Cognitive trajectories in older adults with essential tremor.

Objective: Despite recent attention to the increased risk of cognitive impairment in older adults with essential tremor (ET), there are only limited data on the trajectories of cognitive change in ET or the demographic and motor predictors of such change.

Method: This study included 148 cognitively normal individuals with ET (mean age = 76.7 ± 9.

Utility of Polygenic Risk Scores in Families with Exceptional Longevity.

Introduction: Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have been used to assess an individual's risk for various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study applied the PRS approach to a cohort of families ascertained for healthy aging, that have shown a reduced risk of AD. Using the SNPs identified as significantly associated with AD in the study by Kunkle and colleagues, we examined the utility of PRS for predicting AD risk in a cohort ascertained for familial healthy aging.

Developing an accessible dementia assessment tool: Leveraging a residual network, the trail making test, and demographic data.

BackgroundThe global burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is rapidly increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to specialized healthcare is limited. Neuropsychological tests are essential diagnostic tools, but their administration requires trained professionals, creating screening barriers. Automated computational assessment presents a cost-effective solution for global dementia screening.

Identification of novel protective loci for executive function using the trail making test part B in the Long Life Family Study.

The Trail Making Test (TMT) Part B (TMT-B), a well-established assessment of cognitive function, is a frequent component of diagnostic assessments for Mild Cognitive Impairment and dementia in older adults. Identifying the genetic variants associated with the TMT-B will not only gain insights of genetic determinants of cognitive function, but also the molecular mechanisms for dementia. Published GWAS to date for TMT-B suffer from relatively low power due to the use of population level data and imputation methods.

Summer of Translational Aging Research for Undergraduates (STAR U): Short-term outcomes of a training program to advance diversity in aging research.

The Summer of Translational Aging Research for Undergraduates (STAR U) program, funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, aims to enhance diversity in aging research through undergraduate education. This evaluation assesses the program's effectiveness in fostering a diverse cohort of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. Forty-eight (96%) of 50 alumni completed a survey between April and August 2023.

How Well Do Essential Tremor Patients Report whether or Not They Have Parkinson's Disease? Validity of Self-Report Data from a Large Cohort Study.

Background/objective: In clinical and research studies in which one is dealing with essential tremor (ET) patients, the identification of related conditions, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), is important. A reasonable starting point is to directly ask the patient about their disease status. We are not aware of studies on the validity of ET patients' self-reports of PD (i.

Precision neurocognition: An emerging diagnostic paradigm leveraging digital cognitive assessment technology.

Strategies that may modify Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementia disorders are being developed. To maximize the benefits of these strategies, it is critical that indicators suggesting neurocognitive decline are identified as early as possible. ' is a heuristic that seeks to develop methodologies capable of identifying subtle behavior(s) that may flag emerging AD and other dementia related syndromes.

Predictors of Mortality in a Large Cohort of Elders with Essential Tremor.

Background: Prospective data show an increased risk of mortality in essential tremor (ET). Understanding the contributors to this increased mortality is of value.

Methods: A total of 347 cases were enrolled in a prospective study of cognition in elders with ET (M baseline age = 79.

Essential tremor with tau pathology features seeds indistinguishable in conformation from Alzheimer's disease and primary age-related tauopathy.

Neurodegenerative tauopathies are characterized by the deposition of distinct fibrillar tau assemblies, whose rigid core structures correlate with defined neuropathological phenotypes. Essential tremor (ET) is a progressive neurological disorder that, in some cases, is associated with cognitive impairment and tau accumulation. In this study, we explored tau assembly conformation in ET patients with tau pathology using cytometry-based tau biosensor assays.

Digital assessment of cognition in neurodegenerative disease: a data driven approach leveraging artificial intelligence.

Introduction: A rapid and reliable neuropsychological protocol is essential for the efficient assessment of neurocognitive constructs related to emergent neurodegenerative diseases. We developed an AI-assisted, digitally administered/scored neuropsychological protocol that can be remotely administered in ~10 min. This protocol assesses the requisite neurocognitive constructs associated with emergent neurodegenerative illnesses.

Baseline Depressive Symptoms as a Predictor of Incident Dementia in a Prospectively Followed Cohort of Elders with Essential Tremor.

Introduction: Essential tremor (ET) patients may exhibit a variety of non-motor features, including cognitive decline and depressive symptoms. Studies of several neurodegenerative diseases link depression to cognitive decline, suggesting depression is an early marker of dementia. We examined whether baseline depressive symptoms predict incident dementia in elders with ET.

Confronting Alzheimer's Disease Risk in Women: A Feasibility Study of Memory Screening as Part of the Annual Gynecological Well-Woman Visit.

Routine health care visits offer the opportunity to screen older adults for symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many women see their gynecologist as their primary health care provider. Given this unique relationship, the Women's Preventive Services Initiative and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology advocate for integrated care of women at all ages.

Subjective Sleep Disturbance and Lewy Pathology: Data from a Cohort of Essential Tremor Brain Donors.

Introduction: Sleep disturbances have been associated with essential tremor (ET). However, their pathophysiological underpinnings remain unknown. In this exploratory study, we examined the association between subjective sleep disturbances and the presence of Lewy pathology (LP) on postmortem brain examination in ET cases.

Summer of Translational Aging Research for Undergraduates (STAR U): Short-term outcomes of a training program to advance diversity in aging research.

Purpose: The Summer of Translational Aging Research for Undergraduates (STAR U) program, funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, aims to advance diversity in aging research through undergraduate education. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of the program in cultivating a diverse cohort of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds.

Method: Forty-eight (96%) of 50 STAR U alumni completed a program evaluation survey between April and August 2023.

The Miami Framework for ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders: an integrated view of phenotype and biology.

Increasing appreciation of the phenotypic and biological overlap between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, alongside evolving biomarker evidence for a pre-symptomatic stage of disease and observations that this stage of disease might not always be clinically silent, is challenging traditional views of these disorders. These advances have highlighted the need to adapt ingrained notions of these clinical syndromes to include both the full phenotypic continuum - from clinically silent, to prodromal, to clinically manifest - and the expanded phenotypic spectrum that includes ALS, frontotemporal dementia and some movement disorders. The updated clinical paradigms should also align with our understanding of the biology of these disorders, reflected in measurable biomarkers.

Prevalence of and Annual Conversion Rates to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: Prospective, Longitudinal Study of an Essential Tremor Cohort.

Objective: Despite recent attention to cognitive impairment in essential tremor, few studies examine rates of conversion to diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Development of dementia in essential tremor is associated with loss of functional ability and a doubling of mortality rate. This prospective, longitudinal study comprehensively reports the prevalence and incidence of, and the annual rates of conversion to, mild cognitive impairment and dementia in an essential tremor cohort.

Systemic inflammation in relation to exceptional memory in the Long Life Family Study (LLFS).

Background And Objectives: We previously found a substantial familial aggregation of healthy aging phenotypes, including exceptional memory (EM) in long-lived persons. In the current study, we aim to assess whether long-lived families with EM and without EM (non-EM) differ in systemic inflammation status and trajectory.

Methods: The current study included 4333 participants of the multi-center Long Life Family Study (LLFS).

Sleep problems as predictors of cognitive decline in essential tremor: A prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: There is growing evidence that essential tremor (ET) patients are at high risk of cognitive impairment. Predictors of cognitive impairment have not been studied extensively. There is evidence from cross-sectional studies that sleep dysregulation is associated with cognitive dysfunction in ET, but longitudinal studies of the impact of sleep disruption on cognitive change have not been conducted.

Changes in Digital Speech Measures in Asymptomatic Carriers of Pathogenic Variants Associated With Frontotemporal Degeneration.

Background And Objectives: Clinical trials developing therapeutics for frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) focus on pathogenic variant carriers at preclinical stages. Objective, quantitative clinical assessment tools are needed to track stability and delayed disease onset. Natural speech can serve as an accessible, cost-effective assessment tool.

Using digital assessment technology to detect neuropsychological problems in primary care settings.

Introduction: Screening for neurocognitive impairment and psychological distress in ambulatory primary and specialty care medical settings is an increasing necessity. The Core Cognitive Evaluation™ (CCE) is administered/scored using an iPad, requires approximately 8 min, assesses 3- word free recall and clock drawing to command and copy, asks questions about lifestyle and health, and queries for psychological distress. This information is linked with patients' self- reported concerns about memory and their cardiovascular risks.

Cognitive trajectories: exploring the predictive role of subjective cognitive decline and awareness of age-related changes for cognitive functioning.

Background: We investigated whether aspects of subjective cognitive aging, including awareness of age-related gains and losses in cognition (AARC-gains, AARC-losses) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD), predict change in objective cognitive function as measured by verbal reasoning (VR) and working memory (WM).

Methods: We used longitudinal data for 3,299 cognitively healthy UK residents aged 65+. We used data on AARC and SCD assessed in 2019, and cognitive tasks assessed in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

A prospective cohort study of familial versus sporadic essential tremor cases: Do clinical features evolve differently across time?

Background: Although essential tremor (ET) is often divided into familial and sporadic cases, few data compare the evolution of clinical features in these groups over time. Leveraging data from a prospective, longitudinal study, we present analyses of the evolution of a broad range of cognitive, motor (i.e.