Perceived but not objective measures of neighborhood safety and food environments are associated with longitudinal changes in processing speed among urban older adults.

BACKGROUND: Although a growing body of literature documents the importance of neighborhood effects on late-life cognition, little is known about the relative strength of objective and subjective neighborhood measures on late-life cognitive changes. This study examined effects of objective and subjective neighborhood measures in three neighborhood domains (neighborhood safety, physical disorder, food environments) on longitudinal changes in processing speed, an early marker of cognitive aging and impairment. METHODS: The analysis sample included 306 community-dwelling older adults enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study (mean age = 77, age range = 70 to 91; female = 67.7%; non-Hispanic White: 45.1%, non-Hispanic Black: 40.9%). Objective and subjective measures of neighborhood included three neighborhood domains (i.e., neighborhood safety, physical disorder, food environments). Processing speed was assessed using a brief Symbol Match task (unit: second), administered on a smartphone device six times a day for 16 days and repeated annually for up to five years. Years from baseline was used as the within-person time index. RESULTS: Results from mixed effects models showed that subjective neighborhood safety (ß= -0.028) and subjective availability of healthy foods (ß= -0.028) were significantly associated with less cognitive slowing over time. When objective and subjective neighborhood measures were simultaneously examined, subjective availability of healthy foods remained significant (ß= -0.028) after controlling for objective availability of healthy foods. Associations of objective neighborhood crime and physical disorder with processing speed seemed to be confounded by individual-level race and socioeconomic status; after controlling for these confounders, none of objective neighborhood measures showed significant associations with processing speed. CONCLUSION: Subjective neighborhood safety and subjective availability of healthy foods, rather than objective measures, were associated with less cognitive slowing over time over a five-year period. Perception of one's neighborhood may be a more proximal predictor of cognitive health outcomes as it may reflect one's experiences in the environment. It would be important to improve our understanding of both objective and subjective neighborhood factors to improve cognitive health among older adults.

Momentary loneliness and intrusive thoughts among older adults: the interactive roles of mild cognitive impairment and marital status.

OBJECTIVES: Loneliness is associated with maladaptive cognitions, yet little is known about the association between loneliness and intrusive thinking during older adulthood. Links between loneliness and intrusive thoughts may be particularly strong among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who may have greater difficulty regulating emotion and intrusive thoughts. In contrast, having close relationships (e.g. being married) may serve as a protective factor as marital status is associated with better overall well-being. METHOD: Participants were 316 older adults (recruited from the Bronx, NY, as part of a larger study) without dementia at study intake (40% Black; 13% Hispanic, Mage = 77.45 years, 67% women) who completed ecological momentary assessments five times daily for 14 consecutive days (13,957 EMAs total). Multilevel modeling was used to examine the association between momentary loneliness and intrusive thoughts and whether MCI and marital status interacted to moderate this association. RESULTS: There was a significant three-way interaction (ß = -0.17, p < 0.05), such that lagged momentary loneliness was positively associated with intrusive thoughts (3-4 h later) for those with MCI who were not married. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that among older adults with MCI, being married may be a protective factor and being unmarried may be a risk factor for experiencing loneliness and subsequent intrusive thoughts.

Racial differences in links between perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, and ambulatory working memory.

OBJECTIVES: Perceived discrimination is associated with racial cognitive health disparities. Links between discrimination and cognitive performance, like working memory, in everyday settings (i.e. ambulatory performance) require investigation. Depressive symptoms may be a mechanism through which discrimination relates to ambulatory working memory. METHOD: Discrimination, retrospective and momentary depressive symptoms/mood, and aggregated and momentary working memory performance among older Black and White adults were examined within the Einstein Aging Study. RESULTS: Racially stratified analyses revealed that discrimination did not relate to Black or White adults' ambulatory working memory. Among Black adults, however, more frequent discrimination was associated with greater retrospectively reported depressive symptoms, which related to more working memory errors across two weeks (indirect effect p < 0.05). This path was not significant among White adults. Links between discrimination and momentary working memory were not explained by momentary reports of depressed mood for Black or White adults. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms may play an important role in the link between discrimination and ambulatory working memory among Black adults across extended measurements, but not at the momentary level. Future research should address ambulatory cognition and momentary reports of discrimination and depression to better understand how to minimize cognitive health disparities associated with discrimination.

Exposure to neighborhood violence, and laboratory-based and ambulatory cognitive task performance in adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to neighborhood violence may have negative implications for adults' cognitive functioning, but the ecological sensitivity of these effects has yet to be determined. We first evaluated the link between exposure to neighborhood violence and two latent constructs of cognitive function that incorporated laboratory-based and ambulatory, smartphone-based, cognitive assessments. Second, we examined whether the effect of exposure to violence was stronger for ambulatory assessments compared to in-lab assessments. METHODS: We used data from 256 urban-dwelling adults between 25 and 65 years old (M = 46.26, SD = 11.07); 63.18% non-Hispanic Black, 9.21% non-Hispanic White, 18.41% Hispanic White, 5.02% Hispanic Black, and 4.18% other. Participants completed baseline surveys on neighborhood exposures, cognitive assessments in a laboratory/research office, and ambulatory smartphone-based cognitive assessments five-times a day for 14 days. RESULTS: Exposure to neighborhood violence was associated with poorer performance in a latent working memory construct that incorporated in-lab and ambulatory assessments, but was not associated with the perceptual speed construct. The effect of exposure to neighborhood violence on the working memory construct was explained by its effect on the ambulatory working memory task and not by the in-lab cognitive assessments. CONCLUSION: This study shows the negative effect that exposure to neighborhood violence may have on everyday working memory performance in urban-dwelling adults in midlife. Results highlight the need for more research to determine the sensitivity of ambulatory assessments to quantify the effects of neighborhood violence on cognitive function.

Purpose in Life and Cognitive Function: Evidence for Momentary Associations in Daily Life.

Background and Objectives: Purpose in life is associated with healthier cognitive outcomes in older adulthood. This research examines within-person dynamics between momentary purpose and cognitive function to provide proof of concept that increases in purpose are associated with better cognitive performance. Research Design and Methods: Participants (N = 303; 54% female; Mage = 51.71, SD = 7.32) completed smartphone-based momentary assessments of purpose and short cognitive tasks 3 times a day for 8 days. Results: In moments when participants felt more purpose driven than their average, they had faster processing speed (b = -1.240, SE = 0.194; p < .001), independent of person, temporal, and contextual factors and practice effects. Momentary purpose was unrelated to visual working memory performance (b = -0.001, SE = 0.001; p = .475). In contrast to purpose, momentary hedonic affect (e.g., happiness) was unrelated to momentary cognition. Discussion and Implications: Feeling more momentary purpose may support faster processing speed in daily life. Such evidence provides stage 0 support for a purpose-based intervention for healthier cognition, which may be particularly useful in middle adulthood and the transition to older adulthood before the onset of cognitive impairment.

Nocturnal hypoglycemia is associated with next day cognitive performance in adults with type 1 diabetes: Pilot data from the GluCog study.

OBJECTIVE:  Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have increased risk for cognitive dysfunction and high rates of sleep disturbance. Despite associations between glycemia and cognitive performance using cross-sectional and experimental methods few studies have evaluated this relationship in a naturalistic setting, or the impact of nocturnal versus daytime hypoglycemia. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) may provide insight into the dynamic associations between cognition, affective, and physiological states. The current study couples EMA data with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to examine the within-person impact of nocturnal glycemia on next day cognitive performance in adults with T1D. Due to high rates of sleep disturbance and emotional distress in people with T1D, the potential impacts of sleep characteristics and negative affect were also evaluated. METHODS:  This pilot study utilized EMA in 18 adults with T1D to examine the impact of glycemic excursions, measured using CGM, on cognitive performance, measured via mobile cognitive assessment using the TestMyBrain platform. Multilevel modeling was used to test the within-person effects of nocturnal hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia on next day cognition. RESULTS:  Results indicated that increases in nocturnal hypoglycemia were associated with slower next day processing speed. This association was not significantly attenuated by negative affect, sleepiness, or sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS:  These results, while preliminary due to small sample size, showcase the power of intensive longitudinal designs using ambulatory cognitive assessment to uncover novel determinants of cognitive fluctuation in real world settings, an approach that may be utilized in other populations. Findings suggest reducing nocturnal hypoglycemia may improve cognition in adults with T1D.

Metabolomics and Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review of Prospective Studies.

BACKGROUND: The projected increase in the prevalence of dementia has sparked interest in understanding the pathophysiology and underlying causal factors in its development and progression. Identifying novel biomarkers in the preclinical or prodromal phase of dementia may be important for predicting early disease risk. Applying metabolomic techniques to prediagnostic samples in prospective studies provides the opportunity to identify potential disease biomarkers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence on the associations between metabolite markers and risk of dementia and related dementia subtypes in human studies with a prospective design. DESIGN: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases from inception through December 8, 2023. Thirteen studies (mean/median follow-up years: 2.1-21.0 y) were included in the review. RESULTS: Several metabolites detected in biological samples, including amino acids, fatty acids, acylcarnitines, lipid and lipoprotein variations, hormones, and other related metabolites, were associated with risk of developing dementia. Our systematic review summarized the adjusted associations between metabolites and dementia risk; however, our findings should be interpreted with caution because of the heterogeneity across the included studies and potential sources of bias. Further studies are warranted with well-designed prospective cohort studies that have defined study populations, longer follow-up durations, the inclusion of additional diverse biological samples, standardization of techniques in metabolomics and ascertainment methods for diagnosing dementia, and inclusion of other related dementia subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the limited systematic reviews on metabolomics and dementia by summarizing the prospective associations between metabolites in prediagnostic biological samples with dementia risk. Our review discovered additional metabolite markers associated with the onset of developing dementia and may help aid in the understanding of dementia etiology. The protocol is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/; registration ID: CRD42022357521).

Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Chronological Age: Associations With Cognitive Performance in Daily Life.

DNA methylation-derived epigenetic clocks offer the opportunity to examine aspects of age acceleration (ie, the difference between an individual's biological age and chronological age), which vary among individuals and may better account for age-related changes in cognitive function than chronological age. Leveraging existing ambulatory cognitive assessments in daily life from a genetically diverse sample of 142 adults in midlife, we examined associations between 5 measures of epigenetic age acceleration and performance on tasks of processing speed and working memory. Covarying for chronological age, we used multilevel models to examine associations of epigenetic age acceleration (Horvath 1, Horvath 2, Hannum, PhenoAge, and GrimAge clocks) with both average level and variability of cognitive performance. Positive age acceleration (ie, epigenetic age greater than chronological age) was associated with poorer mean processing speed (Horvath 1 and 2) and working memory (GrimAge). Higher chronological age was also associated with poorer mean processing speed and working memory performance. Further, positive age acceleration was generally associated with greater intraindividual variability in working memory and processing speed tasks, whereas being chronologically older was associated with less intraindividual variability. Although further work is needed, our results indicate age acceleration effects have comparable or greater size as those for chronological age differences, suggesting that epigenetic age acceleration may account for additional risk and interindividual variation in cognitive performance above chronological age.

The relationship between loneliness and the experiences of everyday stress and stressor-related emotion.

Loneliness influences how people experience and respond to stressors, which may account for its role as a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The present study was motivated by emerging evidence that affective responses to minor daily events have long-term implications for health and well-being. Specifically, we evaluated how individual differences in loneliness relate to the frequency of everyday stressors and stressor-related negative emotions. A diverse community sample of 255 adults (age 25-65 years) completed ecological momentary assessments (EMA), during which they reported recent stressors and current negative affect (NA) five times a day for 14 days. Multilevel logistic analyses indicated that there was a quadratic association between loneliness and likelihood of reporting stressors, controlling for demographics, social isolation, depressive symptoms, and context (current activities, current location). Multilevel regression indicated that loneliness was unrelated to the concurrent effect of stressors on NA but significantly larger lagged stressor effects were observed among individuals in the low and high ranges of loneliness. These findings suggest that individuals with high levels of loneliness are more likely to experience everyday stressors and have prolonged emotional responses following stressors.

Physical activity and cognitive function: moment-to-moment and day-to-day associations.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effect of acute physical exercise on cognitive performance has been studied in laboratory settings and in long-term longitudinal studies. Less is known about these associations in everyday environment and on a momentary timeframe. This study investigated momentary and daily associations between physical activity and cognitive functioning in the context of everyday life. METHODS: Middle-aged adults (n = 291, aged 40-70) were asked to wear accelerometers and complete ecological momentary assessments for eight consecutive days. Processing speed and visual memory were assessed three times per day and self-rated evaluations of daily cognition (memory, thinking, and sharpness of mind) were collected each night. The number of minutes spent above the active threshold (active time) and the maximum vector magnitude counts (the highest intensity obtained) before each cognitive test and at a daily level were used as predictors of momentary cognitive performance and nightly subjective cognition. Analyses were done with multilevel linear models. The models were adjusted for temporal and contextual factors, age, sex, education, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: When participants had a more active time or higher intensity than their average level within the 20 or 60 minutes prior to the cognitive test, they performed better on the processing speed task. On days when participants had more active time than their average day, they rated their memory in the evening better. Physical activity was not associated with visual memory or self-rated thinking and sharpness of mind. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel evidence that outside of laboratory settings, even small increases in physical activity boost daily processing speed abilities and self-rated memory. The finding of temporary beneficial effects is consistent with long-term longitudinal research on the cognitive benefits of physical activity.

Remote and in-clinic digital cognitive screening tools outperform the MoCA to distinguish cerebral amyloid status among cognitively healthy older adults.

INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the accuracy of remote and in-person digital tests to distinguish between older adults with and without AD pathological change and used the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a comparison test. METHODS: Participants were 69 cognitively normal older adults with known beta-amyloid (Aß) PET status. Participants completed smartphone-based assessments 3×/day for 8 days, followed by TabCAT tasks, DCTclock™, and MoCA at an in-person study visit. We calculated the area under the curve (AUC) to compare task accuracies to distinguish Aß status. RESULTS: Average performance on the episodic memory (Prices) smartphone task showed the highest accuracy (AUC = 0.77) to distinguish Aß status. On in-person measures, accuracy to distinguish Aß status was greatest for the TabCAT Favorites task (AUC = 0.76), relative to the DCTclockTM (AUC = 0.73) and MoCA (AUC = 0.74). DISCUSSION: Although further validation is needed, our results suggest that several digital assessments may be suitable for more widespread cognitive screening application.

Epigenetic age acceleration as a biomarker for impaired cognitive abilities in adulthood following early life adversity and psychiatric disorders.

Background: Early life adversity and psychiatric disorders are associated with earlier declines in neurocognitive abilities during adulthood. These declines may be preceded by changes in biological aging, specifically epigenetic age acceleration, providing an opportunity to uncover genome-wide biomarkers that identify individuals most likely to benefit from early screening and prevention. Methods: Five unique epigenetic age acceleration clocks derived from peripheral blood were examined in relation to latent variables of general and speeded cognitive abilities across two independent cohorts: 1) the Female Growth and Development Study (FGDS; n = 86), a 30-year prospective cohort study of substantiated child sexual abuse and non-abused controls, and 2) the Biological Classification of Mental Disorders study (BeCOME; n = 313), an adult community cohort established based on psychiatric disorders. Results: A faster pace of biological aging (DunedinPoAm) was associated with lower general cognitive abilities in both cohorts and slower speeded abilities in the BeCOME cohort. Acceleration in the Horvath clock was significantly associated with slower speeded abilities in the BeCOME cohort but not the FGDS. Acceleration in the Hannum clock and the GrimAge clock were not significantly associated with either cognitive ability. Accelerated PhenoAge was associated with slower speeded abilities in the FGDS but not the BeCOME cohort. Conclusions: The present results suggest that epigenetic age acceleration has the potential to serve as a biomarker for neurocognitive decline in adults with a history of early life adversity or psychiatric disorders. Estimates of epigenetic aging may identify adults at risk of cognitive decline that could benefit from early neurocognitive screening.

Older adults' self-reported prospective memory lapses in everyday life: Connections to inflammation and gender.

OBJECTIVE: Limited research has focused on the association between inflammatory markers and features of subjective cognitive functioning among older adults. The present work examined links between inflammation and a specific subjective cognitive report: prospective memory (PM), or our memory for future intentions, such as attending an appointment or taking medication. METHOD: We assessed self-reported PM lapses using a two-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) diary protocol via smartphone as well as levels of blood-based inflammation among 231 dementia-free older adults (70-90 years, 66% women) enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study. RESULTS: Overall, PM lapses were largely unrelated to inflammatory markers. However, a significant gender difference was observed in the link between basal levels of interleukin (IL)-8 and PM lapses: higher levels of basal IL-8 were associated with more PM lapses among men (estimate = 0.98, 95%CI: [0.43, 1.53], p < .001) but not women (estimate = -0.03, 95%CI: [-0.45, 0.39], p = .826). No other significant relationships between PM lapses and basal or stimulated (ex vivo) cytokine levels (IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α]) or C-reactive protein (CRP) emerged. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of IL-8 in older men may possibly be an early indicator of neurodegeneration that relates to PM performance. Future studies should continue to examine PM and inflammation across genders to identify possible mechanisms through which these constructs may indicate neurodegeneration and dementia risk.

Age differences in Allostatic Load among adults in the United States by rural-urban residence.

•Rural residence is associated with allostatic load levels by age groups.•Allostatic load is higher among rural adults with the exception of the oldest age group.•Evidence of a rural-urban convergence in allostatic load levels among oldest old.•These rural disadvantages remained strong even when accounting for covariates.•The study of allostatic load can improve our understanding of rural disparities.

Examining the Bidirectional Nature of Loneliness and Anxiety Among Older Adults in Daily Life.

OBJECTIVES: Loneliness in later life increases the risk for adverse health outcomes; however, less is known about how loneliness is maintained. Anxiety may play an important role in maintaining loneliness, but little is known about how this connection plays out over time in daily life. This study thus focused on the within-person associations between momentary loneliness and anxiety among older adults. METHODS: Participants were 317 diverse older adults (40% Black; 13% Hispanic, mean age = 77.45 years, 67% women) systematically recruited from the Bronx, NY, who completed ecological momentary assessments 5 times daily for 14 consecutive days. Multilevel models tested bidirectional contemporaneous, momentary cross-lagged (t - 1), day-level cross-lagged (average day to end of day), and day-to-day cross-lagged associations between loneliness and anxiety. Separate sensitivity analyses controlled for concurrent overall mood valence or depressed state. Gender and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) status were tested as moderators at all timescales. RESULTS: Significant bidirectional associations between loneliness and anxiety were found at the contemporaneous and momentary cross-lagged (t - 1) timescales. Higher average daily loneliness predicted higher end-of-day anxiety, but not vice versa. Loneliness and anxiety were not significantly associated from day to day. Sensitivity analyses revealed some associations varied depending on inclusion of either concurrent mood valence or depressed state. Neither gender nor MCI status moderated associations at any timescale. DISCUSSION: Findings shed light on the complex temporal ordering of loneliness and anxiety in daily life and extend contemporary theoretical notions of loneliness, including the possibility of interventions that target key moments in daily life.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Cognition in Clinical and Community Samples: Reliability and Validity Study.

BACKGROUND: The current methods of evaluating cognitive functioning typically rely on a single time point to assess and characterize an individual's performance. However, cognitive functioning fluctuates within individuals over time in relation to environmental, psychological, and physiological contexts. This limits the generalizability and diagnostic utility of single time point assessments, particularly among individuals who may exhibit large variations in cognition depending on physiological or psychological context (eg, those with type 1 diabetes [T1D], who may have fluctuating glucose concentrations throughout the day). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to report the reliability and validity of cognitive ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a method for understanding between-person differences and capturing within-person variation in cognition over time in a community sample and sample of adults with T1D. METHODS: Cognitive performance was measured 3 times a day for 15 days in the sample of adults with T1D (n=198, recruited through endocrinology clinics) and for 10 days in the community sample (n=128, recruited from TestMyBrain, a web-based citizen science platform) using ultrabrief cognitive tests developed for cognitive EMA. Our cognitive EMA platform allowed for remote, automated assessment in participants' natural environments, enabling the measurement of within-person cognitive variation without the burden of repeated laboratory or clinic visits. This allowed us to evaluate reliability and validity in samples that differed in their expected degree of cognitive variability as well as the method of recruitment. RESULTS: The results demonstrate excellent between-person reliability (ranging from 0.95 to 0.99) and construct validity of cognitive EMA in both the sample of adults with T1D and community sample. Within-person reliability in both samples (ranging from 0.20 to 0.80) was comparable with that observed in previous studies in healthy older adults. As expected, the full-length baseline and EMA versions of TestMyBrain tests correlated highly with one another and loaded together on the expected cognitive domains when using exploratory factor analysis. Interruptions had higher negative impacts on accuracy-based outcomes (ß=-.34 to -.26; all P values <.001) than on reaction time-based outcomes (ß=-.07 to -.02; P<.001 to P=.40). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that ultrabrief mobile assessments are both reliable and valid across 2 very different clinic versus community samples, despite the conditions in which cognitive EMAs are administered, which are often associated with more noise and variability. The psychometric characteristics described here should be leveraged appropriately depending on the goals of the cognitive assessment (eg, diagnostic vs everyday functioning) and the population being studied.

Availability of healthy foods, fruit and vegetable consumption, and cognition among urban older adults.

BACKGROUND: . Although prior studies have examined the associations between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive health, little is known about whether local food environments, which are critical for individuals' daily living, are associated with late-life cognition. Further, little is known about how local environments may shape individuals' health-related behaviors and impact cognitive health. The aim of this study is to examine whether objective and subjective measures of healthy food availability are associated with ambulatory cognitive performance and whether behavioral and cardiovascular factors mediate these associations among urban older adults. METHODS: . The sample consisted of systematically recruited, community-dwelling older adults (N = 315, mean age = 77.5, range = 70-91) from the Einstein Aging Study. Objective availability of healthy foods was defined as density of healthy food stores. Subjective availability of healthy foods and fruit/vegetable consumption were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Cognitive performance was assessed using smartphone-administered cognitive tasks that measured processing speed, short-term memory binding, and spatial working memory performance 6 times a day for 14 days. RESULTS: . Results from multilevel models showed that subjective availability of healthy foods, but not objective food environments, was associated with better processing speed (estimate= -0.176, p = .003) and more accurate memory binding performance (estimate = 0.042, p = .012). Further, 14~16% of the effects of subjective availability of healthy foods on cognition were mediated through fruit and vegetable consumption. CONCLUSIONS: . Local food environments seem to be important for individuals' dietary behavior and cognitive health. Specifically, subjective measures of food environments may better reflect individuals' experiences regarding their local food environments not captured by objective measures. Future policy and intervention strategies will need to include both objective and subjective food environment measures in identifying impactful target for intervention and evaluating effectiveness of policy changes.

Accurate Prediction of Momentary Cognition From Intensive Longitudinal Data.

BACKGROUND: Deficits in cognitive performance are implicated in the development and maintenance of psychopathology. Emerging evidence further suggests that within-person fluctuations in cognitive performance may represent sensitive early markers of neuropsychiatric decline. Incorporating routine cognitive assessments into standard clinical care-to identify between-person differences and monitor within-person fluctuations-has the potential to improve diagnostic screening and treatment planning. In support of these goals, it is critical to understand to what extent cognitive performance varies under routine, remote assessment conditions (i.e., momentary cognition) in relation to a wide range of possible predictors. METHODS: Using data-driven, high-dimensional methods, we ranked strong predictors of momentary cognition and evaluated out-of-sample predictive accuracy. Our approach leveraged innovations in digital technology, including ambulatory assessment of cognition and behavior 1) at scale (n = 122 participants, n = 94 females), 2) in naturalistic environments, and 3) within an intensive longitudinal study design (mean = 25.5 assessments/participant). RESULTS: Reaction time (R2 > 0.70) and accuracy (0.56 >R2 > 0.35) were strongly predicted by age, between-person differences in mean performance, and time of day. Effects of self-reported, intraindividual fluctuations in environmental (e.g., noise) and internal (e.g., stress) states were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide robust estimates of effect size to characterize sources of cognitive variability, to support the identification of optimal windows for psychosocial interventions, and to possibly inform clinical evaluation under remote neuropsychological assessment conditions.

Greater Ecologically Assessed Positive Experiences Predict Heightened Sex Hormone Concentrations Across Two Weeks in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Sex hormones are important components of healthy aging, with beneficial effects on physical and mental health. Positive experiences such as elevated mood, lowered stress, and higher well-being also contribute to health outcomes and, in younger adults, may be associated with elevated sex hormone levels. However, little is known about the association between positive experiences and sex hormones in older adults. METHODS: In this study, older men and women (N = 224, 70+ years of age) provided blood samples before and after a 2-week period of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of positive and negative experiences (assessed based on self-reporting items related to affect, stress, and well-being). Concentrations of a panel of steroid sex hormones and glucocorticoids were determined in blood. RESULTS: Higher levels of positive experiences reported in daily life across 2 weeks were associated with increases in free (biologically active) levels of testosterone (B = 0.353 [0.106, 0.601], t(221.3) = 2.801, p = .006), estradiol (B = 0.373 [0.097, 0.649], t(225.1) = 2.645, p = .009), and estrone (B = 0.468 [0.208, 0.727], t(224.3) = 3.535, p < .001) between the start and the end of the 2-week EMA period. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that sex hormones may be a pathway linking positive experiences to health in older adults.

Loneliness and Cognitive Function in Older Adults Without Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness has been highlighted as a risk factor for dementia. However, the nature of the relationship between loneliness and cognitive function prior to onset of dementia is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the relationship between loneliness and cognitive function in samples screened for dementia at study commencement. METHODS: Five electronic databases (PubMed, PsycNET, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, Scopus) were searched from inception to August 31, 2021. A narrative review and random-effects meta-analysis were conducted on studies meeting search criteria. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020155539. RESULTS: The sixteen studies that met inclusion criteria involved 30,267 individuals, with mean age ranging from 63.0 to 84.9 years. Studies varied in dementia screening criteria, measurement of loneliness and cognitive function, and statistical modeling approach. The narrative review indicated that loneliness was associated with poorer global cognition, episodic memory, working memory, visuospatial function, processing speed, and semantic verbal fluency. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that loneliness was negatively associated with global cognitive function (overall r = -0.08; 95% CI = -0.14, -0.02; n = 6). Due to lack of sufficient data and heterogeneity between studies, we were unable to explore associations with other cognitive domains or longitudinal associations. CONCLUSION: Loneliness is associated with subtle impairment across multiple cognitive domains in older adults who were screened for dementia. Better characterization of this relationship will provide important information about how loneliness contributes to the clinical and pathological sequalae of AD and be informative for risk reduction and early detection strategies.