Sexual dimorphism of physical activity on cognitive aging: Role of immune functioning.

OBJECTIVE: Exercise is one of the most potent strategies available to support cognitive health with age, yet substantial variability exists. Sexual dimorphism is evident for brain and immune functioning, the latter being implicated as important pathway for exercise. We examined the moderating role of sex on the relationship between physical activity and systemic inflammatory and brain health outcomes in support of more personalized approaches to behavioral interventions. METHODS: Our discovery cohort included 45 typically aging women matched on age (±5y) and education (±2y) to 45 men (mean age = 72.5; Clinical Dementia Rating = 0) who completed self-reported current physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for Elderly), blood draw, neuropsychological evaluation, and brain MRI. An independent sample of 45 typically aging women and 36 men who completed the same measures comprised a replication cohort. Plasma was analyzed for 11 proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine markers via MesoScale Discovery. RESULTS: Discovery cohort: Reported physical activity did not differ between sexes (150 vs. 157, p = 0.72). There was a significant interaction between sex and physical activity on chemokine markers MDC, MIP-1b, MCP-4, and eotaxin-3 (ps < 0.03), with a similar trend for MCP-1 and INFγ (ps < 0.09). Men who reported greater activity demonstrated lower inflammatory markers, an effect attenuated-to-absent in women. An interaction between sex and physical activity was also observed for parahippocampal volumes (p = 0.02) and cognition (processing speed and visual memory; ps < 0.04). Again, the beneficial effect of physical activity on outcomes was present in men, but not women. Replication cohort analyses conferred a consistent effect of sex on the relationship between physical activity and immune markers; models examining neurobehavioral outcomes did not strongly replicate. Across cohorts, post-hoc models demonstrated an interaction between sex and activity-related inflammatory markers on total gray matter volume and visual memory. Men with higher inflammatory markers demonstrated poorer brain structure and function, whereas inflammatory markers did not strongly relate to neurobehavioral outcomes in women. CONCLUSIONS: Greater physical activity was associated with lower markers of inflammation in clinically normal older men, but not women - an effect consistently replicated across cohorts. Additionally, men appeared disproportionately vulnerable to the adverse effects of peripheral inflammatory markers on brain structure and function compared to women. Immune activation may be a male-specific pathway through which exercise confers neurobehavioral benefit.

Active lifestyles moderate clinical outcomes in autosomal dominant frontotemporal degeneration.

INTRODUCTION: Leisure activities impact brain aging and may be prevention targets. We characterized how physical and cognitive activities relate to brain health for the first time in autosomal dominant frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). METHODS: A total of 105 mutation carriers (C9orf72/MAPT/GRN) and 69 non-carriers reported current physical and cognitive activities at baseline, and completed longitudinal neurobehavioral assessments and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. RESULTS: Greater physical and cognitive activities were each associated with an estimated >55% slower clinical decline per year among dominant gene carriers. There was also an interaction between leisure activities and frontotemporal atrophy on cognition in mutation carriers. High-activity carriers with frontotemporal atrophy (-1 standard deviation/year) demonstrated >two-fold better cognitive performances per year compared to their less active peers with comparable atrophy rates. DISCUSSION: Active lifestyles were associated with less functional decline and moderated brain-to-behavior relationships longitudinally. More active carriers "outperformed" brain volume, commensurate with a cognitive reserve hypothesis. Lifestyle may confer clinical resilience, even in autosomal dominant FTLD.

Head trauma in sports - clinical characteristics, epidemiology and biomarkers.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is clinically divided into a spectrum of severities, with mild TBI being the least severe form and a frequent occurrence in contact sports, such as ice hockey, American football, rugby, horse riding and boxing. Mild TBI is caused by blunt nonpenetrating head trauma that causes movement of the brain and stretching and tearing of axons, with diffuse axonal injury being a central pathogenic mechanism. Mild TBI is in principle synonymous with concussion; both have similar criteria in which the most important elements are acute alteration or loss of consciousness and/or post-traumatic amnesia following head trauma and no apparent brain changes on standard neuroimaging. Symptoms in mild TBI are highly variable and there are no validated imaging or fluid biomarkers to determine whether or not a patient with a normal computerized tomography scan of the brain has neuronal damage. Mild TBI typically resolves within a few weeks but 10-15% of concussion patients develop postconcussive syndrome. Repetitive mild TBI, which is frequent in contact sports, is a risk factor for a complicated recovery process. This overview paper discusses the relationships between repetitive head impacts in contact sports, mild TBI and chronic neurological symptoms. What are these conditions, how common are they, how are they linked and can they be objectified using imaging or fluid-based biomarkers? It gives an update on the current state of research on these questions with a specific focus on clinical characteristics, epidemiology and biomarkers.

Contributions to lateral balance control in ambulatory older adults.

BACKGROUND: In older adults, impaired control of standing balance in the lateral direction is associated with the increased risk of falling. Assessing the factors that contribute to impaired standing balance control may identify areas to address to reduce falls risk. AIM: To investigate the contributions of physiological factors to standing lateral balance control. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-two participants from the Pittsburgh site of the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study had lateral balance control assessed using a clinical sensory integration balance test (standing on level and foam surface with eyes open and closed) and a lateral center of pressure tracking test using visual feedback. The center of pressure was recorded from a force platform. Multiple linear regression models examined contributors of lateral control of balance performance, including concurrently measured tests of lower extremity sensation, knee extensor strength, executive function, and clinical balance tests. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, and sex. RESULTS: Larger lateral sway during the sensory integration test performed on foam was associated with longer repeated chair stands time. During the lateral center of pressure tracking task, the error in tracking increased at higher frequencies; greater error was associated with worse executive function. The relationship between sway performance and physical and cognitive function differed between women and men. DISCUSSION: Contributors to control of lateral balance were task-dependent. Lateral standing performance on an unstable surface may be more dependent upon general lower extremity strength, whereas visual tracking performance may be more dependent upon cognitive factors. CONCLUSIONS: Lateral balance control in ambulatory older adults is associated with deficits in strength and executive function.

Comorbid TBI-depression costs in veterans: a chronic effect of neurotrauma consortium (CENC) study.

BACKGROUND: The U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides depression treatment to veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). VHA costs of comorbid TBI-depression were estimated by Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) status over 14 years. METHODS: VHA-USING veterans with TBI DIAGNOSED IN 2000-2010 were followed through FY2014. TBI severity was determined using the Department of Defense criteria. Depression was identified by the Elixhauser algorithm. Generalized linear and seemingly unrelated regression models were used to estimate the impact of depression on annual per veteran and total VHA inpatient, outpatient, and pharmaceutical costs, by OEF/OIF status. RESULTS: A total of 66.57% of pre-OEF/OIF and 87.46% of OEF/OIF veterans had depression. Depression was estimated to increase annual total ($1,847), outpatient ($1,558), and pharmaceutical ($287) costs for pre-OEF/OIF, and $1,228, $1,685, and $191 for OEF/OIF veterans. However, depression was estimated to lower annual inpatient costs by $648 per OEF/OIF veteran. The annual VHA cost for all veterans with comorbid TBI-depression was estimated at $1,101,329,953. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated annual cost for Veterans with comorbid TBI-depression was more than $1 billion. TBI and depression screening/treatment may result in reduced inpatient VHA costs in OEF/OIF veterans exposed to TBI. VHA policymakers should consider screening for TBI and depression in pre-OEF/OIF veterans.

Somatic, positive and negative domains of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is moderately heritable, however genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for MDD, as well as for related continuous outcomes, have not shown consistent results. Attempts to elucidate the genetic basis of MDD may be hindered by heterogeneity in diagnosis. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale provides a widely used tool for measuring depressive symptoms clustered in four different domains which can be combined together into a total score but also can be analysed as separate symptom domains. METHOD: We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS of the CES-D symptom clusters. We recruited 12 cohorts with the 20- or 10-item CES-D scale (32 528 persons). RESULTS: One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs713224, located near the brain-expressed melatonin receptor (MTNR1A) gene, was associated with the somatic complaints domain of depression symptoms, with borderline genome-wide significance (p discovery = 3.82 × 10-8). The SNP was analysed in an additional five cohorts comprising the replication sample (6813 persons). However, the association was not consistent among the replication sample (p discovery+replication = 1.10 × 10-6) with evidence of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the effort to harmonize the phenotypes across cohorts and participants, our study is still underpowered to detect consistent association for depression, even by means of symptom classification. On the contrary, the SNP-based heritability and co-heritability estimation results suggest that a very minor part of the variation could be captured by GWAS, explaining the reason of sparse findings.

Medical and Psychiatric Risk Factors for Dementia in Veterans with and without Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for dementia and is common, especially among Veterans. It is unknown whether TBI exposure moderates the effect of other common medical/psychiatric comorbidities that are also risk factors for dementia. If treatable or preventable risk factors have a different impact on TBI-exposed Veterans, then this may have important public health implications for dementia prevention. OBJECTIVES: Determine prevalence of common medical/psychiatric comorbidities and associated risk of dementia in Veterans with versus without TBI. DESIGN: Observational cohort. SETTING: Nationwide Veterans Health Administrative data 2001-2019. PARTICIPANTS: After excluding baseline dementia, Veterans age ≥55 years with TBI (N=95,139) were age/sex/race-matched 1:2 with Veterans without TBI (N=190,278). MEASUREMENTS: We compared prevalence of hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes, cerebrovascular disease (CVD), epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Veterans with and without TBI. We calculated risk of incident dementia associated with each comorbidity using multivariable hazard ratios (HR) with Fine-Grey competing risk of death adjusted for baseline demographics. We estimated population attributable fraction (PAF) of dementia due to each comorbidity among Veterans with versus without TBI. RESULTS: Prevalence of all comorbidities were significantly more prevalent (5.7% to 21.5% higher) among Veterans compared to those without TBI. All comorbidities were associated with increased risk of dementia in both groups. There were significant interactions between comorbidities and TBI in which HRs were slightly lower among Veterans with TBI (adjusted HRs 1.08-1.37) compared to those without TBI (adjusted HRs 1.12-2.13). Nevertheless, PAFs for dementia due to depression, hypertension, CAD, CVD, and epilepsy were slightly higher in Veterans with TBI due to their high prevalence in this group. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting depression, hypertension, CAD, CVD, and epilepsy may be especially important for dementia risk reduction among Veterans with TBI.

The association between sleep duration and obesity in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Reduced sleep has been reported to predict obesity in children and young adults. However, studies based on self-report have been unable to identify an association in older populations. In this study, the cross-sectional associations between sleep duration measured objectively and measures of weight and body composition were assessed in two cohorts of older adults. METHODS: Wrist actigraphy was performed for a mean (s.d.) of 5.2 (0.9) nights in 3055 men (age: 67-96 years) participating in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) and 4.1 (0.8) nights in 3052 women (age: 70-99 years) participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). A subgroup of 2862 men and 455 women also underwent polysomnography to measure sleep apnea severity. RESULTS: Compared to those sleeping an average of 7-8 h per night, and after adjusting for multiple risk factors and medical conditions, a sleep duration of less than 5 h was associated with a body mass index (BMI) that was on average 2.5 kg/m(2) (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.0-2.9) greater in men and 1.8 kg/m(2) (95% CI: 1.1-2.4) greater in women. The odds of obesity (BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2)) was 3.7-fold greater (95% CI: 2.7-5.0) in men and 2.3-fold greater in women (95% CI: 1.6-3.1) who slept less than 5 h. Short sleep was also associated with central body fat distribution and increased percent body fat. These associations persisted after adjusting for sleep apnea, insomnia and daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: In older men and women, actigraphy-ascertained reduced sleep durations are strongly associated with greater adiposity.

Hormone replacement therapy for cognitive function in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: As estrogens have been found in animal models to be associated with the maintenance and protection of brain structures, it is biologically plausible that maintaining high levels of estrogens in postmenopausal women by medication could be protective against cognitive decline. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of ERT (estrogens only) or HRT (estrogens combined with a progestagen) in comparison with placebo in RCTs on cognitive function in postmenopausal women. SEARCH STRATEGY: The CDCIG Specialized Register was searched 7 March 2006. Additional searches were made of MEDLINE (1966-2006/02); EMBASE (1985-2006/02); PsycINFO (1967-2006/02) and CINAHL (1982-2006/01). SELECTION CRITERIA: All double-blind RCTs trials of the effect of ERT or HRT on cognitive function over a treatment period of at least two weeks in postmenopausal women. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Selection of studies, assessment of quality and extraction of data were undertaken independently by three reviewers with disagreements resolved by discussion. MAIN RESULTS: In total, 24 trials were included, but only 16 (10,114 women) had analysable data. Meta-analyses showed no effects of either ERT or HRT on prevention of cognitive impairment after five and four years of treatment, respectively (odds ratio 1.34, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.9; odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.54 respectively) (trend favouring control in both instances). Analyses assessing the effects of treatment over time found that both ERT and HRT did not maintain or improve cognitive function and may even adversely affect this outcome (WMD = -0.45, 95% CI -0.99 to 0.09; WMD = -0.16, 95% CI -0.58 to 0.26, respectively at maximum follow up). Negative effects were found for ERT after one year and HRT after three and four years of therapy. Results from smaller trials assessing effects on individual cognitive domains mostly reported no evidence of benefit. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is good evidence that both ERT and HRT do not prevent cognitive decline in older postmenopausal women when given as short term or longer term (up to five years) therapy. It is not known whether either specific types of ERT or HRT have specific effects in subgroups of women, although there was evidence that combined hormone therapy in similarly aged women was associated with a decrement in a number of verbal memory tests and a small improvement in a test of figural memory. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether subgroups of women using specific types of hormone therapy could benefit from treatment. It remains to be determined whether factors such as younger age (< 60 years of age), type of menopause (surgical or natural) and type of treatment (type of estrogen with or without a progestagen), mode of delivery (transdermal, oral or intramuscular) and dosage have positive effects at a clinically relevant level. In addition, whether the absence or presence of menopausal symptoms can modify treatment effects should be investigated in more detail. Large RCTs currently underway in the USA may be able to provide answers to these uncertainties by the year 2010. In the meantime, based on the available evidence, ERT or HRT cannot be recommended for overall cognitive improvement or maintenance in older postmenopausal women without cognitive impairment.

Glycosylated hemoglobin level and development of mild cognitive impairment or dementia in older women.

BACKGROUND: Biological mechanisms linking diabetes and cognition continue to grow, yet the association remains controversial in elders. Whether glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) level, a marker of glucose control, is predictive of the development of cognitive impairment or dementia is unknown. We determined the association between HbA1C level and risk of developing cognitive impairment in older women, mostly without diabetes. METHODS: We studied 1983 postmenopausal women (mean age, 67.2 years) with osteoporosis who had HbA1C level measured at baseline. Development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia over 4 years was determined as part of a dementia ancillary study. We analyzed risk of MCI or dementia for every 1% of HbA1C as well as risk associated with HbA1C >or= 7%. RESULTS: The mean level of HbA1C was 5.8% (range 3.0% to 12.1%) and 86 (4.3%) women developed MCI or dementia. For every 1% increase in HbA1C, women had a greater age-adjusted likelihood of developing MCI (OR= 1.50; 95% CI 1.14-1.97) and of developing MCI or dementia (OR=1.40; 95% CI 1.08 - 1.83). For those with HbA1C level >or= 7% (n=49), the age-adjusted risk for developing MCI was increased nearly 4-fold (OR= 3.70; 95% CI 1.51-9.09) and was increased nearly 3-fold for developing MCI or dementia (OR=2.86; 95% CI 1.17-6.98). When we excluded women with diagnosed diabetes (n=53), the association between HbA1C and MCI lessened somewhat but remained elevated (unadjusted OR=1.59; 95% CI 1.01-2.50; age-adjusted OR=1.42; 95% CI 0.89-2.28). Multivariate analyses adjusted for age, education, race, depression, alcohol use and treatment with raloxifene yielded similar results. INTERPRETATION: We found an association between HbA1C level and risk of developing MCI or dementia in postmenopausal osteoporotic women primarily without diabetes. Our findings support the hypothesis that glucose dysregulation is a predictor for cognitive impairment.

Glycemia and cognitive function in older adults using glucose-lowering drugs.

OBJECTIVES: In experimental studies, both high and low levels of plasma glucose are associated with cognitive impairment. In populations, less is known about the relationship between glycemia and cognitive function, especially in persons using glucose-lowering drugs. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 378 high-functioning black and white men and women aged 70 to 79 participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (Health ABC) who used glucose-lowering medications. Glycemic measures included fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Cognitive function was assessed using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSS) at the same examination visit in which the glycemic measures were determined. SETTING: Memphis, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. RESULTS: We observed an "inverted-U" relationship (p =.0025 for 3MS, p=.0277 for DSS) between FPG (range 47 - 366 mg/dl) and performance on these two tests. The fasting plasma glucose levels associated with the highest score on the 3MS was 180 mg/dl and 135 mg/dl for the DSS. There was a monotonic inverse relationship between HbA1c and performance on 3MS and DSS without evidence of a threshold effect. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that older adults who are treated for diabetes may experience a small degree of cognitive impairment within the recommended fasting glucose levels, yet measures of long-term glycemic control support tight glycemic control. Given the high prevalence of diabetes and the common use of glucose-lowering drugs in older adults, further studies are needed to elucidate these relationships.

Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in nondemented elderly women: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The association between depressive disorders and subsequent cognitive decline is controversial. We tested the hypothesis that elderly women (aged 65 years and older) without dementia but with depressive symptoms have worse cognitive function and greater cognitive decline than women with few or no symptoms. METHODS: As part of an ongoing prospective study, we evaluated 5781 elderly, mostly white, community-dwelling women. Women completed the Geriatric Depression Scale short form. Three cognitive tests--Trails B, Digit Symbol, and a modified Mini-Mental State Examination--were administered at baseline and approximately 4 years later. Baseline, follow-up, and change scores for the cognitive tests were analyzed by analysis of covariance and Kruskal-Wallis analysis; the odds of cognitive deterioration (> or =3-point decline on the modified Mini-Mental State Examination) were determined by logistic regression. RESULTS: At baseline, 211 (3.6%) of the women had 6 or more depressive symptoms. Only 16 (7.6%) of these women were receiving antidepressant medication. Increasing symptoms of depression were associated with worse performance at baseline and follow-up on all 3 tests of cognitive function (P<.001 for all comparisons). For example, the baseline Digit Symbol score (mean +/- SD) was 45.5 +/- 10.7 among women with 0 to 2 symptoms of depression, 40.3 +/- 10.7 for women with 3 to 5 symptoms, and 39.0 +/- 11.3 for women with 6 or more symptoms. After adjusting for the baseline score, cognitive change scores were also inversely associated with the number of depressive symptoms (P<.001 for all comparisons). Odds ratios for cognitive deterioration using 0 to 2 symptoms as the reference were 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.1) for 3 to 5 symptoms and 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.6-3.3) for 6 or more symptoms. Results were similar after being adjusted for education, age, health status, exercise, alcohol use, functional status, and clinic site. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms in older women are associated with both poor cognitive function and subsequent cognitive decline. Mechanisms underlying the association between these 2 common conditions need further exploration.

A prospective study of physical activity and cognitive decline in elderly women: women who walk.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that physical activity is positively associated with cognitive function in elderly persons. Evidence about this association has been limited by the cross-sectional design of most studies and by the frequent lack of adjustment for potential confounding variables. We determined whether physical activity is associated with cognitive decline in a prospective study of older women. METHODS: We studied 5925 predominantly white community-dwelling women (aged > or =65 years) who were recruited at 4 clinical centers and were without baseline cognitive impairment or physical limitations. We measured cognitive performance using a modified Mini-Mental State Examination at baseline and 6 to 8 years later. Physical activity was measured by self-reported blocks (1 block approximately 160 m) walked per week and by total kilocalories (energy) expended per week in recreation, blocks walked, and stairs climbed. Cognitive decline was defined as a 3-point decline or greater on repeated modified Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: Women with a greater physical activity level at baseline were less likely to experience cognitive decline during the 6 to 8 years of follow-up: cognitive decline occurred in 17%, 18%, 22%, and 24% of those in the highest, third, second, and lowest quartile of blocks walked per week (P< .001 for trend). Almost identical results were obtained by quartile of total kilocalories expended per week. After adjustment for age, educational level, comorbid conditions, smoking status, estrogen use, and functional limitation, women in the highest quartile remained less likely than women in the lowest quartile to develop cognitive decline (for blocks walked: odds ratio, 0.66 [95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.82]; for total kilocalories: odds ratio, 0.74 [95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.90]). CONCLUSIONS: Women with higher levels of baseline physical activity were less likely to develop cognitive decline. This association was not explained by differences in baseline function or health status. This finding supports the hypothesis that physical activity prevents cognitive decline in older community-dwelling women.

Is diabetes associated with cognitive impairment and cognitive decline among older women? Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

BACKGROUND: The long-term effect of type 2 diabetes on cognitive function is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether older women with diabetes have an increased risk of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four research centers in the United States (Baltimore, Md; Portland, Ore; Minneapolis, Minn; and the Monongahela Valley, Pennsylvania). PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling white women 65 years and older (n = 9679). MEASUREMENTS: Physician-diagnosed diabetes and other aspects of health history were assessed by interview. Three tests of cognitive function, the Digit Symbol test, the Trails B test, and a modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (m-MMSE), were administered at baseline and 3 to 6 years later. Change in cognitive function was defined by the change in the score for each test. Major cognitive decline was defined as the worst 10th percentile change in the score for each test. RESULTS: Women with diabetes (n = 682 [7.0%]) had lower baseline scores than those without diabetes on all 3 tests of cognitive function (Digit Symbol and Trials B tests, P<.01; m-MMSE, P = .03) and experienced an accelerated cognitive decline as measured by the Digit Symbol test (P<.01) and m-MMSE (P = .03). Diabetes was also associated with increased odds of major cognitive decline as determined by scores on the Digit Symbol (odds ratio = 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.23) and Trails B (odds ratio, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-2.39) tests when controlled for age, education, depression, stroke, visual impairment, heart disease, hypertension, physical activity, estrogen use, and smoking. Women who had diabetes for more than 15 years had a 57% to 114% greater risk of major cognitive decline than women without diabetes. CONCLUSION: Diabetes is associated with lower levels of cognitive function and greater cognitive decline among older women.

Cognitive function in a middle aged cohort is related to higher quality dietary pattern 5 and 25 years earlier: the CARDIA study.

BACKGROUND: Preserving cognitive function is an important public health issue. We investigated whether dietary pattern associates with cognitive function in middle-age. METHODS: We studied 2435 participants in the community-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study of black and white men and women aged 18-30 in 1985-86 (year 0, Y0). We hypothesized that a higher A Priori Diet Quality Score, measured at Y0 and Y20, is associated with better cognitive function measured at Y25. The diet score incorporated 46 food groups (each in servings/day) as the sum of quintile ranks of food groups rated beneficial, 0 for food groups rated neutral, and reversed quintile ranks for food groups rated adverse; higher score indicated better diet quality. Y25 cognitive testing included verbal memory (Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)), psychomotor speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)) and executive function (Stroop). RESULTS: Per 10-unit higher diet score at Y20, the RAVLT was 0.32 words recalled higher, the DSST was 1.76 digits higher, and the Stroop was 1.00 seconds+errors lower (better performance) after adjusting for race, sex, age, clinic, and energy intake. Further adjustment for physical activity, smoking, education, and body mass index attenuated the association slightly. Diet score at Y0 and increase in diet score over 20 years were also positively associated with each cognitive test. CONCLUSIONS: A higher quality dietary pattern was associated with better cognitive function 5 years and even 25 years later in apparently healthy middle-aged adults.

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism: A new genetic marker of hip fracture risk--The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

Hip fractures are common and devastating events. The apolipoprotein E*4 (APOE) allele, associated with Alzheimer's disease, has also been associated with osteoporosis in hemodialysis patients. We prospectively studied 1750 women, age >/=65 years, who underwent measurements of hip and calcaneal bone mineral density (BMD), were typed for APOE and followed for approximately 7.0 years for the occurrence of fractures and falls. Women with at least one APOE*4 allele had an increased risk of hip fracture, relative hazard (RH) (95% confidence interval) = 1.90 (1.05-3.41) and wrist fracture, RH = 1.67 (1.01-2.77) compared with women without APOE*4, even after adjusting for age, cognitive function, falling, and BMD. The effect of APOE*4 on hip fracture was greatest among women with additional (>/=3) other risk factors. Women with an APOE*4 allele were also likely to report a maternal history of fracture. The average number of falls per year did not differ by APOE*4: 0.46 for APOE*4 women and 0.41 for women without an APOE*4 allele. Women with an APOE*4 allele experienced greater weight loss which contributed to faster rates of bone loss. We conclude that women with the APOE*4 polymorphism are at substantially increased risk of hip and wrist fracture that is not explained by bone density, impaired cognitive function, or falling. Possible alternate explanations include an effect of APOE on vitamin K, bone turnover, or weight loss. The APOE polymorphism may be a candidate gene for hip fractures among community dwelling nondemented women.

Neuropsychiatric function and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in elderly women: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Though among the most abundant human steroid hormones, the physiologic role of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate (DHEAS) is not known. Our goal was to determine if DHEAS is associated with cognition and mood in older women, and if baseline DHEAS levels are predictive of cognitive decline. METHODS: In a prospective cohort, we studied 394 randomly selected community-dwelling women, aged 65 years or older, currently enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Subjects were administered a modified Mini-Mental State Exam, Trials B, Digit Symbol, and the Geriatric Depression Scale-Shortened (GDSS), at study onset and 4-6 years later. Serum was obtained at study initiation for DHEAS analysis. RESULTS: DHEAS levels declined with age, as expected. There was no consistent association of DHEAS quartile or log DHEAS with any of the four outcomes, even after multivariate adjustment. Change in cognitive performance overtime was not associated with DHEAS levels. Analysis of the 32 women without any detectable DHEAS compared to those with detectable levels revealed higher measures on the GDSS (mean score 3.4 +/- 3.6 compared with 1.6 +/- 2.3, p = .028) and a higher percentage with depression (21.7% compared with 4.6%, p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum DHEAS is not a sensitive predictor of cognitive performance or decline on a selected neuropsychological battery in elderly community women; however, nondetectable levels may be associated with depression.

Apolipoprotein E phenotype and cognitive decline in a prospective study of elderly community women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether apolipoprotein E (Apo E) phenotype is associated with cognitive decline in community-dwelling nondemented elderly women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A university-affiliated clinic near Pittsburgh, Pa. PATIENTS: A total of 1750 nondemented community-dwelling women, aged 65 years and older, who were enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The women completed a baseline interview and performed 3 cognitive tests: the modified Mini-Mental State Examination, Trials B, and Digit Symbol. Serum samples were obtained for Apo E typing. Baseline cognitive scores and repeated scores approximately 6 years after study enrollment were compared in women with and without Apo E epsilon 4. Cognitive decline, defined as the worst 10th percentile change scores, was assessed for each test and by phenotype group. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, education, presence of severe tremor, and depression, baseline scores did not differ by Apo E epsilon 4 status except for lower scores on Trails B in the homozygous epsilon 4 group (mean score, 159.7 compared with 127.7 for the heterozygous epsilon 4 group and 125.4 for the no epsilon 4 group; P = .01). However, repeated test performance on follow-up examination was worse on all tests in those women with 1 or more epsilon 4. Reduction on the modified Mini-Mental State Examination was 0% for no epsilon 4 allele, 1.9% for 1 epsilon 4 allele, and 3.7% for 2 epsilon 4 alleles (P < .001); reduction on Digit Symbol was 6.2% for no epsilon 4 allele, 9.0% for 1 epsilon 4 allele, and 17.5% for 2 epsilon 4 alleles (P = .04); and reduction on Trials B was 5.9% for no epsilon 4 allele, 25.0% for 1 epsilon 4 allele, and 10.9% for 2 epsilon 4 alleles (P = .002). Women with at least 1 epsilon 4 had an odds ratio of 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.3) of having cognitive decline during the study period. CONCLUSION: Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 is associated with cognitive decline in community-dwelling nondemented women.

Prognostic factors of pentobarbital therapy for refractory generalized status epilepticus.

Pentobarbital coma (PBC) is a treatment for patients with refractory status epilepticus, but there are currently few guidelines for choosing when to initiate or continue this therapy. To identify potential prognostic factors in this setting, we reviewed the course of 17 adult patients treated with a standardized protocol of PBC for refractory status epilepticus over the past 6 years. PBC was extremely effective in aborting seizures in 16 of 17 patients, but 11 of the patients developed severe hypotension that required therapy with vasopressors. Six of the patients had full recoveries or developed only minimal residual deficits following PBC, two developed severe neurologic deficits, and nine died. Survival was associated with a history of epilepsy, absence of multiorgan failure before or during PBC, age < 40 years, and absence of hypotension requiring vasopressors during PBC. Long-term follow-up in seven of eight survivors (mean, 2.9 years; range, 1 to 5 years) showed that patients' conditions remained stable after discharge from the hospital. Thus, although PBC is effective in controlling ongoing seizures, the therapy frequently leads to significant hypotension. This side effect may be especially troublesome in patients with the negative prognostic indicators identified in this study. These findings highlight the need for alternative approaches in the management of these patients.

Reversible MRI abnormalities following seizures.

We describe eight patients with reversible MRI changes following seizures. The patients were mostly young with a serious underlying medical problem; MRI abnormalities were localized primarily in the posterior vascular boundary zones. A likely mechanism for these lesions is edema secondary to disruption in the blood-brain barrier. Recognition of the transient radiologic changes may aid in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of seizures.