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Background Hearing loss (HL) and visual loss (VL) are recently identified as promising dementia risk factors, but long-term studies with adequate control of other modifiable dementia risk factors are lacking. This 25-year follow-up study investigated the association between objectively measured HL and VL with cognitive decline and incident dementia. Methods 1823 participants (age 24–82 years) of the Maastricht Aging Study were assessed at baseline, 6, 12 and 25 years. Baseline HL was defined as pure-tone hearing loss ≥20 dB at frequencies of 1, 2 and 4 kHz and VL as binocular, corrected visual acuity <0.5. Associations with cognitive decline (verbal memory, information processing speed, executive function) and incident dementia were tested using linear mixed models and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively. Analyses were adjusted for demographics and 11 modifiable dementia risk factors (LIfestyle for BRAin health index). Results Participants with HL (n  = 520, 28.7%) showed faster decline in all cognitive domains than participants without HL. No consistent association was found for VL (n  = 58, 3.2%), but below-average visual acuity (<1) showed significant associations with information processing speed and executive function. No significant associations with dementia risk were found. Findings were independent of demographics and modifiable dementia risk factors. Conclusions HL predicts faster cognitive decline but not dementia risk in adults aged 24–82 years. VL shows no consistent associations, though below-average visual acuity is linked to faster cognitive decline. This study supports HL as an independent risk factor for cognitive decline. Future studies should further evaluate the roles of HL and VL in dementia risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence on the effectiveness of multidomain lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive decline in older people without dementia is mixed. Embedded in the World-Wide FINGERS initiative, FINGER-NL aims to investigate the effectiveness of a 2-year multidomain lifestyle intervention on cognitive functioning in older Dutch at risk individuals. Methods: Multi-center, randomized, controlled, multidomain lifestyle intervention trial with a duration of 24 months. 1210 adults between 60–79 years old with presence of ≥ 2 modifiable risk factors and ≥ 1 non-modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline were recruited between January 2022 and May 2023 via the Dutch Brain Research Registry and across five study sites in the Netherlands. Participants were randomized to either a high-intensity or a low-intensity intervention group. The multidomain intervention comprises a combination of 7 lifestyle components (physical activity, cognitive training, cardiovascular risk factor management, nutritional counseling, sleep counseling, stress management, and social activities) and 1 nutritional product (Souvenaid®) that could help maintain cognitive functioning. The high-intensity intervention group receives a personalized, supervised and hybrid intervention consisting of group meetings (on-site and online) and individual sessions guided by a trained lifestyle coach, and access to a digital intervention platform that provides custom-made training materials and selected lifestyle apps. The low-intensity intervention group receives bi-monthly online lifestyle-related health advice via the digital intervention platform. Primary outcome is 2-year change on a cognitive composite score covering processing speed, executive function, and memory. Results: Within 17 months, participant recruitment has been successfully completed (N = 1210; mean age: 67.7 years (SD: 4.6); 64% female). Modifiable risk factors commonly present at baseline were physical inactivity (89%), low mental/cognitive activity (50%), low social engagement (39%), hypertension (39%) and high alcohol consumption (39%). The mean body mass index of participants was 28.3 (SD: 4.2) and the total serum cholesterol was 5.4 mmol/L (SD: 1.2). Conclusions: Baseline lifestyle and clinical measurements showed successful recruitment of participants with sufficient potential for prevention. Results of FINGER-NL will provide further insight into the efficacy of a multidomain lifestyle intervention to prevent cognitive decline in older adults. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05256199)/2022–01-11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]