Public trust in research and scientific advances appears to be deteriorating. It behooves us, as researchers and educators, to take more responsibility for improving our communication strategies to reach the public and explain the value and relevance of our work to their lives. To address this need, the Training Program in Population Neuroscience of Aging at the University of Pittsburgh piloted a seminar on writing for the media, focusing on the local Western Pennsylvania audience. Six graduate and postdoctoral trainees in public health attended the seminar. Instructors besides public health faculty included local newspaper editors and science communication specialists working at the National Institutes of Health, at an advocacy organization, and at our university's own communications program. In weekly seminar sessions, instructors discussed audiences, motivations, and formats for science writing. Trainees pitched story ideas, shared proposed outlines, and obtained ongoing feedback from instructors and fellow trainees. Over the course of several weeks, trainees prepared op-ed style articles for potential newspaper publication. Four of the six trainees succeeded in publishing articles in the local newspaper. A course to learn how to write for the public is both feasible and needed in academic settings.

Agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a great source of distress for patients and caregivers and a major public health burden. Current treatments are only modestly effective and many have safety issues including mortality risk. Novel therapeutic options are needed. There is preliminary evidence for the safety and efficacy of dronabinol (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) for agitation in AD.

To investigate the association between Life's Crucial 9 (LC9) and dementia, and the mediating and interaction effects of socioeconomic status or social isolation with LC9, as well as their joint association on dementia.

Perceived stress has been linked to dementia, however the duration of perceived stress, as well as the timing of this exposure, on dementia has not been explored. This study aimed to assess the effect of transient versus prolonged versus persistent perceived stress and exposure to stressful life events (SLE), as well as time windows of exposure, on all-cause dementia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia is the leading cause of cognitive decline in late life, yet treatment options remain limited. Lithium, widely used in bipolar disorder, has been suggested to exert neuroprotective effects through inhibition of GSK-3β and modulation of amyloid and tau pathology. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lithium in AD dementia.

Delirium is a frequent acute cognitive disorder in elderly hospitalized patients, with worse short-term and long-term outcomes. Pre-recorded music interventions offer a promising approach in prevention of delirium development. Therefore, this study updates prior research by analyzing the effects of music interventions on the development of delirium across different hospital settings in adult patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Randomized Controlled Trials in adult patients (≥18 years of age) hospitalized across different hospital units, mentioning music interventions and delirium assessment were included. The intervention group was defined as listening to pre-recorded music using any device of any duration or genre compared to a standard care control group. Primary outcomes were number of delirium events (incidence) and mean delirium assessment scores (severity). The primary outcome for the meta-analysis was a calculated risk ratio. A total of 8 studies were included, with a total of 1,129 patients with an overall mean age (SD) of 66.99 (±12.46). Primary outcomes show a lower number of delirium events following music interventions in the majority of included studies. Meta-analysis, with inclusion of 5 studies and 1,023 patients, shows a risk ratio of 0.52 (95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.73) for delirium development in mostly elderly patients following music interventions compared to standard care. In conclusion, this paper adds new evidence to the beneficial effects of pre-recorded music interventions on the prevention of delirium development.

This study describes the symptom structure in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), focusing on neurocognition, social cognition, anxiety, and depression. It also explored the direct and indirect symptoms that affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients with MCI.

Delirium, an acute disorder of attention and cognition, is a preventable contributor to poor outcomes in older adults including future cognitive decline. The goal of this study was to examine the cognitive impact of postoperative delirium.

Broadly analogous to the behavioral and psychological symptoms that plague dementia, the neuropsychiatric disturbances (NPD) of delirium pose significant burdens to patients, their loved ones, and clinicians. Moreover, these disturbances are often the most salient aspect of delirium, causing distress and placing patients and those around them at risk of harm. The field's limited understanding of delirium's NPD could also be a key reason why the pharmacology of delirium remains underdeveloped. In this narrative review, we propose clinically relevant neuropsychiatric syndromes in delirium, along with provisional definitions. We then discuss evidence for potential pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for each, both within the context of delirium and in other conditions, especially where these syndromes also occur in dementia. Candidate syndromes include excessive psychomotor activity and the related akathisia; inadequate psychomotor activity, either as reduced arousal or as avolition; psychosis, including perceptual disturbances and erroneous beliefs; emotional disturbances, either as affective dysregulation or as anxious distress; catatonia; and sleep-wake disturbances. The NPD of delirium should be differentiated from the global cognitive impairment of delirium as they often warrant independent clinical attention. The failure to tailor treatments to specific syndromes-for instance, treating akathisia in delirium with an antipsychotic, leading to greater behavioral activation-stands not only to prolong distress but also to worsen clinical outcomes. These syndromes deserve greater awareness and conceptual refinement to inform clinical management and to identify novel avenues for research.

Writing a scientific autobiography is challenging due to the many factors influencing an academic career, including personal experiences, the era of one's career, research interests, available research tools, institutional environment, societal priorities, and mentorship. Despite changing contexts, certain obligations remain constant: scholars have an obligation to prioritize scientific and personal integrity above the pursuit of individual success, and they must ethically use research tools, including information technology search processes and writing technologies, as part of their scientific processes. The first obligation is built on personal integrity, which in turn characterizes how the second is implemented. My career spanned the last quarter of the 20th century through the first quarter of the 21st century. During this period, there were significant advancements in research methodologies, including the capability of internet search technologies to access scientific databases and desktop writing and referencing software. These advances pale in comparison to the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence large language models (AI LLMs) over the last 5 years, where information retrieval and writing tools have transformed how we access and use information - potentially placing our personal and authorial integrity at risk. Given this rapid transformation, my autobiography's objectives are: 1) to share my developmental perspectives on personal and authorial integrity and examine the impact of early experiences where perceived plagiarism helped me define those principles; 2) to review professional guidelines concerning research integrity and policy recommendations for AI LLMs; 3) to discuss changes in my scholarly content resulting from evolving search strategies, writing tools, and journal growth; and 4) by using examples of AI-generated and AI-assisted writing samples, to address the influence of AI LLMs on authorial integrity, including practical risks, opportunities, and current recommended strategies for managing AI LLMs in scholarly writing. By sharing my perspectives, I hope to provide guidance for those pursuing scholarly careers that ensures their authorial integrity.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with increased risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Polygenic risk scores for ADHD (ADHD-PRS) reflect the genetic liability for the disorder and have been linked to cognitive decline in selected clinical samples. This study examined associations between ADHD-PRS and cognitive function in older adults from a population-based cohort and tested whether these associations were moderated by plasma biomarkers of AD and related disorders (ADRD).

To assess the effectiveness of an enhanced psychoeducational and exercise training intervention (Positive Minds Strong Bodies-Enhanced [PMSB-E]) on depression and anxiety symptoms and physical functioning.