A potential mechanism that enables intellectual preservation in cognitively normal elderly that harbor beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology is heightened cerebral glucose metabolism. To investigate cross-sectional inter-relationships between Aβ, glucose metabolism, and cognition, 81 subjects (mean age: 75 ± 7 years) underwent [(11)C]Pittsburgh Compound-B and [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission t...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Impaired motor function has been associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, but this relationship is poorly understood in elderly with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We thus investigated it in a large sample (n = 726) of cognitively normal elderly with T2D. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, hierarchical linear regressions assessed correlations of 3 motor measures (timed w...

This study examines to what extent personality and existential constructs predict the frequency of reminiscence, in general, and its various functions, in particular. Eighty-nine older adults completed the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Life Attitude Profile--Revised, and the Reminiscence Functions Scale. Neuroticism predicted total reminiscence frequency, as well as reminiscence for self-under...

The relationships between emotional arousal and cognition in humans represent an important field in cognitive neuroscience. Studies examining the characteristics of emotion-induced memory enhancement and the mechanisms through which these effects occur are becoming increasingly common. This article describes three affordable laboratory exercises of relevance to the growing interest in this fiel...

BACKGROUND To date, there is a wealth of literature describing the deleterious effects of active alcoholism on cognitive function. There is also a growing body of literature on the extent of cognitive recovery that can occur with abstinence. However, there is still a dearth of published findings on cognitive functioning in very long-term abstinence alcoholics, especially in the elderly populati...

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy on depression symptoms among elderly people attending a day centre in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A sample of 49 people aged 60+ years participated in 6 group reminiscence sessions that were held twice weekly for a 3-week period and completed a Farsi version of the 15-item geriatric depression scale. Mean...

With the unprecedented growth in the African American elderly population, there exists an urgent need to prepare nurses to deliver culturally competent care. The purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge available about the cultural heritage, worldviews, and life experiences of African American elders. Reminiscence interviews were conducted with African American elders living in a med...

White matter hyperintensities (WMH)—areas of increased signal on T2 and Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) MRI images—and beta-amyloid (ABeta) plaques—an Alzheimer’s disease pathology—are commonly found in the brains of cognitively normal elderly people. Although previous studies have looked at these pathologies, the interaction between them remains unclear. This study investigated the...

BACKGROUND Trajectories of cognitive decline among elderly individuals are heterogeneous, and markers that have high reliability for predicting cognitive trajectories across a broad spectrum of the elderly population have yet to be identified. METHOD This study examined the utility of a variety of MRI-based brain measures, obtained at baseline, as predictors of subsequent declines in domain-s...