Search

Background Objective Methods Results Conclusion Glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) mutations are associated with reduced survival in Parkinson's disease but their effect on survival in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is unclear.To assess the impact of GBA1 mutations on survival among Ashkenazi Jews with DLB, while controlling for APOE status.One hundred and forty participants from Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel were genotyped for GBA1 mutations and APOE polymorphisms. Survival rates and follow‐up cognitive screening scores were analyzed.GBA1 mutation carriers had a two‐fold increased risk of death (HR = 1.999), while APOE status did not independently affect survival. In a subset of patients with available clinical data (N = 63), carriers of the APOE ε4 allele showed faster cognitive deterioration, while GBA1 mutation carriers also declined more rapidly albeit not significantly.Understanding the genetic effects on survival and progression is crucial for patient counseling and inclusion in clinical trials. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vocabulary scores increase until approximately age 65 years and then remain stable or decrease slightly, unlike scores on tests of other cognitive abilities that decline significantly with age. Aims: To review the findings on ageing‐related changes in vocabulary, and to discuss four methodological issues: research design; test type; measurement; and vocabulary ability as a proxy for general intelligence. Main Contribution: A discussion of cross‐sectional and longitudinal research designs shows that cohort membership accounts for some but not all ageing‐related changes in vocabulary, and that drop‐out and test–retest effects do not alter conclusions regarding these changes. Test type affects age trends in vocabulary, and if researchers use only one test, they should choose a multiple‐choice synonym test. While some authors suggest that vocabulary tests do not measure the same underlying ability in younger and older adults, more research of this suggestion is needed. A brief examination of the use of vocabulary ability as a proxy for general intelligence in healthy ageing and for premorbid abilities in dementia indicates that such practice is often questionable. Conclusions: Vocabulary knowledge increases through the mid‐60s regardless of measurement method. However, there is little information on how word knowledge serves other verbal skills in old age, how and when adults learn new words, or how much exposure is necessary for meanings to remain in storage for a lifetime. Research of these issues may require new methodologies, as well as novel theoretical accounts of ageing‐related effects on vocabulary. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Unlike many cognitive abilities that decline with ageing, vocabulary knowledge continues to increase until approximately age 65, and then remains stable or decreases slightly. These findings have been replicated in different research designs and across languages. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: The article presents a summary of findings on changes in vocabulary across adulthood, and a discussion of four key methodological issues: research design, test type, measurement, and the use of vocabulary ability as a proxy for general intelligence. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: To better understand changes in vocabulary knowledge across adulthood, clinicians must be aware of methodological considerations that affect the field. Such considerations have direct clinical implications regarding the choice of vocabulary tests and their use as a proxy for other abilities in both healthy older adults and in individuals with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether the discrepancy between participant and informant estimation of memory decline can predict MCI prognosis.Methods: Analyses involved data from individuals with MCI enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) who filled the Everyday Cognition questionnaire. Participants who underestimated (N = 112) and overestimated (N = 157) their memory decline were compared on memory tasks, brain volume, and cerebrospinal markers, at study entry and after 24 months.Results: Individuals who underestimated their memory decline performed more poorly on memory tests, had smaller hippocampus volume, and greater Alzheimer's disease pathology than did individuals who overestimated their cognitive decline. Longitudinal comparisons demonstrated that individuals who underestimated their decline deteriorated more significantly in memory and in brain measures.Conclusions: Underestimation of memory decline should raise clinicians' suspicion of the existence of AD pathology in individuals with MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine awareness of decline in memory and in language in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), by comparing participant and informant ratings, as well as these ratings and actual test performance.Methods: We analyzed data from 149 individuals with AD enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) who filled the Everyday Cognition questionnaire and performed memory and language tasks.Results: Participants provided significantly lower assessments of decline than did informants for both memory and language. There was a negative association between informant ratings and memory test scores but no association between participant ratings and memory test scores. Both participant and informant ratings correlated negatively with performance on the language tests. Informant, but not participant, ratings contributed to the prediction of one memory variable beyond demographic factors. Participant ratings contributed to the prediction of language scores beyond demographic factors more than did informant ratings.Conclusions: The findings reflect better awareness of decline in language than of decline in memory in individuals with AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic fluency was examined in Hebrew-speaking 5-year-old monozygotic and dizygotic twins ( N = 396, 198 pairs), 22% of them with mother-reported speech-related problems. There were positive correlations of similar magnitudes among monozygotic, same-sex dizygotic, and opposite-sex dizygotic twins. Analyses showed no genetic effects, alongside significant shared (39%) and non-shared environmental (61%) effects on fluency scores. The presence of speech-related problems in one twin affected the fluency score of the co-twin. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that parental education and length of stay at daycare significantly predicted fluency scores. We suggest that semantic fluency performance is highly affected by environmental factors at age 5 although genetic effects might emerge later on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]