BackgroundA validated instrument for assessing adolescent attitudes toward dementia in Chinese-speaking communities is currently lacking. This study aims to translate the Brief-AADS into Chinese and examine the psychometric properties of the Brief AADS-C.MethodsThe methodological study employed a cross-sectional design with 2 phases. Data was collected in Macao and Shenzhen, China.ResultsThe scale demonstrated excellent content validity(S-CVI = 0.99) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.814). Test-retest reliability was acceptable (ICC = 0.647). EFA identified a three-factor solution "Perceptions", "Acceptance", and "Engagement" with 11items-accounting for 56.07% of the variance. CFA supported this 3-factor structure with acceptable goodness of fit indices (χ/df = 3.076, GFI = 0.937, SRMR = 0.0579, RMSEA = 0.077). All factor loadings of the items ranged from 0. 33to 0.82, indicating strong item-factor relationships.ConclusionsThe Brief AADS-C is reliable and valid for assessing adolescent attitudes toward dementia in Chinese-speaking regions.

Narrow definitions of family can constrain survey items about obligations regarding who should care for older adults. Current measurement often does not account for the increased prevalence of diverse family forms and support received among older adults. We draw on six focus groups (N = 33) of family or friends caring for older adults with trouble remembering, memory issues, or dementia to explore definitions of family, caregiving, and responsibility. Although many caregivers immediately default to traditional definitions, the breadth of "family" seen as responsible and actual care networks are often broader. In many cases, caregivers considered friends and other non-kin as family because they provided care. Furthermore, both care and obligations are shaped by family dynamics and the older adult's memory loss. Results suggest that survey measures should capture a wider range of relationship ties and dynamics to better understand family, caregiving obligations, and the tensions between them.

ObjectiveTo explore the association between lymphocyte-high density lipoprotein ratio (LHR) and cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults.MethodsThis study included participants aged ≥65 years from the 2008 to 2014 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, with a score of less than 24 points considered indicative of cognitive impairment. Multiple logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline were applied to investigate the association between LHR and cognitive impairment.ResultsOf 3556 participants, 1625 (45.7%) suffered from cognitive impairment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that low LHR was associated with cognitive impairment [odds ratio (OR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11-1.62, P = 0.002].ConclusionsLower LHR was associated with cognitive impairment in Chinese older people. This finding suggests LHR could serve as a novel and accessible biomarker for identifying high-risk aging populations.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a pressing global health challenge, with amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain being a hallmark feature. While monoclonal antibodies targeting Aβ have shown cognitive benefits, safety concerns remain. Here, we introduce the Amytrapper catheter, a novel extracorporeal device developed by Recombinant Technologies to trap circulating Aβ using a retro-inverso peptide conjugated to polyethylene glycol. Through in vivo experiments using a rat model of AD, we demonstrate significant reductions in blood Aβ levels and behavioral improvements following Amytrapper catheter treatment. This innovative approach holds promise as a disease-modifying therapy for AD, offering a complementary strategy to existing treatments and advocating for further clinical development.

White matter hyperintensity (WMH) is associated with cognitive impairment. In this study, 79 patients with WMH from hospital 1 were randomly divided into a training set (62 patients) and an internal validation set (17 patients). In addition, 29 WMH patients from hospital 2 were used as an external validation set. Cognitive status was determined based on neuropsychological assessment results. A deep learning convolutional neural network of VB-Nets was used to automatically identify and segment whole-brain subregions and WMH. The PyRadiomics package in Python was used to automatically extract radiomic features from the WMH and bilateral hippocampi. Delong tests revealed that the random forest model based on combined features had the best performance for the detection of cognitive impairment in WMH patients, with an AUC of 0.900 in the external validation set. Our results provide clinical doctors with a reliable tool for the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment in WMH patients.

Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide, with more than 11 million informal caregivers providing care. Caregivers experience physical, psychological, and social stresses, making it crucial to understand their caregiving experience. This study assessed whether the caregivers' perceived choice to provide care and recognition of dementia symptoms influenced their caregiving experiences. A secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the National Alliance for Caregiving, including 927 caregivers. Caregiving experience was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression were used. Caregivers who perceived they had a choice to provide care were significantly more likely to report positive experiences (ARR = 1.39, .001). Recognition of dementia symptoms was not significantly associated with caregiving experience. However, the combination of perceived choice and recognition of dementia symptoms, particularly from one event, was associated with the most positive caregiving experiences. Findings suggest the need for caregiver choice-support and dementia education programs.

IntroductionThough Black Americans are twice as likely as White Americans to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, they may be excluded from the mental representation of a person with dementia.MethodsParticipants ( = 143, median age = 19) created visualized mental representations of a person, a man, a woman, a Black man, or a Black woman diagnosed with dementia by repeatedly selecting which among 12 faces looked most like each target category.ResultsThe visualized representation of a person with dementia was more similar to the representation of a man and a Black woman than to a Black man and a woman, respectively.DiscussionThese findings highlight how intersectionality shapes mental representations of dementia, revealing that certain combinations of marginalized identities are perceived differently rather than excluded entirely.

A growing body of literature has examined the impact of neighborhood characteristics on Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, yet the spatial variability and relative importance of the most influential factors remain underexplored. We compiled various widely recognized factors to examine spatial heterogeneity and associations with AD dementia prevalence via geographically weighted random forest (GWRF) approach. The GWRF outperformed conventional models with an out-of-bag R of 74.8% in predicting AD dementia prevalence and the lowest error (MAE = 0.34, RMSE = 0.45). Key findings showed that mobile homes were the most influential factor in 19.9% of U.S. counties, followed by NDVI (17.4%), physical inactivity (12.9%), households with no vehicle (11.3%), and particulate matter (10.4%), while other primary factors affecting <10% of U.S. counties. Findings highlight the need for county-specific interventions tailored to local risk factors. Policies should prioritize increasing affordable housing stability, expanding green spaces, improving transportation access, promoting physical activity, and reducing air pollution exposure.

Foreign-born people living with cognitive impairment (PLwCI) and their family caregivers may have distinct caregiving networks compared to their U.S.-born counterparts. Data is drawn from the 2022 wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Descriptive statistics and mean difference tests were run by native and foreign-born PLwCI. Linear and logistic regressions were run controlling for foreign-born PLwCI demographics with categorized time in the U.S. as the predictor of network characteristics. Foreign-born PLwCI networks were more likely to have a daughter caregiver and engage in household task-sharing, but less likely to have a spouse and non-family caregiver. In adjusted regressions, residing in the U.S. for less than 30 years was associated with greater odds of having a daughter and generalist in network, and greater task-sharing in household and self-care/mobility domains, relative to those residing over 50 years. Results underscore the importance of acculturation in shaping care networks among PLwCI.

This review examines the application of olfactory testing in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), highlighting its potential and challenges in early screening and intervention. Olfactory function is typically divided into three domains: odor identification, odor discrimination, and odor threshold. Among these, odor identification and discrimination are closely linked to higher cognitive processes and exhibit significant impairment in patients with AD and MCI. Moreover, the anatomical and functional characteristics of the olfactory system make it a promising target for the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders. This review also outlines various olfactory assessment tools and evaluates their clinical utility. Future research should aim to enhance the accuracy and cultural adaptability of olfactory tests and integrate them with multimodal diagnostic approaches to advance early detection and intervention strategies for AD.

IntroductionCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal prion disorder marked by rapidly progressive dementia and neuropsychiatric features. Epidemiological data in Latin America are limited, and no incidence studies exist in Mexico. This study sought to quantify CJD incidence in a neurological reference center.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, during 2023-2024. Clinical and paraclinical findings were reviewed. Incidence was calculated per 1000 emergency visits, with relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsAmong 19 003 patients, 15 fulfilled probable CJD criteria. Incidence was 0.55/1000 in 2023 and 1.01/1000 in 2024 (RR 1.83; 95% CI 0.63-5.35; = .309). Cognitive and behavioral symptoms predominated (psychosis in 68%). MRI revealed abnormalities in all cases, most often cortical ribboning (93%).ConclusionThis first incidence study highlights the presence of CJD in specialized Mexican centers, underscoring the need for systematic surveillance and improved diagnostic access.

Most dementia caregiver programs focus on a single caregiver, overlooking diverse caregiving networks that include family, friends, and relatives who provide care. We conducted a scoping review of family-centered dementia caregiving programs (ie, interventions with at least 2 caregivers) to (1) describe program components; (2) identify how family members are included; (3) summarize family-level measurements used and the effectiveness of family-centered programs on these outcomes; and (4) explore if and how programs are culturally adapted. We identified 36 articles and 10 programs (individual-family programs, n = 8; multi-family group programs, n = 2). Programs included similar content and effectiveness was reported by the primary caregiver and measured at the individual level. To better support diverse caregiving networks, caregiving programs may benefit from identifying core components of caregiving programs, including best practices in engaging family caregivers, acknowledging varied family structures and the fluidity in caregiving, and measuring strengths and deficits at the family-level.

Music-based interventions show promise for attenuating caregiver distress (CD) in informal dementia caregivers; however, research on comparable dyadic interventions is limited. This study aimed to provide a novel evaluation of whether a dyadic choral intervention could facilitate reductions in CD across 2 choral seasons. 30 caregiving dyads participated in a dementia choir across 2 ∼3.5-month choral seasons separated by a ∼4-month summer break: a naturalistic ABA design. Repeated assessment of the Zarit Burden Interview yielded up to 7 assessments of CD across the 2 choral seasons. Results showed that CD significantly declined across a participant's first choral season, significantly rebounded to new highs upon returning from a summer break, and began to decline again; though, this latter trajectory was not significant. These results highlight the effectiveness of dyadic, music-based interventions for attenuating CD in dementia caregivers, and provides a novel methodological paradigm for use in future research.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), leading to motor impairments, while hippocampal dysfunction contributes to memory deficits. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), a therapeutic modulator of acetylcholine (ACh) release, its cognitive effects remain underexplored. We investigated the effect of BoNT on spatial learning, memory, microglia and hippocampal neurogenesis in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mouse model of PD. Behavioral tests, including the open field, novel object recognition, and Morris water maze, demonstrated significant improvements in locomotion, learning, and memory with BoNT treatment. BoNT increased the number of doublecortin (DCX)-positive immature neurons and percentage of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)/neuronal nuclei (NeuN) double-positive cells, while the reduced number of microglia was evident in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Additionally, histological analyses revealed BoNT-mediated protection of pyramidal neurons in hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)-1 and CA3 regions. These findings suggest that BoNT mitigates memory deficits by promoting neurogenesis in experimental PD.

Handwriting is a preferred identifier in detecting Alzheimer's disease that enables diagnosis about people. The aim of this study is to evaluate the handwriting and make the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with the highest possible prediction rates. In this regard, 9 machine learning algorithms were used. Seven feature selection methods were used to determine the most effective features for Alzheimer's disease prediction to eliminate unnecessary ones and increase model prediction performance. The models were trained and tested on the DARWIN dataset with both train - test split and cross-validation methods. According to the results, it has been evaluated that the highest performance criterion values are generally achieved when the SHAP is used as the feature selection method. According to the results, the appropriate model that achieved the highest performance values was determined as the hybrid SHAP-Support Vector Machine model with 0.9623 accuracy, 0.9643 precision, 0.9630 recall and 0.9636 F1-Score.

To improve the identification of cognitive impairment by distinguishing normal cognition (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recursive partitioning tree model was developed using ARMADA data and the NIH Toolbox, a multidimensional health assessment tool. It incorporated demographic and clinical assessment variables to predict NC, MCI, and AD. Model performance was evaluated using AUC, precision, recall, and F1 score. Robustness was tested through 5-fold cross-validation, sensitivity, scenario, and subgroup analyses. The model achieved macro-AUC and micro-AUC scores of 0.92 and 0.91 (training) and 0.89 and 0.86 (testing). Key predictors included the Picture Sequence Memory Test and List Sorting Working Memory Test. Cross-validation yielded 70.22% accuracy and a Kappa of 0.52. Machine learning effectively uses a small set of assessments to distinguish NC, MCI, and AD, offering a valuable tool to support clinical decision-making. Future research should validate this model across diverse populations.

This study aimed to describe the clinical journey of patients with different stages of Alzheimer disease (AD). This was a cross-sectional survey of US primary care physicians (PCPs)/specialists and patients using the Adelphi Real World AD Disease Specific Programme™ (December 2022 - September 2023). Patients were stratified by disease severity and data are presented as the mean (SD) or frequencies/percentages. In the overall sample ( = 990), mean time from symptom onset to first evaluation was 31.4 (40.6) weeks and mean time from evaluation to diagnosis was 14.2 (29.0) weeks (mild cognitive impairment due to AD, 12.0 [22.7] weeks; mild AD dementia, 15.7 [31.6] weeks; moderate AD dementia, 14.0 [29.9] weeks; severe AD dementia, 5.1 [9.6] weeks). 74.5% of the overall sample was initially evaluated by their PCP and 13.8% by a neurologist. Patients with AD experience many barriers during the diagnostic journey; however, PCPs and neurologists play key roles in early diagnosis.

Dementia is attributable to 12 known risk factors in 40% cases. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of defined risk factors among people living with dementia. 174 patients with dementia and caregivers were interviewed using semi-structured pro forma, risk factors provided by the Lancet Commission on Dementia (2020), and Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS). The prevalence of 11 known risk factors and associations between the risk factors and dementia severity were assessed. The mean age of the participants was 73.9 years (SD = 8.34 years). The education below intermediate level was 83.3%, 17.8% had hearing loss, 37.9% had hypertension, 24.1% had diabetes, 25.9% and 55.2% had alcohol and nicotine harmful use respectively and 8% had a history of traumatic brain injury and obesity each. There is a substantial prevalence of risk factors among people living with dementia in Nepal but no associations between any of the risk factors and dementia severity.

The Faith Care Family (FCF) Project was a telephone based, volunteer-led intervention for African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) family caregivers that was piloted in one predominantly African American church. Focus groups with faith leaders and parishioners informed the training and intervention. Eighteen church volunteers participated in the FCF Project training, but 9 of them were paired with family caregivers and completed the FCF Project intervention. Church volunteers indicated overall significant improvements knowledge of AD/ADRD after the training as well as after the intervention. Quantitative results indicated that caregivers increased their knowledge of dementia, reported improved coping skills, and reported increased positive aspects of caregiving. Feeling a connection, normalizing the challenges of caregiving, gaining or reinforcing knowledge, and sharing community resources were themes from qualitative interviews with the family caregivers. Overall, findings indicate that the FCF Project shows promise as an intervention for African American AD/ADRD family caregivers.

Previous research has shown that rTMS improves visual working memory (VWM) performance in older people with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). However, the influence of stimulation parameters on the effect is unclear. We focus on the total number of stimulus pulses and aim to investigate whether 10 Hz rTMS with different total pulses could have different effects on VWM in SCD subjects. 10 Hz rTMS with different total pulses targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)was applied to 34 SCD subjects who completed both neuropsychological tests and EEG for the VWM task. Different EEG techniques were used simultaneously to investigate the effect of different numbers of rTMS pulses. Our study found that an increased number of 10 Hz rTMS pulses targeting the left DLPFC with increased cortical excitability, higher power of gamma oscillations and optimized allocation of attentional resources can achieve greater improvement in VWM in SCD subjects.

Using LGBTQ+ Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study Wave 3 data (N = 982), this study examines how caregiving for individuals with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias (MCI/ADRD) impacts everyday stressors, discrimination, and health outcomes among LGBTQ+ older adults in the Southern United States. Using chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and logistic regression models, we assessed associations of caregiver role with stress and health outcomes. We then conducted moderation analyses to test interactions between caregiver role and LGBTQ+ minority stress. LGBTQ+ caregivers of individuals with MCI/ADRD were 3 times more likely to experience proximal minority stress ( < 0.05), twice as likely to report suicidal ideation ( < 0.1), and more likely to report cognitive problems ( < 0.05) and high blood pressure ( < 0.05) than non-caregivers. Interaction effects suggest that minority stress may exacerbate mental health problems among MCI/ADRD caregivers. Findings underscore the need for targeted supports and interventions for LGBTQ+ older adult dementia caregivers.