Among participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD) we estimated the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in apathy symptom severity on three scales.

Retrospective anchor- and distribution-based analyses of change in apathy symptom scores.

Apathy in Dementia Methylphenidate Trial (ADMET) and ADMET 2 randomized controlled trials conducted at three and ten clinics specialized in dementia care in United States and Canada, respectively.

Two hundred and sixty participants (60 ADMET, 200 ADMET 2) with clinically significant apathy in Alzheimer’s disease.

The Clinical Global Impression of Change in Apathy scale was used as the anchor measure and the MCID on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Apathy (NPI-A), Dementia Apathy Interview and Rating (DAIR), and Apathy Evaluation Scale-Informant (AES-I) were estimated with linear mixed models across all study visits. The estimated thresholds were evaluated with performance metrics.

Among the MCID was a decrease of four points (95% CI: −4.0 to −4.8) on the NPI-A, 0.56 points (95% CI: −0.47 to −0.65) on the DAIR, and three points on the AES-I (95% CI: −0.9 to −5.4). Distribution-based analyses were largely consistent with the anchor-based analyses. The MCID across the three measures showed ∼60% accuracy. Sensitivity analyses found that MMSE scores and apathy severity at baseline influenced the estimated MCID.

MCIDs for apathy on three scales will help evaluate treatment efficacy at the individual level. However, the modest correspondence between MCID and clinical impression of change suggests the need to consider other scales.

There is a high prevalence of sleep disturbances among people living with dementia (PLWD) in nursing homes. Reliable and valid measurements are needed to assess these disturbances. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, analyze and synthesize studies of sleep-related measurements to assess sleep disturbances in PLWD.

The databases PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were systematically searched in 2019; the search was updated in March 2024. The inclusion criteria were as follows: participants with dementia or probable dementia in any care setting; and studies that reported at least one of the following aspects: (I) theoretical and conceptual frameworks, (II) user or patient involvement by type of users in measurement development, (III) feasibility and practicability of measurements, and (IV) results of psychometric analyses. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) criteria and the quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL) tool.

A total of 5169 studies were identified; ultimately, 15 studies describing three self-administered measurements, three proxy-administered measurements and two technological measurements were included. No sleep-related measurement showed acceptable psychometric properties in any of the COSMIN domains.

No measurement without adaptation can be recommended for PLWD in nursing homes. If existing measurements are used in clinical practice, the self-perspective of PLWD should be taken into account. If this is no longer fully possible, proxy-rating perspectives in combination could be an option. Future research on sleep-related measurements should be strictly based on international consensus-based psychometric quality criteria.

We explored the influence of study partner (SP) characteristics on SP-reported neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) presence across the neurocognitive spectrum and on the prognostic utility of mild behavioral impairment (MBI).

We performed cross-sectional (n = 26,748) and longitudinal (n = 12,794) analyses using participant-SP dyad data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. Participants were cognitively normal (CN; n = 11,951) or had mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 5686) or dementia (n = 9111).

SPs rated NPS using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire. We used multivariable logistic regression to model the association between SP characteristics (age, sex, and relationship to participant [spouse, child, and other]) and NPS status (outcome). Cox regressions assessed SP characteristics as moderators of MBI associations with incident dementia or as predictors of incident dementia in MBI + participants only.

Among CN persons, younger, female, and spouse SPs reported NPS more frequently. In MCI, younger SPs and those who were spouses or children of participants reported higher NPS odds. For dementia participants, NPS odds were higher in female and spouse SPs. MBI associations with incident dementia were slightly weaker when SPs were older but did not depend on SP sex or relationship to participant. Among MBI + participants with spouse or child SPs, hazard for dementia was higher when compared to MBI + participants with other SPs.

SP age, sex, and relationship to participant influence NPS reporting across the neurocognitive spectrum, with potential implications for MBI prognosis. Considering SP characteristics may enhance the accuracy of NPS assessments, which may facilitate therapy planning and prognosis.

In older patients with mental and physical multimorbidity (MPM), personality assessment is highly complex. Our aim was to examine personality traits in this population using the Hetero-Anamnestic Personality questionnaire (HAP), and to compare the premorbid perspective of patients’ relatives (HAP) with the present-time perspective of nursing staff (HAP-t).

Cross-sectional.

Dutch gerontopsychiatric nursing home (GP-NH) units.

Totally, 142 GP-NH residents with MPM (excluding dementia).

NH norm data of the HAP were used to identify clinically relevant premorbid traits. Linear mixed models estimated the differences between HAP and HAP-t trait scores (0–10). Agreement was quantified by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). All HAP-HAP-t analyses were corrected for response tendency (RT) scores (−10–10).

78.4% of the patients had at least one premorbid maladaptive trait, and 62.2% had two or more. Most prevalent were: “disorderly” (30.3%), “unpredictable/impulsive” (29.1%) and “vulnerable” (27.3%) behavior. The RT of relatives appeared significantly more positive than that of nursing staff (+1.8, 95% CI 0.6–2.9, p = 0.002). After RT correction, the traits “vulnerable”, “perfectionist” and “unpredictable/impulsive” behavior scored higher on the HAP than HAP-t (respectively +1.2, 95% CI 0.6–1.7, p < 0.001; +2.1, 95% CI 1.3–2.8, p < 0.001; +0.6, 95% CI 0.1–1.1, p = 0.013), while “rigid” behavior scored lower (−0.7, 95% CI −1.3 to −0.03, p = 0.042). Adjusted ICCs ranged from 0.15 to 0.58.

Our study shows high percentages of premorbid maladaptive personality traits, which calls for attention on personality assessment in MPM NH residents. Results also indicate that the HAP and HAP-t questionnaires should not be used interchangeably for this patient group in clinical practice.

We aimed to examine associations between neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) status in older adults without dementia under the hypothesis that WMH increased the odds of having NPS.

Longitudinal analysis of data acquired from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set.

Data were derived from 46 National Institute on Aging – funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers.

NACC participants aged ≥50 years with available data on WMH severity with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or who were cognitively unimpaired (CU) were studied. Among 4617 CU participants, 376 had moderate and 54 extensive WMH. Among 3170 participants with MCI, 471 had moderate and 88 had extensive WMH.

Using Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) scores, WMH were coded as no to mild (CHS score: 0–4), moderate (score: 5–6) or extensive (score: 7–8). NPS were quantified on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression models estimated the odds of reporting each of 12 NPS by WMH status separately for individuals with MCI or who were CU.

Compared to CU individuals with no to mild WMH, the odds of having elation [9.87, (2.63–37.10)], disinhibition [4.42, (1.28–15.32)], agitation [3.51, (1.29–9.54)] or anxiety [2.74, (1.28–5.88)] were higher for the extensive WMH group, whereas the odds of having disinhibition were higher for the moderate WMH group [1.94, (1.05–3.61)]. In the MCI group, he odds of NPS did not vary by WMH status.

Extensive WMH were associated with higher odds of NPS in CU older adults but not in those with MCI.

Few studies have examined the impact of late-life depression trajectories on specific domains of cognitive function. This study aims to delineate how different depressive symptom trajectories specifically affect cognitive function in older adults.

Prospective longitudinal cohort study

Australia and the United States of America

In total, 11,035 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 75 years

Depressive trajectories were modelled from depressive symptoms according to annual Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale 10 (CES-D-10) surveys. Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: low (“nondepressed”), consistently mild (“subthreshold depression”), consistently moderate (“persistent depression”), and initially low but increasing (“emerging depression”). Global cognition (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MS]), verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test [COWAT]), processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test [SDMT]), episodic memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised [HVLT-R]), and a composite z-score were assessed over a subsequent median 2 years.

Subthreshold depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (Cohen’s d −0.04) and composite score (−0.03); emerging depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.13), HVLT-R (−0.09), 3 MS (−0.08) and composite score (−0.09); and persistent depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.08), 3 MS (−0.11), and composite score (−0.09).

Depressive symptoms are associated with later impaired processing speed. These effects are small. Diverse depression trajectories have different impacts on cognitive function.

We aimed to explore the reciprocal effects of social participation, loneliness, and physical inactivity over a period of 6 years in a representative sample of European adults over 50 years old.

A longitudinal study with a six-year follow-up period was conducted.

Four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe project were used.

This study includes 64,887 participants from Europe and Israel, who were aged 50 or older at the first time.

The relationship between participation in social activities, loneliness and physical inactivity was analyzed, controlling for age, gender, and disability. A series of cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) were applied to analyze the relationships among these variables.

A CLPM with equal autoregressive cross-lagged effects across waves was the best fit to the data (χ2 = 7137.8, CFI = .972, RMSEA = .049, SRMR = .036). The autoregressive effects for the three variables showed high stability across waves, and all the cross-lagged effects in the model were statistically significant. Social activity and physical inactivity maintained a strong negative cross-lagged effect, while their cross-lagged effects on loneliness were comparatively smaller. Social activity had a positive cross-lagged effect on loneliness, while physical inactivity had a negative cross-lagged effect on loneliness.

These findings highlight the importance of promoting physical activity and social participation and addressing loneliness through targeted interventions in older adults.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the prevalence of loneliness in many countries worldwide which have different ways of assessing it.

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

We searched seven electronic databases for English peer-reviewed studies published between 1992 and 2021.

We selected English-language peer-reviewed articles, with data from non-clinical populations of community-dwelling older adults (>60 years), and with “loneliness” or “lonely” in the title.

A multilevel random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the prevalence of loneliness across studies and to pool prevalence rates for different measurement instruments, data collection methods, and countries.

Our initial search identified 2,021 studies of which 45 (k = 101 prevalence rates) were included in the final meta-analysis. The estimated pooled prevalence rate was 31.6% (n = 168,473). Measurement instrument was a statistically significant moderator of the overall prevalence of loneliness. Loneliness prevalence was lowest for single-item questions and highest for the 20-item University of California-Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. Also, differences between modes of data collection were significant: the loneliness prevalence was significantly the highest for face-to-face data collection and the lowest for telephone and CATI data collection. Our moderator analysis to look at the country effect indicated that four of the six dimensions of Hofstede also caused a significant increase (Power Distance Index, Uncertainty Avoidance Index, Indulgence) or decrease (Individualism) in loneliness prevalence.

This study suggests that there is high variability in loneliness prevalence rates among community-dwelling older adults, influenced by measurement instrument used, mode of data collection, and country.

We aimed to psychometrically evaluate and validate a Japanese version of the Social Functioning in Dementia scale (SF-DEM-J) and investigate changes in social function in people with dementia during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

We interviewed people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia and their caregivers during June 2020–March 2021 to validate patient- and caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J and compared their scores at baseline (April 2020 to May 2020) and at 6–8 months (January 2021 to March 2021) during a time of tighter COVID-19 restrictions.

The neuropsychology clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at Osaka University Hospital and outpatient clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Daini Osaka Police Hospital, Japan.

103 dyads of patients and caregivers.

SF-DEM-J, Mini-Mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Apathy Evaluation Scale.

The scale’s interrater reliability was excellent and test–retest reliability was substantial. Content validity was confirmed for the caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J, and convergent validity was moderate. Caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J was associated with apathy, irritability, loneliness, and cognitive impairment. The total score of caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J and the score of Section 2, “communication with others,” significantly improved at 6–8 months of follow-up.

The SF-DEM-J is acceptable as a measure of social function in MCI and mild dementia. Our results show that the social functioning of people with dementia, especially communicating with others, improved during the COVID-19 pandemic, probably as a result of adaptation to the restrictive life.

To examine the prospective association between purpose in life measured at three points across middle and older adulthood and cognitive outcomes assessed 8–28 years later.

Prospective Study.

Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of Aging (WLS).

WLS participants who reported on their purpose in life at Round 4 (1992–1994; Mage = 52.58), Round 5 (2003–2007; Mage = 63.74), and/or Round 6 (2010–2012; Mage = 70.25) and were administered a cognitive battery at Round 7 (2020; Mage = 79.94) were included in the analysis (N = 4,632).

Participants completed the Ryff measure of purpose in life and were administered the telephone interview for cognitive status and measures of verbal fluency, digit ordering, and numeric reasoning.

Purpose in life measured at age 52 was related to better global cognitive function and verbal fluency but unrelated to dementia at age 80. In contrast, purpose in life at ages 63–70 was associated with lower likelihood of dementia, as well as better global cognitive function and verbal fluency at age 80. The effect sizes were modest (median Beta coefficient = .05; median odds ratio = .85). A slightly steeper decline in purpose in life between ages 52 and 70 was found for individuals with dementia at age 80.

Purpose in life is associated with healthier cognitive function measured up to 28 years later. Individuals with lower purpose, especially in their 60s or older, and with steeper declines in purpose, are more likely to have dementia at age 80.

Eating problems frequently occur in people with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), but few studies have investigated the clinical background of this phenomenon. This study examined the relationship between eating problems and various symptoms of DLB and the relation between the treatment needs for DLB people with eating problems and the understanding of their eating problems by caregivers and physicians.

This was a subanalysis of a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey study. Two hundred sixty-one subjects with DLB were divided into subjects with or without eating problems. Logistic or linear regression analysis was used to investigate the factors influencing eating problems. The treatment needs of DLB people for their eating problems and the understanding of these needs by caregivers and physicians were calculated as participant–caregiver and participant–physician kappa coefficient.

Of the 261 participants, 27% suffered from eating problems. The presence of eating problems in participants with DLB was related to depression (p = 0.01, OR : 2.19, 95% CI: 1.23–3.91) and apathy (p = 0.01, OR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.20–3.87), while the worsening of eating problems was related to dysphagia (β = 0.24, p = 0.03), apathy (β = 0.23, p = 0.05), and nighttime behavior (β = 0.24, p = 0.04). The participant–physician kappa coefficient for physician understanding of constipation, weight loss, dysphagia, weight gain, and increase in appetite was significantly lower than the corresponding participant–caregiver kappa coefficient (p-value of five symptoms < 0.01).

Physicians need to pay more attention to eating problems and their neuropsychiatric background in the long-term support and management of DLB subjects.

Cognition in MCI has responded poorly to pharmacological interventions, leading to use of computerized training. Combining computerized cognitive training (CCT) and functional skills training software (FUNSAT) produced improvements in 6 functional skills in MCI, with effect sizes >0.75. However, 4% of HC and 35% of MCI participants failed to master all 6 tasks. We address early identification of characteristics that identify participants who do not graduate, to improve later interventions.

NC participants (n = 72) received FUNSAT and MCI (n = 92) participants received FUNSAT alone or combined FUNSAT and CCT on a fully remote basis. Participants trained twice a week for up to 12 weeks. Participants “graduated” each task when they made one or fewer errors on all 3–6 subtasks per task. Tasks were no longer trained after graduation.

Between-group comparisons of graduation status on baseline completion time and errors found that failure to graduate was associated with more baseline errors on all tasks but no longer completion times. A discriminant analysis found that errors on the first task (Ticket purchase) uniquely separated the groups, F = 41.40, p < .001, correctly classifying 94% of graduators. An ROC analysis found an AUC of .83. MOCA scores did not increase classification accuracy.

More baseline errors, but not completion times, predicted failure to master all FUNSAT tasks. Accuracy of identification of eventual mastery was exceptional. Detection of risk to fail to master training tasks is possible in the first 15 minutes of the baseline assessment. This information can guide future enhancements of computerized training.