Effect of dairy consumption on cognition in older adults: A population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effect on cognitive function of adding dairy (total, fermented, non-fermented, full fat, low fat, and sugary) to the diet and of substituting some food groups for dairy. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a prospective population-based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed data from 1334 cognitively healthy participants (median age 67 years at baseline) with a mean follow-up of 5.6 years from the CoLaus|PsyColaus cohort in Lausanne, Switzerland. MEASUREMENTS: The participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and cognitive tests at baseline and at follow-up. Clinical dementia rating was the primary outcome. Subjective cognitive decline, memory, verbal fluency, executive and motor functions were secondary outcomes. METHODS: Our exposure was the consumption of total and 5 sub-types of dairy products (g/d). We used marginal structural models to compute average causal effects of 1) increasing dairy consumption by 100 g/d and 2) substituting 100 g/d of meat, fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables with dairy on the outcomes. We used inverse probability of the treatment and lost to follow-up weighting to account for measured confounding and non-random loss to follow-up. RESULTS: Overall, the effects of adding dairy products to the diet on cognition were negligible and imprecise. No substitution had a substantial and consistent effect on clinical dementia rating. The substitution of fish [11.7% (-3% to 26.5%)] and eggs [18% (2.3%-33.7%)] for dairy products could negatively impact verbal memory and neurolinguistic processes. CONCLUSION: We found no effect of adding dairy to the diet or substituting meat, vegetables or fruit for dairy on cognitive function in this cohort of older adults. The substitution of fish and eggs for dairy could have a negative effect on some secondary outcomes, but more studies modeling food substitutions are needed to confirm these results.

[Quality Standards in Old Age Psychiatry]. / Qualitätsstandards in der Alterspsychiatrie.

Quality Standards in Old Age Psychiatry Abstract. Quality standards and regulations are becoming increasingly important and are promoted in the context of the permission to treat, to bill and via financial incentives. In this context, the regulatory frameworks focus to varying degrees on structural, process or outcome criteria. On behalf of the Swiss Society for Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SGAP), we summarize the quality elements in this document and group the requirements derived from them based on setting (outpatient, intermediate, inpatient) and structural quality criteria (staffing ratio, infrastructure). There is a very extensive requirements matrix, and its implementation requires considerable efforts, not least because of the shortage of specialists and limited financial resources of psychiatric institutions and medical practices. The criteria of the requirements, matrix must be further developed and anchored in a "competence-based training in old age psychiatry".

[Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Psychotic Disorders in the Elderly]. / Empfehlungen für die Diagnostik und Therapie psychotischer Erkrankungen im Alter.

Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Psychotic Disorders in the Elderly Abstract. Psychotic disorders in the elderly cover a wide range of causes and manifestations. They often occur as part of a depression, dementia, substance abuse or delirium. While psychosis can occur with a first manifestation in advanced age, many patients with chronic psychotic disorders reach a high age. Many elderly individuals are also affected by cognitive impairment and somatic conditions, making a third-party history most relevant. The associated changes in life and the complexity of the individual situation needs to be integrated into the diagnosis and treatment. The presented recommendations have been developed under the lead of the Swiss Society of Old Age Psychiatry (SGAP) in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Nurses (SBK) and the subcommittees for gerontological and psychiatric nursing of the association of nursing science (VFP) as well as further professional societies. We aim to make current knowledge concerning diagnosis and treatment available to the interprofessional teams working in in- and outpatients' settings.

Interactions between Personality, Depression, Anxiety and Cognition to Understand Early Stage of Alzheimer's Disease.

The multifaceted nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can lead to wide inter-individual differences in disease manifestation in terms of brain pathology and cognition. The lack of understanding of phenotypic diversity in AD arises from a difficulty in understanding the integration of different levels of network organization (i.e. genes, neurons, synapses, anatomical regions, functions) and in inclusion of other information such as neuropsychiatric characteristics, personal history, information regarding general health or subjective cognitive complaints in a coherent model. Non-cognitive factors, such as personality traits and behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, can be informative markers of early disease stage. It is known that personality can affect cognition and behavioral symptoms. The aim of the paper is to review the different types of interactions existing between personality, depression/anxiety, and cognition and cognitive disorders at behavioral and brain/genetic levels.

Performance of low-educated elders with depression on Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ace-r) test / O desempenho no Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) e seus domínios cognitivos em idosos de baixa escolaridade

ABSTRACT. Along with cognitive disorders, depression has been a concern for mental health services due to its highly debilitating effect on the functioning and quality of life of the elderly. However, there is still little understanding of the cognitive alterations resulting from depression or of the difficult differential diagnosis with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It is known that performance on cognitive tests is strongly influenced by education but few studies have been conducted involving low-educated populations. Objective: To evaluate the performance of elders with low education and no dementia on Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) test and its cognitive domains, and compare patients with Current Major Depressive Episode (CMDE) against those without depressive symptoms. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional analytical study was conducted based on medical files of patients treated at the Cerebral Aging Clinic of the Hospital São Lucas of the PUCRS. The study included 116 individuals with low education (< 8 years of education) aged between 60 and 84 (69.6 ± 6.4) years, with MCDE (N = 41) and controls (N = 75). Results: No significant difference was observed between control and MCDE groups in median scores on the ACE-R, Mini-Mental State Examination, and the five cognitive domains. There was also no difference between the groups on separate analyses of results on the clock drawing test, the categorical verbal and phonological fluency test, and the naming test. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that depressive symptoms did not influence scores on the ACE-R tests conducted in elders with low education.

Depressão, juntamente com os transtornos cognitivos, tem sido uma preocupação entre os serviços de saúde mental, devido ao alto índice de prejuízo na funcionalidade e qualidade de vida desta população. Contudo, ainda permanece em aberto a compreensão das alterações cognitivas decorrentes da depressão e de difícil diagnóstico diferencial com o comprometimento cognitivo leve (CCL). Sabe-se que o desempenho nos testes cognitivos é fortemente influenciados pela escolaridade, no entanto, poucos estudos tem sido realizados em populações de muito baixa escolaridade. Objetivo: Avaliar o desempenho no Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) e seus domínios cognitivos em idosos de baixa escolaridade, sem demência, e comparar aqueles que tem diagnóstico de Episódio de Depressão Maior Atual (EDMA), com os que não têm quadro depressivo. Métodos: Estudo transversal analítico, retrospectivo, através dos prontuários dos pacientes atendidos no Ambulatório de Envelhecimento Cerebral (AMBEC) do Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS. Foram incluídos 116 indivíduos com baixa escolaridade (< 8 anos de estudo) e idade entre 60 e 84 anos (69,6 ± 6,7), com EDMA (N = 41) e controles (N = 75). Resultados: Na comparação das médias do ACE-R e os cinco domínios cognitivos, entre o grupo controle e o grupo com EDMA, não foi observada diferença significativa. Também não houve diferença entre os grupos quando analisado separadamente os resultados do teste do relógio, da fluência verbal categórica e fonológica e do teste de nomeação. Conclusão: Como observado neste estudo, os sintomas depressivos não modificam os valores dos testes realizados no ACE-R de idosos com baixa escolaridade.