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Background: Population‐based biobanks that comprehensively ascertain health and genetic data hold promise to facilitate identification of Alzheimer's disease (AD) trial participants. We conducted a pilot study in individuals with mild impairment in cognition or AD to assess the feasibility of recalling biobank participants. We also tested the utility of computer‐ and telephone‐based cognitive assessments as cost‐effective alternatives to in‐person neuropsychological testing and investigated plasma‐based biomarkers. Methods: We utilized FinnGen, a large population‐based biobank study of up to 500,000 participants representing almost 10% of the Finnish population. Single‐center cross‐sectional study included individuals with ICD‐10 codes for AD (G30) and mild cognitive disorder (MCD; F06.7). Dementia screening instruments were in‐person Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and telephone interview for dementia (TELE). Episodic memory was assessed with three trial word list tasks in three formats; in‐person, with web‐based tool and with the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status including three learning trials. Each of these yielded immediate and delayed free recall measures. Blood samples were collected to determine plasma‐based biomarkers: amyloid beta (Aβ)1‐40 to Aβ1‐42 ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL) and phosphorylated‐tau181 (pTau‐181). Results: A total of 78% (110/140) of a pre‐specified FinnGen sub‐cohort were successfully reached. Of those, 39% (43/110) were willing to participate and 19% (N = 27, mean age = 72y, 13 women) completed the study. FinnGen and hospital records largely matched. For 8/12, MCD was due to other reasons than early AD. MMSE and TELE correlated.818 (p<.001). Immediate and delayed recall measures correlated across three formats: from.584 to.679 (p's<.003) and from.250 to.424 (p's:.031 ‐.218), respectively. AD group had higher levels of GFAP (p =.002) and pTau‐181 (p =.020). TELE was negatively correlated with GFAP (p =.011), NfL (p =.001) and pTau‐181 (p =.006). Moreover, p‐Tau181 had negative correlations with episodic memory measures (all r's< ‐.202) with telephone‐administered immediate recall reaching statistical significance (r = ‐.394, p =.042). Conclusions: Informative, customized clinical recall studies from FinnGen are feasible. Remote testing is a cost‐effective approach in recall studies. Next phase of our study aims to invite cognitively unimpaired FinnGen participants for screening of high AD risk individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We have established NONAGINTA – Memory and Health in 90‐year‐olds –study in a population‐based sample with 45 years of follow‐up. Our study is aimed to understand both, the antecedents of cognitive impairment and successful cognitive aging in the oldest‐old (90 years or older). Method: Participants were nonagenarians from a population‐based longitudinal older Finnish Twin Cohort study with baseline questionnaire in 1975. Ongoing 90‐year‐old data collection included postal questionnaire and telephone administered cognitive testing. Episodic memory (EM) was measured with total words recalled in three trials of 10‐word list. Predictors of EM included cognitive, health‐related, and psychological factors. Self‐reported educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), physical activity (METhours/day), life satisfaction and neuroticism were measured in middle age (N = 55, age M = 46.2, SD = 1.7 years) and in old age (N = 59‐67, age M = 91.3, SD = 1.9 years). Semantic verbal fluency (number of animals in 1‐minute) and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depression (CES‐D)) were measured only in old age. We used individual level linear regression models with age and sex as covariates and adjusted for family structure. Result: To date, 67 individuals have cognitive data. On average, women (N = 36, M = 11.97, SD = 4.70) had better EM than men (N = 31, M = 11.10, SD = 4.74), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.49). Better verbal fluency was significantly related to better EM (r = 0.34, p<0.001). Compared to those with 6 years of education, those with 7‐11 years and those with 12 or more years of education had significantly better EM: 4.03 (95%CI: 1.27‐6.80) (p = 0.005) and 5.75 (95%CI: 3.75‐7.45) (p<0.001) words more, respectively. Mean CES‐D was 12.3 (SD = 8.7) and 16% scored above the cut‐off for clinically significant depressive symptoms, however, depressive symptoms were not related to EM (p = 0.15). Middle age or old age BMI, physical activity, life satisfaction or neuroticism were not significantly related to EM (p's >0.32). Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggest that cognitive, but not midlife or old age physical or psychological health‐related factors, are associated with episodic memory performance in nonagenarians. Good episodic memory goes hand in hand with good semantic fluency and cognitive benefits of early life educational attainment are still evident in nonagenarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]