Midlife Retinal Microvascular Signs and Late-Life Neuroimaging Features of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in the ARIC Study.

Background And Objectives: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a leading cause of cognitive and functional deficits. Retinal vasculature abnormalities may be an early indicator of CSVD. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between retinal signs in midlife and imaging markers of CSVD 18 years later.

Contribution of Modifiable Midlife and Late-Life Vascular Risk Factors to Incident Dementia.

Importance: Midlife vascular risk factors are associated with an elevated risk of dementia. However, the total contribution of vascular risk factors in midlife and late life with incident dementia is uncertain.

Objective: To quantify the proportion of incident dementia attributable to modifiable vascular risk factors measured in midlife and late life and to examine differences by apolipoprotein ε4 genotype, self-reported race, and sex.

Effects of hearing intervention on falls in older adults: findings from a secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE randomised controlled trial.

Background: Hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults and has been associated with an increased likelihood of falling. We aimed to examine the effect of a hearing intervention on falls over 3 years among older adults in a secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE study.

Methods: The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study was a 3-year, unmasked, randomised controlled trial of adults aged 70-84 years at enrolment with untreated hearing loss and without substantial cognitive impairment.

Olfaction and Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease and Neurodegeneration in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background And Objectives: Investigation of olfactory impairment, an early manifestation of Alzheimer disease (AD), in relation to plasma biomarkers of AD and neurodegeneration could provide insights into the disease's pathophysiology. Because few such studies based on large, diverse, community-based populations exist, we investigated associations of odor identification ability with plasma biomarkers of AD and other neurodegenerative pathologies in community-dwelling Black and White older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation included participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study who attended visit 5 (2011-2013) and who completed olfactory testing and brain MRI examinations and had plasma biomarkers measured (namely, amyloid-beta [Aβ]/Aβ ratio, phosphorylated-tau at threonine-181 [p-tau], p-tau/Aβ ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], and neurofilament light chain [NfL]).

Cognitive benefits of hearing intervention vary by risk of cognitive decline: A secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE trial.

Introduction: Results from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) trial suggest hearing intervention may not reduce 3-year cognitive decline in all older adults with hearing loss but may be beneficial in certain groups. This secondary analysis investigated if participants with multiple risk factors for cognitive decline received greater benefits.

Methods: We used a sample of dementia-free participants (N = 2692) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort to develop a predictive model for cognitive decline.

Hearing Intervention, Social Isolation, and Loneliness: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Promoting social connection among older adults is a public health priority. Addressing hearing loss may reduce social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

Objective: To describe the effect of a best-practice hearing intervention vs health education control on social isolation and loneliness over a 3-year period in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study.

Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss.

Importance: Hearing loss treatment delays cognitive decline in high-risk older adults. The preventive potential of addressing hearing loss on incident dementia in a community-based population of older adults, and whether it varies by method of hearing loss measurement, is unknown.

Objective: To calculate the population attributable fraction of incident dementia associated with hearing loss in older adults and to investigate differences by age, sex, self-reported race, and method of hearing loss measurement.

Directionality between cognitive function and daily physical activity patterns.

Introduction: Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, but cognitive function is also important for physical activity engagement. This study evaluated the directionality of associations between daily physical activity and cognitive function in a sample of cognitively and physically intact older adults.

Methods: Cognitive factor scores for domains including global cognition, memory, language, executive function/attention, and visuospatial processing, and physical activity patterns from wrist accelerometry were measured at two visits (mean: 1.

Effects of Hearing Intervention on Physical Activity Measured by Accelerometry: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Study.

Background: Hearing loss is prevalent in older adults and is associated with reduced daily physical activity, but whether hearing intervention attenuates declines in physical activity is unknown. We investigated the 3-year effect of a hearing intervention versus a health education control on accelerometer-measured physical activity in older adults with hearing loss.

Methods: This secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE randomized controlled trial included 977 adults aged 70-84 years with hearing loss.

Plasma Proteins Associated with the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet and Incident Dementia.

Background: The Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet slows cognitive decline and protects brain health, but the mechanisms are poorly understood.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the plasma proteins associated with the MIND diet score and their ability to predict incident dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Methods: We analyzed 10,230 Black and White participants at visit 3 (1993-1995) with food frequency questionnaire and proteomics data and randomly divided them into discovery (n = 6850) and replication (n = 3380) samples.

Characterizing the olfaction and dementia association in the community-based ARIC study.

Introduction: Few studies have characterized the association of olfaction with dementia in detail across diverse sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods: We examined the association of one-time-point olfactory status with incident dementia overall and by age, race, sex, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status (n = 4470, mean age: 75 ± 5 years, 21% Black), and 5-year olfactory change with incident dementia (n = 2658) in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Results: Compared to good olfaction, moderate olfaction (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.

Retinal microstructure and microvasculature in association with brain amyloid burden.

Cortical amyloid burden is associated with neuronal and vascular abnormalities. The retina shares significant structural and physiological similarities with the brain. This study assessed the association of retinal microstructural and microvascular signs with cortical amyloid burden in the prospective Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities-Positron Emission Tomography study.

Impact of a Hearing Intervention on the Levels of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and T.V. Viewing in Older Adults: Results from a Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Study.

Background: Age-related hearing loss is common among older adults and may influence physical activity and sedentary behaviors, such as TV viewing. This study examined whether a hearing intervention could affect these behaviors over 3 years.

Methods: A total of 977 participants (mean age of 76.

Longitudinal Association of Olfactory Function with Frailty in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that olfactory dysfunction may be a marker of frailty, a key predictor of adverse health outcomes in aging populations. This study examines the association between olfactory impairment and frailty in older adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from 5,231 participants (mean age: 75.

Sleep characteristics and hearing loss in middle-aged and older adults: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018.

Background: Population-based evidence linking sleep characteristics with hearing is limited and how the associations change with age remains unknown. We aim to investigate cross-sectional associations between sleep characteristics and hearing by age in a nationally representative sample of U.S.

Poor Olfaction and Risk of Stroke in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Poor olfaction may be associated with adverse cerebrovascular events, but empirical evidence is limited. We aimed to investigate the association of olfaction with the risk of stroke in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Methods: We included 5799 older adults with no history of stroke at baseline from 2011 to 2013 (75.

Differences in brain volume in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition across different anatomical regions: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

BackgroundMild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a stage between cognitively normal and Alzheimer's disease. Despite much published research on MCI, there continues to be a knowledge gap of volumetric brain changes in MCI versus cognitively normal (CN) in racially diverse, community-based samples.ObjectiveThe study aimed to understand differences in volume of selected brain regions in individuals with MCI versus those who are cognitively normal.

Associations of Traumatic Brain Injury and Hearing: Results From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS).

Objective: To examine associations of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with self-reported and clinical measures of hearing function.

Setting: Four US communities.

Participants: A total of 3176 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study participants who attended the sixth study visit in 2016-2017, when hearing was assessed.

A Hearing Intervention and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of the ACHIEVE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Health-related quality of life is a critical health outcome and a clinically important patient-reported outcome in clinical trials. Hearing loss is associated with poorer health-related quality-of-life in older adults.

Objective: To investigate the 3-year outcomes of hearing intervention vs health education control on health-related quality of life.

Two-Stage Recruitment Design to Reduce Magnetic Resonance Imaging Screening Cost for a Theoretical Clinical Trial of White Matter Hyperintensity Progression.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) and their progression are associated with risk of dementia and stroke, so are an important target for clinical trials. The cost of broad magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening to identify eligible individuals, however, limits the feasibility of designing clinical trials targeting WMH. A low-cost retinal or clinical screening measure before MRI could reduce recruitment costs versus an MRI-only screening design in a hypothetical clinical trial.

Perceptions of Health Care Provider Interactions Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Hearing Trouble and the Role of an Accompanying Companion.

Purpose: Hearing trouble (HT) impairs communication with health care providers (HCPs) and may lead to negative care experiences that impact health outcomes. The current study aimed to examine how HT influences patient perceptions of provider interactions and whether having an accompanying companion during health care visits modifies perceptions of provider interactions.

Method: This cross-sectional study analyzed 9,104 responses from the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

Effect of hearing intervention on communicative function: A secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) Study was designed to determine the effects of a best-practice hearing intervention on cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults. Here, we conducted a secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE Study to investigate the effect of hearing intervention on self-reported communicative function.

Methods: The ACHIEVE Study is a parallel-group, unmasked, randomized controlled trial of adults aged 70-84 years with untreated mild-to-moderate hearing loss and without substantial cognitive impairment.