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Social support and loneliness have been identified as important correlates of financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) in older adults. However, the potential combined effect of these social factors on FEV remains unclear. Moreover, given that social support and loneliness may become more important as age increases, age may have a moderating effect on the loneliness-social support interaction. Participants were 342 community-living Israeli older adults aged 60 or over (M age = 73.37, SD = 7.82, 69.1% female) who responded to questionnaires assessing FEV (Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale), perceived social support (The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), loneliness (UCLA Three-item Loneliness Scale), and sociodemographic characteristics. Two hierarchical linear regression models covarying for demographic variables examined study hypotheses. In a first model, a significant interaction between social support and loneliness was discovered such that high levels of perceived social support attenuated the positive loneliness–FEV association. In a second model, a significant three-way interaction between social support, loneliness, and age was discovered. Probing the interaction revealed that the attenuating effect of social support on the loneliness–FEV link increased with increasing age. Findings suggest that effects of social factors on FEV may interact with each other and with age to predict FEV, and provide insights into when social support may be most relevant in mitigating FEV.

Abstract Background Racial and ethnic minoritized groups are disproportionately at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but are not sufficiently recruited in AD neuroimaging research in the United States. This is important as sample composition impacts generalizability of findings, biomarker cutoffs, and treatment effects. No studies have quantified the breadth of race/ethnicity representation in the AD literature. Methods This review identified median race/ethnicity composition of AD neuroimaging US-based research samples available as free full-text articles on PubMed. Two types of published studies were analyzed: studies that directly report race/ethnicity data (i.e., direct studies), and studies that do not report race/ethnicity but used data from a cohort study/database that does report this information (i.e., indirect studies). Results Direct studies (n = 719) have median representation of 88.9% white or 87.4% Non-Hispanic white, 7.3% Black/African American, and 3.4% Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, with 0% Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native, Multiracial, and Other Race participants. Cohort studies/databases (n = 44) from which indirect studies (n = 1745) derived are more diverse, with median representation of 84.2% white, 83.7% Non-Hispanic white, 11.6% Black/African American, 4.7% Hispanic/Latino, and 1.75% Asian American participants. Notably, 94% of indirect studies derive from just 10 cohort studies/databases. Comparisons of two time periods using a median split for publication year, 1994–2017 and 2018–2022, indicate that sample diversity has improved recently, particularly for Black/African American participants (3.39% from 1994–2017 and 8.29% from 2018-2022). Conclusions There is still underrepresentation of all minoritized groups relative to Census data, especially for Hispanic/Latino and Asian American individuals. The AD neuroimaging literature will benefit from increased representative recruitment of ethnic/racial minorities. More transparent reporting of race/ethnicity data is needed.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated circumstances that place older adults at higher risk for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Identifying characteristics of elder abuse during COVID-19 is critically important. This study characterized and compared elder abuse patterns across two time periods, a one-year period during the pandemic, and a corresponding one-year period prior to the start of the pandemic. Methods Contacts (including social media contacts, and email; all referred to as “calls” for expediency) made to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) resource line were examined for differences in types of reported elder abuse and characteristics of alleged perpetrators prior to the pandemic (Time 1; March 16, 2018 to March 15, 2019) and during the pandemic (Time 2; March 16, 2020 to March 15, 2021). Calls were examined for whether or not abuse was reported, the types of reported elder abuse, including financial, physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect, and characteristics of callers, victims, and alleged perpetrators. Chi-square tests of independence compared frequencies of elder abuse characteristics between time periods. Results In Time 1, 1401 calls were received, of which 795 calls (56.7%) described abuse. In Time 2, 1009 calls were received, of which 550 calls (54.5%) described abuse. The difference between time periods in frequency of abuse to non-abuse calls was not significant ( $$p=0.28$$ p = 0.28 ). Time periods also did not significantly differ with regard to caller, victim, and perpetrator characteristics. Greater rates of physical abuse ( $${\upchi }^{2}=23.52, p

Attitudes towards risk impact financial decisions that are critical in older adulthood. Socioeconomic status (SES) influences an individual’s level of risk aversion; however, the association of subjective SES (i.e., social standing relative to others) with risk aversion has not been explored. We examined whether subjective SES is associated with risk aversion independent of objective SES (i.e., income, education). Participants were 933 older adults without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP) or Minority Aging Research Study (MARS), two longitudinal epidemiologic studies of aging. Participants completed assessments of risk aversion, subjective SES, and cognition. We examined associations of subjective SES with risk aversion using mixed models adjusting for participant characteristics, objective markers of SES and global cognition. In bivariate analyses, lower global cognitive functioning, lower income, female sex, Black race, and lower subjective SES were associated with greater risk aversion. Results of the nonlinear mixed effects model revealed that higher subjective SES was associated with less risk aversion (Estimate = −0.238, SE = 0.083, p = 0.004), after controlling for covariates. Age, sex, race, and global cognition were also associated with risk aversion in the mixed effects model (ps ≤0.03), although income and education were not (ps ≥ 0.27) The relationship between subjective SES and risk aversion did not differ by sex or race (ps ≥ 0.31). Findings suggest that subjective SES contributes to risk aversion regardless of sex or race. Findings support the importance of considering subjective indicators of SES as they may impact an older adult’s economic preferences.

Nagendra Sastri Yarla,1 Gopal Pathuri,1,2 Hariprasad Gali,2 Simon Terzyan,3 Janani Panneerselvam,1 Parthasarathy Chandrakesan,4 Marcus Tullius Scotti,5 Courtney Houchen,4 Venkateshwar Madka,1 Chinthalapally V Rao1,6 1Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development, Hem-Onc Section, Department of Medicine, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; 2College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; 3Laboratory of Biomolecular Structure and Function; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; 4Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; 5Laboratory of Cheminformatics, Program of Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products (PgPNSB), Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil; 6VA Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USACorrespondence: Chinthalapally V Rao Tel +1 405-271-3224Email CV-Rao@ouhsc.eduBackground: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 selective inhibitors, have been explored for prevention and treatment of several inflammatory chronic conditions including arthritis, and cancer. However, the long-term use of these drugs is associated with gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular side effects. Later, COX/5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) dual inhibitors (eg, licofelone) have been developed but did not enter into the market from the clinical trails due to COX-1/2 inhibition-associated side effects. Hence, targeting microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) and 5-LOX can be an ideal approach while sparing COX-1/2 activities for development of the next generation of anti-inflammatory drugs with better efficacy and safety.Materials and Methods: In silico (molecular modelling) studies were used to design a mPGES-1/5-LOX dual inhibitory and COX-1/2 sparing lead molecule licofelone analogue-9 (LFA-9) by modifying the pharmacophore of licofelone. In vitro cell-free enzymatic (mPGES-1, 5-LOX, COX-1/2) assays using fluorometric/colorimetric methods and cell-based assays (LPS-induced PGE2, LTB4, and PGI2 productions from macrophages) using ELISA technique, isothermal calorimetry, and circular dichroism techniques were performed to determine the mPGES-1/5-LOX inhibitory efficacy and selectivity. Anti-inflammatory efficacy of LFA-9 was evaluated using a carrageenan (inflammogen)-induced rat paw edema model. Infiltration/expression of CD68 immune cells and TNF-α in paw tissues were evaluated using confocal microscope and immunoblot analysis. Anti-cancer effect of LFA-9 was evaluated using colon spheroids in vitro.Results: LFA‐9 inhibited mPGES-1/5-LOX and their products PGE2 and LTB4, spared COX-1/2 and its product PGI2. LFA‐9 bound strongly with human mPGES‐1/5‐LOX enzymes and induced changes in their secondary structure, thereby inhibited their enzymatic activities. LFA-9 inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammation (70.4%) in rats and suppressed CD68 immune cell infiltration (P ≤ 0.0001) and TNF-α expression. LFA-9 suppressed colon tumor stemness (60.2%) in vitro through inhibition of PGE2 (82%) levels.Conclusion: Overall study results suggest that LFA-9 is a mPGES-1/5-LOX dual inhibitor and showed anti-inflammatory and colorectal cancer preventive activities, and warranted detailed studies.Keywords: mPGES-1/5-LOX dual inhibitor, LFA-9, drug design, anti-inflammatory agent, cancer chemoprevention

Financial exploitation (FE) in old age is devastating and common; however, the neural correlates of FE are poorly understood. Previous studies of FE in older adults have implicated declines in decision making and social cognition as two risk factors for FE in later life. Here we examined whether functional connectivity among brain regions implicated in decision making and social cognition differed for those with an experience of FE vs. those without. Participants included 16 older adults without cognitive impairment who reported FE (Mean age = 70.5, 62.5% female, Mean education = 16.0 years) and 16 demographically and cognitively matched adults who denied a history of FE (Mean age = 65.1, 37.5% female, Mean education = 15.1 years). Measures of whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity in the hippocampus, insula, and medial frontal cortex were derived for each group. Compared to the non-FE group, FE was associated with greater functional connectivity between the right hippocampus and bilateral temporal regions, and less functional connectivity between the right hippocampus and the right cerebellum and bilateral lingual gyri. The FE group showed less connectivity between the right and left insula and cingulate cortex, and between the right insula and regions of the left lateral temporal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Finally, the FE group showed greater functional connectivity between the medial frontal cortex and the right lateral temporal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex, and less functional connectivity with the right pre- and postcentral gyri. Results suggest that perceived FE in old age is associated with whole-brain functional connectivity differences involving the hippocampus, insula, and medial frontal cortex, consistent with models implicating age-associated changes in decision making and social cognition in FE.

Objective: Many older adults who are cognitively intact experience financial exploitation (FE), and the reasons for this are poorly understood. Methods: Data were gathered from 37 older adults ( M age = 69.51, M education = 15.89, 62% female) from the Finance, Cognition, and Health in Elders Study (FINCHES). Twenty-four older adults who self-reported FE were demographically-matched according to age, education, race, and MoCA performance to thirteen older adults who denied experiencing FE. Participants completed the Tilburg Frailty Inventory. Results: FE participants reported greater total frailty ( t = 2.06, p = .04) when compared to non-FE participants. Post-hoc analyses revealed that FE participants endorsed greater physical frailty ( U = 89, p = .03), specifically poorer sensory functioning (hearing and vision). Discussion: Findings suggest frailty is associated with FE in old age and may represent a target for intervention programs for the financial wellbeing of older adults.

This study aimed to determine if patterns of neuropsychological deficits, vascular risk factors, and neuropathology differ in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer's disease (AD). Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study at the Shiley-Marcos AD Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. Hispanic (n = 14) and Non-Hispanic (n = 20) patients with autopsy-confirmed AD who scored ≥95 on the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) were included. Patient groups were matched on age, education, global mental status, and severity of functional decline; they were compared to Hispanic (n = 14) or Non-Hispanic (n = 20) cognitively-normal controls of similar age and education. Ethnicity (Hispanic, Non-Hispanic) by disease state (autopsy-confirmed AD or cognitively normal) comparisons were made for cognitive test performance and vascular risk factors. Patient groups were further compared on measures of AD (Braak stage, neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles), vascular neuropathology, and performance across cognitive domains of memory, language, attention, executive functions, and visuospatial abilities after scores were z-transformed based on respective culturally-appropriate control groups. Patient groups had similar overall AD pathology burden, whereas Hispanics with AD had more small parenchymal arteriolar disease and amyloid angiopathy than Non-Hispanics with AD. Despite largely similar pathology, Hispanics with AD were less cognitively impaired (relative to respective NC groups) than Non-Hispanics with AD, and exhibited a different pattern of deficits across cognitive domains. Findings suggest that cognitive deficits that are usually prominent in AD may be less salient in Hispanic patients and this may adversely impact the ability to clinically detect the disease in mild to moderate stages.

The apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 allele has been proposed as an example of an antagonistic pleiotropy gene, conferring a beneficial effect on cognition in early life and a detrimental impact on cognition during later years. However, findings on the cognitive associations of the ε4 allele in younger persons are mixed. This PRISMA conforming study aimed to investigate APOE genotype (e4/non-e4) associations across seven cognitive domains (intelligence/achievement, attention/working memory, executive functioning, memory, language, processing speed and visuospatial abilities) in younger humans using a meta-analytic approach. Of 689 records reviewed, 29 studies (34 data-points) were selected for the quantitative synthesis. Participants' ages ranged from 2-40. Results showed that young ε4 carriers did not statistically differ from non-ε4 carriers across any cognitive domains. Overall, findings do not provide compelling support for an antagonistic pleiotropic effect of the ε4 allele across the lifespan.

ObjectiveWe examined BOLD (Blood-Oxygen-Level Dependent) activity reduction upon stimuli repetition of face-name pairs in older adults with amnestic (aMCI) and non-amnestic (naMCI) mild cognitive impairment diagnosed using a comprehensive actuarial method, and relationships between activity reduction and behavioral indices.MethodTwenty-nine cognitively healthy older adults (CHs) and 20 with MCI (n = 12 aMCI; n = 8 naMCI) underwent functional MRI event-related imaging, a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, and 1-year follow-up exam. During scanning, participants were shown face-name pairs 1-3 times and administered a post-scan recognition task.ResultsThe MCI group demonstrated less activity reduction upon repetition of face-name pairs within the MTL and other regions compared to CHs. Less activity reduction was associated with poorer Time 1 neuropsychological performance for the CH group and poorer post-scan recognition performance for the MCI group. Less activity reduction was related to poorer neuropsychological performance at Time 2 in the MCI group. Within MCIs, those with aMCI demonstrated less activity reduction upon repetition of face-name pairs than those with naMCI.ConclusionsDistinct patterns of brain activity were identified in the MCI group compared to CHs, and aMCI compared to naMCI. Activated regions were not restricted to traditional memory circuitry, implicating a wider network of regions involved in the encoding of associative tasks. Findings add support to the hypothesis that lack of reduced BOLD activity reflects "faulty adaptation" to repeated stimuli and that reduction in activity represents successful encoding processes. They also provide further support for use of the face-name paradigm as a marker of prodromal Alzheimer's disease, and method to distinguish between MCI subtypes.

With an increasing focus on biomarkers in dementia research, illustrating the role of neuropsychological assessment in detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is important. This systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) standards, summarizes the sensitivity and specificity of memory measures in individuals with MCI and AD. Both meta-analytic and qualitative examination of AD versus healthy control (HC) studies (n = 47) revealed generally high sensitivity and specificity (≥ 80% for AD comparisons) for measures of immediate (sensitivity = 87%, specificity = 88%) and delayed memory (sensitivity = 89%, specificity = 89%), especially those involving word-list recall. Examination of MCI versus HC studies (n = 38) revealed generally lower diagnostic accuracy for both immediate (sensitivity = 72%, specificity = 81%) and delayed memory (sensitivity = 75%, specificity = 81%). Measures that differentiated AD from other conditions (n = 10 studies) yielded mixed results, with generally high sensitivity in the context of low or variable specificity. Results confirm that memory measures have high diagnostic accuracy for identification of AD, are promising but require further refinement for identification of MCI, and provide support for ongoing investigation of neuropsychological assessment as a cognitive biomarker of preclinical AD. Emphasizing diagnostic test accuracy statistics over null hypothesis testing in future studies will promote the ongoing use of neuropsychological tests as Alzheimer's disease research and clinical criteria increasingly rely upon cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging biomarkers.

Objectives: Social relationships are associated with various positive physical, psychological, and emotional outcomes in older adults. In line with the growing understanding of the role of subjective views of aging (VoA) for older adults' quality of life, the current work examines how daily fluctuations in VoA affect social relationships. Moreover, as the ability to mentalize others' states of mind (i.e. Theory of Mind) considerably enhances such relationships, this study assesses whether mentalization abilities mediate the VoA-social relationships link. Method: Eighty-two Israeli older adults (mean age = 73.44, SD = 8.64, range = 60–95) completed a baseline online questionnaire containing background information, and subsequently filled out daily online questionnaires assessing ageist attitudes, subjective age, mentalization abilities, and positive social relationships for 14 consecutive days. Results: Positive VoA (reduced ageist attitudes and/or a young subjective age) were associated with enhanced mentalization and positive relationships on a given day and in time-lagged analyses. Moreover, mentalization mediated the effect of previous-day VoA on next-day positive social relationships. VoA also mediated the effect of previous-day mentalization on next-day positive social relationships. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of mentalization capabilities for maintaining positive VoA/social relationships and expands the understanding of underlying factors associated with meaningful and close relationships in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageist attitudes have been associated with various aspects of psychological functioning in older adults. According to Terror Management Theory, older adults may be seen as a reminder of human demise and death, and research has demonstrated links between ageist attitudes and compromised abilities to seek and maintain close personal relationships, which ward off awareness of one's mortality. Accordingly, the current work examined whether reflective functioning, or the ability to comprehend one's own and others' mental states, mitigates the negative psychological manifestations of ageist attitudes in older adults. Data was collected from 686 participants aged 60–94 (Mage = 72.64, SD = 6.28), who completed scales assessing ageist attitudes, reflective functioning, and psychological distress, as well as relevant socio‐demographic information. Results indicated that ageist attitudes were linked with low levels of reflective functioning and enhanced psychological distress. Moreover, reflective functioning moderated the ageist attitudes‐distress link, which was not significant in individuals reporting high levels of reflective functioning. This study provides insight into how the ability to comprehend others' mental states mitigates the adverse psychological effects of ageist attitudes and highlights the importance of examining relationship‐enhancing personal factors within the context of negative ageing perceptions and psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOn April 29, 2021, during an Ultra-Orthodox annual communal event in Meron, a crowd rush resulted in the deaths of 45 individuals. Experiencing such events may intensify death proximity (subjective nearness to death, SNtD) and death anxiety, and increase distress. Furthermore, the experience of grief following the trauma may disrupt defense mechanisms that reduce death-related anxieties. Thus, we examined the mediating role of death anxiety on the association between SNtD and distress, and the possible moderating role of grief experiences on this model. Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews who experienced the Meron disaster (N = 168) responded to scales assessing demographics, SNtD, death anxiety, and psychological distress. Death anxiety mediated the SNtD-distress link and grief was a significant moderator. Specifically, for individuals low in grief, the association between high death anxiety and increased distress was nullified. Findings are discussed from the perspective of Terror Management Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support and loneliness have been identified as important correlates of financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) in older adults. However, the potential combined effect of these social factors on FEV remains unclear. Moreover, given that social support and loneliness may become more important as age increases, age may have a moderating effect on the loneliness-social support interaction. Participants were 342 community-living Israeli older adults aged 60 or over (M age = 73.37, SD = 7.82, 69.1% female) who responded to questionnaires assessing FEV (Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale), perceived social support (The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), loneliness (UCLA Three-item Loneliness Scale), and sociodemographic characteristics. Two hierarchical linear regression models covarying for demographic variables examined study hypotheses. In a first model, a significant interaction between social support and loneliness was discovered such that high levels of perceived social support attenuated the positive loneliness–FEV association. In a second model, a significant three-way interaction between social support, loneliness, and age was discovered. Probing the interaction revealed that the attenuating effect of social support on the loneliness–FEV link increased with increasing age. Findings suggest that effects of social factors on FEV may interact with each other and with age to predict FEV, and provide insights into when social support may be most relevant in mitigating FEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We examined whether anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with self-reported history of financial exploitation (FE) are more pronounced among Holocaust survivors (HS), especially those with high-level posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Design: Self-report questionnaires completed online via Qualtrics. Setting: An online-based survey conducted in Israel. Participants: A community-based cohort of 137 Israeli older adults born prior to 1945 were included in the study sample. HS (n = 61) were participants who reported living in a European country occupied or dominated by Nazi or pro-Nazi regimes between 1939 and 1945. Groups were further subdivided into survivors with low or high levels of PTSD symptoms (≥31 on the PTSD Checklist; PCL-5). Measurements: Questionnaires assessed FE history, posttraumatic symptoms (PCL-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Age, education, self-rated health, and non-Holocaust lifetime adversity were also measured and included as covariates. Results: Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that relationships between FE and depressive and anxiety symptoms were significant only among survivors (p = 0.005 and p = 0.008, respectively). The interaction between PTSD symptom level group and FE was also significant for both depressive (p = 0.007) and anxiety (p = 0.012) symptoms, such that survivors with PTSD who reported FE had significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to all other groups. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the experience of FE may be particularly impactful among survivors who continue to struggle with posttraumatic symptoms related to the Holocaust. Future studies may consider examining whether findings are relevant to other groups with PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the interactive effect of subjective age on the relationship between global cognition and susceptibility to scams. Sixty-five participants underwent an assessment of global cognition (Mini Mental State Examination; MMSE), reported their perceived age (i.e., subjective age), and responded to a self-report questionnaire assessing scam susceptibility. A main effect of global cognition on scam susceptibility was found (p =.028); there was no main effect of subjective age (p =.819). An interaction between global cognition and subjective age was found (p =.016). Examination of conditional effects demonstrated that the relationship between cognition and scam susceptibility was not significant amongst those with subjective ages below one standard deviation of the mean, but was significant for those whose subjective ages fell around or above the mean. Findings suggest that individuals with older subjective ages may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of lower cognition on scam susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the relationships of antemortem vascular risk factors to postmortem cerebrovascular and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathologies. Eighty-four AD patients underwent an assessment of vascular risk (blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, transient ischemic attack [TIA], or stroke) and later underwent brain autopsy. Given our aim to examine mild cerebrovascular changes (CVCs), individuals were excluded if autopsy revealed large stroke. The most common forms of CVC were circle of Willis atherosclerosis followed by arteriosclerosis, lacunes, and microinfarcts. Excluding the history of TIA/clinical stroke, individual vascular risk factors were not associated with CVC. However, the presence of multiple vascular risk factors was associated with CVC. Furthermore, the presence of CVC was associated with lower Braak and Braak stage. These findings highlight the importance of aggregate risk in the vascular contribution to dementia. Interventions designed to maintain cerebrovascular health may represent important opportunities for preventing or delaying dementia, even when AD is the dominant pathology.

Bilinguals' ability to control which language they speak and to switch between languages may rely on neurocognitive mechanisms shared with non-linguistic task switching. However, recent studies also reveal some limitations on the extent control mechanisms are shared across domains, introducing the possibility that some control mechanisms are unique to language. We investigated this hypothesis by directly comparing the neural correlates of task switching and language switching. Nineteen Spanish-English bilingual university students underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study employing a hybrid (event-related and blocked) design involving both color-shape switching and language switching paradigms. We compared the two switching tasks using within-subject voxel-wise t-tests for each of three trial types (single trials in single blocks, and stay and switch trials in mixed blocks). Comparing trial types to baseline in each task revealed widespread activation for single, stay, and switch trials in both color-shape and language switching. Direct comparisons of each task for each trial type revealed few differences between tasks on single and switch trials, but large task differences during stay trials, with more widespread activation for the non-linguistic than for the language task. Our results confirm previous suggestions of shared mechanisms of switching across domains, but also reveal bilinguals have greater efficiency for sustaining the inhibition of the non-target language than the non-target task when two responses are available. This efficiency of language control might arise from bilinguals' need to control interference from the non-target language specifically when not switching languages, when speaking in single- or mixed-language contexts.

AbstractObjective: Reports of financial exploitation have steadily increased among older adults. Few studies have examined neuropsychological profiles for individuals vulnerable to financial exploitation, and existing studies have focused on susceptibility to scams, one specific type of financial exploitation. The current study therefore examines whether a general measure of financial exploitation vulnerability is associated with neuropsychological performance in a community sample. Methods: A sample (n = 116) of adults aged 50 or older without dementia completed a laboratory visit that measures physical and psychological functioning and a neuropsychological assessment, the Uniform Data Set-3 (UDS-3) and California Verbal Learning Test-II. Results: After covarying for demographics, current medical problems, financial literacy, and a global cognition screen, financial exploitation vulnerability was negatively associated with scores on the Multilingual Naming Test, Craft Story Recall and Delayed Recall, California Verbal Learning Test-II Delayed Recall and Recognition Discriminability, Phonemic Fluency, and Trails B. Financial exploitation vulnerability was not associated with performance on Digit Span, Semantic Fluency, Benson Complex Figure Recall, or Trails A. Conclusions: Among older adults without dementia, individuals at higher risk for financial exploitation demonstrated worse verbal memory, confrontation naming, phonemic fluency, and set-shifting. These tests are generally sensitive to Default Mode Network functioning and Alzheimer’s Disease neuropathology. Longitudinal studies in more impaired samples are warranted to further corroborate and elucidate these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesMethodsResultsConclusionsClinical ImplicationsFinancial exploitation of older adults results in devastating economic, social, and psychological losses to older adults, their families, and society at large. This study examined the relationship between reflective functioning and financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) and whether relationship status moderated the association.A community-based sample of 156 Israeli older adults age 60 and over responded to demographic questions and questionnaires assessing reflective functioning and FEV.A hierarchical linear regression analysis covarying for age, sex, education, income, and sum of illnesses, revealed that higher reflective functioning was associated with lower FEV (p = .011). A main effect of relationship status was not found, but a significant interaction of reflective functioning × relationship status was discovered (p = .008), adding 4.2% to the total variance of the model. Probing the interaction revealed that the reflective functioning-FEV association was significant only for older adults not in a relationship.Findings suggest that low reflective functioning may be associated with increased risk of financial exploitation, specifically in certain populations of older adults.Care providers of older adults may consider assessing for, and identifying older adults with low reflective functioning, in order to prevent or intervene in the event of a potentially exploitative situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology may impact brain regions involved in decision making. Because of this, changes in decision making (e.g., economic preferences) may be an early behavioral manifestation of preclinical AD. The current study investigated relationships between temporal discounting (the tendency to choose smaller, more immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards) and brain structures implicated early in preclinical AD. Method: The sample included 92 cognitively intact older adults (mean age = 68.8±7.43; mean education = 16.62±2.15; 75% female; 79% White). Temporal discounting was characterized using a paradigm in which participants choose between earlier or later payments of varying amounts. In the first section (T1), participants choose between payments today vs. 2 weeks from today. In the second section (T2), choices were between today vs. 4 weeks from today. In the third section (T3), choices were between 2 weeks vs. 4 weeks from today. Temporal discounting rates were calculated for each time point. Due to most participants clustering around a low modal value of temporal discounting, participants were categorized as "low" on temporal discounting if they were at or below the mode and "high" if they were above the mode. Brain structural MRI estimates were acquired on a 7 Tesla scanner and processed using FreeSurfer‐v.7.2.0. The regions of interest (ROIs) included the entorhinal and parahippocampal cortex and hippocampus. Differences in ROIs between the two groups were tested using one‐way ANOVA models adjusted for age, sex, and education. Result: Individuals who exhibited higher temporal discounting rates at T1 and T2 had significantly lower entorhinal cortex thickness (F = 6.06, p = 0.02 and F = 6.18, p = 0.01 respectively). No significant relationship was observed at T3. Additionally, no significant relationships were observed between temporal discounting and parahippocampal cortex thickness or hippocampal volume. Conclusion: Results showed that lower entorhinal cortex thickness is associated with greater temporal discounting in cognitively intact older adults. This supports the idea that changes in economic preferences may be an early behavioral manifestation of preclinical AD. Due to the cross‐sectional nature of the study, it will be important to validate these findings in longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated correspondence between different measures of bilingual language proficiency contrasting self-report, proficiency interview, and picture naming skills. Fifty-two young (Experiment 1) and 20 aging (Experiment 2) Spanish-English bilinguals provided self-ratings of proficiency level, were interviewed for spoken proficiency, and named pictures in a Multilingual Naming Test (MINT); in Experiment 1, the Boston Naming Test (BNT) was also used. Self-ratings, proficiency interview, and the MINT did not differ significantly in classifying bilinguals into language-dominance groups, but naming tests (especially the BNT) classified bilinguals as more English-dominant than other measures. Strong correlations were observed between measures of proficiency in each language and language-dominance, but not degree of balanced bilingualism (index scores). Depending on the measure, up to 60% of bilinguals scored best in their self-reported non-dominant language. The BNT distorted bilingual assessment by underestimating ability in Spanish. These results illustrate what self-ratings can and cannot provide, illustrate the pitfalls of testing bilinguals with measures designed for monolinguals, and invite a multi-measure goal-driven approach to classifying bilinguals into dominance groups.