Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with working memory and hippocampal volumes among older adults.

It is not well understood how neighborhood disadvantage is associated with specific domains of cognitive function and underlying brain health within older adults. Thus, the objective was to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and cognitive performance, and examine whether associations were more pronounced among women. The study included 136 older adults who underwent cognitive testing and MRI. Neighborhood disadvantage was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions were run. Multiple regressions, adjusted for age, sex, education, and depression, showed that higher ADI state rankings (greater disadvantage) were associated with poorer working memory performance (p < .01) and lower hippocampal volumes (p < .01), but not total, frontal, and white matter lesion volumes, nor visual and verbal memory performance. There were no significant sex interactions. Findings suggest that greater neighborhood disadvantage may play a role in working memory and underlying brain structure.

The promotion of sleep wellness: Resilience as a protective factor.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between resilience, sleep quality, and health. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 190 patients (Mean age = 51, SD = 15.57) recruited from the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness. Patients completed a modified version of the brief resilience scale (BRS) to assess characteristics of resilience and questions to assess aspects of mental health, physical health, sleep quality, and daytime functioning. Results: Participants' average score on the BRS was 4.67 (SD = 1.32, range = 1.17-7), reflecting a high level of resilience. There was a significant gender difference in resilience levels for men (Mean = 5.04, SD = 1.14) and women (Mean = 4.30, SD = 1.38), such that men reported significantly higher levels of resilience compared to women (t (188) = 4.02, p < 0.001) [lower levels of resilience were significantly associated with higher levels of (current) fatigue and tiredness after adjusting for demographic, physical, and mental covariates. In those reporting between one and three mental health symptoms, high levels of resilience minimized the negative influence that these symptoms had on sleep quality. This minimizing effect was no longer evident in those experiencing >3 mental health symptoms, who also reported significantly higher symptoms of fatigue despite their high resilience scores. Conclusions: This study emphasizes how resilience may affect the relationship between mental health and sleep quality in sleep patients. Resilience may further our understanding of the inter-relationships between sleep and the manifestation of physical health symptoms, a relationship that will likely heighten in relevance during personal and global crisis. An awareness of this interaction could be used as a proactive prevention and treatment strategy. In other words, incorporating methods to evaluate resilience in patients with mental illnesses regularly can be useful for predicting the potential manifestation and severity of sleep disturbance. Therefore, strategies that focus on promoting resilience could improve health and wellness.

Differential Associations Between the Area Deprivation Index and Measures of Physical Health for Older Black Adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the association between place-based characteristics (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation) and physical health within older Black adults, a critical gap in the literature as identified by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. METHODS: The sample was from Wave 1 data of Baltimore Study of Black Aging: Patterns of Cognitive Aging (N = 450; Mage = 68.34). Variables included the area deprivation index (ADI), objective (e.g., average blood pressure) and subjective (e.g., self-rated health) measures of physical health. Multiple linear regression models were conducted controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Participants reporting better self-rated health and less likely to need help with activities of daily living were significantly more likely to be living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods based on national and state ADI, respectively, even after adjusting for covariates. A significant age and ADI interaction revealed better self-rated health was associated with a more disadvantaged neighborhood particularly for individuals ≤66 years. There was no significant association between ADI and objective physical health measures. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that national- and state-level place-based characteristics should be considered along with individual-level factors, which can enrich the scientific understanding of how neighborhood characteristics relate to varying health indicators among older Black adults.