stroke and WML were significant in CU (β = 0.35; CI 0.12‐0.59), and MCI (β = 0.38; CI 0.20‐0.57) after correction for multiple comparison.ConclusionWe confirmed that PlGF is strongly associated with WML. However, PlGF and WML were differentially associated with vascular risk factors. PlGF was strongly associated with diabetes, which could indicate alterations in endothelial function, frequently seen in diabetes complications. In contrast, WML was associated with stroke and hypertension, both associated with cerebrovascular disease. This suggests that WML and PlGF contribute complementary information about vascular disease processes in the brain.
High ß‐synuclein plasma levels are coupled with amyloid PET positivity in memory clinic patients
Authors: Bluma Marina , Oeckl Patrick , Bucci Marco , Halbgebauer Steffen , Chiotis Konstantinos , Sandebring‐Matton Anna , Kivipelto Miia , Savitcheva Irina , Otto Markus , Nordberg Agneta K 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundSynaptic dysfunction plays a key role in cognitive decline during progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Higher levels of several synaptic proteins including the presynaptic protein ß‐synuclein have been measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of individuals with AD. Recently a quantitative assay using mass spectrometry allowed detection of ß‐synuclein in plasma. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma ß‐synuclein levels and brain amyloid‐β (Aβ) plaque load in a cohort of memory clinic patients who underwent [18F]flutemetamol PET.MethodA clinical cohort of 118 patients (age = 65.6±8.3, 65F/53M), who despite extensive clinical assessment (including neuropsychological testing, CT/MRI, CSF biomarker analysis) at the Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden had an uncertain diagnosis and were referred to [18F]flutemetamol PET, was included in this work. The diagnostic groups were as follows: mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 16 Aβ+, and n = 24 Aβ‐), AD (n = 53), non‐AD dementia (n = 20),no dementia (n = 5). Plasma and CSF ß‐synuclein were measured using targeted mass spectrometry and ELISA.ResultWe found a significant correlation between β‐synuclein values in plasma and CSF (p<0.001), with higher plasma β‐synuclein levels in AD (11.53±3.25pg/mL,p<0.001) compared to MCI Aβ‐ (7.74±2.63pg/mL) and non‐AD (8.18±3.00 pg/mL), and also between MCI Aβ+ (10.85±2.75pg/mL,p<0.01) in comparison to MCI Aβ‐. No significant difference was observed in plasma/CSF β‐synuclein levels between AD and MCI Aβ+. 18F‐Flutemetamol uptake positively correlated with plasma ß‐synuclein levels in the whole sample (R2 = 0.29,p<0.001) and in the MCI group (R2 = 0.26,p<0.01) (after controlling for sex and age). Individuals with comparable [18F]flutemetamol uptake values showed great variability in plasma ß‐synuclein levels. No correlation was observed between plasma ß‐synuclein and MMSE, brain atrophy, or white matter changes.ConclusionIn a clinical cohort of patients with [18F]flutemetamol‐PET, significantly elevated ß‐synuclein in plasma mirrored the higher levels of ß‐synuclein in CSF of Aß+ individuals. In the AD continuum, plasma ß‐synuclein seemed to capture pathological processes which were more closely associated with amyloid‐pathology rather than neuronal loss or clinical stage of the disease. The variability in plasma ß‐synuclein levels of Aß+ subjects warrants further exploration of factors that might contribute to increased plasma ß‐synuclein.
Myricetin prevents high molecular weight Aβ1‐42 oligomer‐induced neurotoxicity through antioxidant effects in cell membranes and mitochondria
Authors: Kimura Atsushi Michael , Tsuji Mayumi , Teplow David B , Murakami Hidetomo , Ono Kenjiro 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundExcessive accumulation of amyloid β‐protein (Aβ) is one of the primary mechanisms that leads to neuronal death with phosphorylated tau in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Protofibrils, one of the high‐molecular‐weight Aβ oligomers (HMW‐Aβo), are implicated to be important targets of disease modifying therapy of AD.We previously reported that phenolic compounds such as myricetin inhibit Aβ1‐40, Aβ1‐42, and α‐synuclein aggregations, including their oligomerizations, which may exert protective effects against AD and Parkinson’s disease. The purpose of this study was to clarify the detailed mechanism of the protective effect of myricetin against the neurotoxicity of HMW‐Aβo in SH‐SY5Y cells.MethodTo assess the effect of myricetin on HMW‐Aβo‐induced oxidative stress, we systematically examined the level of membrane oxidative damage by measuring cell membrane lipid peroxidation, membrane fluidity, and cell membrane potential, and the mitochondrial oxidative damage was evaluated by mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), and manganese‐superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay in SH‐SY5Y cells.ResultMyricetin has been found to increased cell viability by suppression of HMW‐Aβo‐induced membrane disruption in SH‐SY5Y cells, as shown in reducing membrane phospholipid peroxidation and increasing membrane fluidity and membrane resistance. Myricetin has also been found to suppress HMW‐Aβo‐induced mitochondria dysfunction, as demonstrated in decreasing MPT, Mn‐SOD, and ATP generation, raising mitochondrial membrane potential, and increasing mitochondrial‐ROS generation.ConclusionThese results suggest that myricetin preventing HMW‐Aβo‐induced neurotoxicity through multiple antioxidant functions may be developed as a disease‐modifying agent against AD.