Few studies have examined the relationship between education and cognition among the oldest-old. Cognitive assessments were conducted biannually for 803 participants (62.6% women) of LifeAfter90, a longitudinal study of individuals ≥ 90 years old. Gender differences in associations between education (
Dementia incidence is lower among Asian Americans than among Whites, despite higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, a well-known dementia risk factor. Determinants of dementia, including type 2 diabetes, have rarely been studied in Asian Americans. We followed 4846 Chinese,…
Intersectionality has rarely been considered in research studies of cognitive ageing. We investigated whether life-course financial mobility is differentially associated with later-life memory function and decline across intersectional identities defined by gender, and race and ethnicity. Data were from two…
Although poor glycemic control is associated with dementia, it is unknown if variability in glycemic control, even in those with optimal glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, increases dementia risk. Among 171,964 people with type 2 diabetes, we evaluated the hazard…
School-based social support for Black students may mediate or modify the association between school segregation and late-life cognition. Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans participants (n = 574) reported segregated school attendance and school-based social support. Associations of segregated schooling with…
Literature shows heterogeneous age-standardized dementia incidence rates across US Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), but no estimates of population-representative dementia incidence exist due to lack of AANHPI longitudinal probability samples. We compared harmonized characteristics between AANHPI Kaiser…
For Black students in the United States, attending schools with a higher proportion of White students is associated with worse mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence/early adulthood. No prior studies evaluate K-12 school racial composition and later-life mental health…
The timing of educational attainment may modify its effects on late-life cognition, yet most studies evaluate education only at a single time point. Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) Study cohort participants (N = 554) reported educational attainment (dichotomized at…
Prior studies suggested that metformin may be associated with reduced dementia incidence, but associations may be confounded by disease severity and prescribing trends. Cessation of metformin therapy in people with diabetes typically occurs due to signs of kidney dysfunction but…
The levels of glycemic control associated with the lowest risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes are unknown. This knowledge is critical to inform patient-centered glycemic target setting. To examine the associations between cumulative exposure to various ranges…
The association between hypertension developed before midlife and late-life brain health is understudied and, because of the cardioprotective benefits of estrogen before menopause, may differ by sex. To assess the association of early adulthood hypertension and blood pressure (BP) change…
High education protects against dementia, but returns on educational attainment may be different across sociodemographic groups owing to various social factors. Asian American individuals are a growing and diverse group, but little research has assessed dementia determinants in this population…
Black students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) versus historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) report more harmful discrimination and develop worse mental health outcomes, potentially offsetting the established benefits of college for lowering dementia incidence. Black participants in two cohorts…
Education is correlated with positive health outcomes, but associations are sometimes weaker among African Americans. The extent to which exposure to discrimination and depressive symptoms attenuates the education-cognition link has not been investigated. Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans…
Some evidence suggests that neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with dementia-related outcomes. However, prior research is predominantly among non-Latino Whites. We evaluated the association between neighborhood disadvantage (Area Deprivation Index [ADI]) and dementia incidence in Asian American (n = 18,103)…
Racial and ethnic groups with higher rates of clinical Alzheimer disease (AD) are underrepresented in studies of AD biomarkers, including amyloid positron emission tomography (PET). To compare amyloid PET positivity among a diverse cohort of individuals with mild cognitive impairment…
The incidence of both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing. Life expectancy is improving in T1D, resulting in a growing population of elderly adults with diabetes. While it is well established that older adults with…
The reference standard for amyloid-PET quantification requires structural MRI (sMRI) for preprocessing in both multi-site research studies and clinical trials. Here we describe rPOP (robust PET-Only Processing), a MATLAB-based MRI-free pipeline implementing non-linear warping and differential smoothing of amyloid-PET scans…
This retrospective study examined changes in medication orders as a risk factor for future acute hypoglycemic events. The investigators identified factors associated with acute hypoglycemic events resulting in emergency department visits or inpatient admissions. Non-Hispanic Black race, chronic kidney disease,…
Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition is a feature of Alzheimer disease (AD) and may be promoted by exogenous factors, such as ambient air quality. To examine the association between the likelihood of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan positivity and ambient air…
Amyloid β (Aβ) is thought to initiate a cascade of pathology culminating in Alzheimer's disease-related cognitive decline. Aβ accumulation in brain tissues may begin one to two decades prior to clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Prior studies have demonstrated that…
Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may represent a low-burden indicator of dementia risk. The value of SCD as a proxy marker, however, depends on the consistency of associations between subjective and objective cognitive measures across sociodemographic and psychological factors. We evaluated…
Aortic stenosis (AS) has no approved medical treatment. Identifying etiological pathways for AS could identify pharmacological targets. To identify novel genetic loci and pathways associated with AS. This genome-wide association study used a case-control design to evaluate 44 703 participants (3469…
In children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), severe hypoglycemia (SH) is associated with poorer cognition, but the association of SH with cognitive function in late life is unknown. Given the increasing life expectancy in people with T1D, understanding the role…
Non-pharmacological therapies for persons with dementia (PWD) are needed. To develop and test the Paired Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) program, an integrative group movement program for PWD and care partners (CPs). Participants were randomized to immediate or…
The objective was to examine the association between sleep quality and global and domain-specific cognitive function among older individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We evaluated 695 individuals with T1D aged 60 years or above who participated in the baseline…
Life expectancy for individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has increased recently; however, it is unknown how diabetes care attitudes affect late-life brain health. The Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID) consists of 734 older adults with T1DM, reporting…
In 2016, the UC Davis Latino Aging Research Resource Center and UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center brought together experts from across the country to consolidate current knowledge and identify future directions in aging and diversity research. This report disseminates the…
Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) detects amyloid plaques in the brain, a core neuropathological feature of Alzheimer disease. To determine if amyloid PET is associated with subsequent changes in the management of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia…
Birth in areas with high infant mortality rates (IMRs) has been linked to worse long-term health outcomes, yet it is completely unknown if it impacts dementia risk. In total 6268 health care members were followed for dementia diagnosis from 1996…
Poor pulmonary function (PPF) is associated with increased risk of dementia, yet it is unclear if PPF in early adulthood to midlife increases risk, independent of smoking and subsequent vascular disease. This study evaluated the association between multiple markers of…
To examine the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and dementia risk among a cohort of middle-aged and elderly individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We evaluated 4,049 members of an integrated health care system with T1D ≥50 years old…
In middle age, stroke incidence is higher among black than white Americans. For unknown reasons, this inequality decreases and reverses with age. We conducted simulations to evaluate whether selective survival could account for observed age patterning of black-white stroke inequalities…
Depression afflicts 14% of individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Depression is a robust risk factor for dementia but it is unknown if this holds true for individuals with T1D, who recently started living to an age conferring dementia risk…
Retinopathy impacts over one-third of those with diabetes mellitus and is associated with impaired cognitive performance and cerebrovascular lesions in middle-aged adults with type 1 diabetes. However, the association between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and risk of dementia in type 1…
Elevated lipoprotein(a) levels are a risk factor for aortic stenosis (AS). However, a large-scale replication of associations between LPA variants and AS, their interactions with risk factors, and the effect of multiple risk alleles is not well established. To replicate…
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk of dementia in male veterans, but little is known in females and civilians. PTSD and comorbidities were abstracted from medical records from 1/1/1996 to 12/31/2001. Dementia incidence from 1/1/2002 to…
Severe hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia ("severe dysglycemia") are serious complications of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Depression has been associated with severe dysglycemia in type 2 diabetes but has not been thoroughly examined specifically in T1D. We evaluated bidirectional associations between depression…
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias affect 15 percent of those aged 65 and up; by age 90 and up, this number increases to a startling 40 to 50 percent. The oldest-old, people aged 90 and -older, are the fastest-growing segment…
To evaluate the association of early-adulthood and mid-adulthood hypertension with dementia in men and women. We evaluated 5,646 members of a diverse integrated health care delivery system who had clinical examinations and health survey data from 1964 to 1973 (mean…
Birth in a group of predominantly southern US states is robustly linked to increased stroke risk. Given the role of cerebrovascular disease in dementia risk, geographic patterning may also occur for dementia incidence. To determine whether birth in 9 high…
Asian Americans are a rapidly growing and diverse population. Prior research on dementia among Asian Americans focused on Japanese Americans or Asian Americans overall, although marked differences in cardiometabolic conditions between subgroups have been documented. We compared dementia incidence among…
Information on anticipated survival time after dementia diagnosis among racially/ethnically diverse patients is needed to plan for care and evaluate disparities. Dementia-free health care members aged ≥64 years were followed (1/1/2000-12/31/2013) for dementia diagnosis and subsequent survival (n = 23,032 Asian American; n = 18,778…
This is a lifecourse study of vascular risk and brain aging in a well-characterized population of 1,200 elderly African-Americans that will close the gap in knowledge regarding midlife risk and protective factors for cognitive decline. The data collected, in conjunction…
Although there are marked ethnic disparities in rates of dementia, almost nothing is known about early life contributors to dementia in ethnic minority groups, nor if the trajectory of cognitive decline or transition to cognitive impairment varies across ethnic groups…
This is a life-course study of vascular risk and brain aging in a well-characterized population of 1,200 elderly African-Americans that will close the gap in knowledge regarding midlife risk and protective factors for cognitive decline. We will conduct cognitive testing…
There is evidence that middle aged-adults with Type 1 diabetes have deficits in cognitive function and are more likely to be diagnosed with depression . Although it is well established that elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes are at double…
To assess changes in medication use after a diagnosis of dementia in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Difference-in-differences analysis of changes in the number of dispensed chronic medications between individuals with and without newly diagnosed dementia. Integrated healthcare delivery…
Common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation are probable risk factors for dementia, suggesting that their treatments may influence the risk and rate of cognitive and functional decline. Moreover, specific therapies and medications may affect long-term brain health through…
Strategies to prevent or delay nursing home admission in individuals with cognitive impairment are urgently needed. We hypothesized that physical inactivity, not consuming alcohol (as opposed to moderate alcohol use), and having a history of smoking predict nursing home admission…
We studied the relation of early-life (mean age 25 years) and mid-life (mean age 50 years) cognitive function to early measures of hostile attitudes and effortful coping. In 3,126 black and white men and women (born in 1955-1968) from the…
Marijuana use is increasingly common in the United States. It is unclear whether it has long-term effects on memory and other domains of cognitive function. To study the association between cumulative lifetime exposure to marijuana use and cognitive performance in…
Reducing racial/ethnic disparities is a primary objective of the National Alzheimer's Plan (NAPA), yet direct comparisons within large samples representing diversity of the United States are lacking. Dementia incidence from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2013 and a 25-year…
As the human population continues to age, an increasing number of people will exhibit significant deficits in cognitive function and dementia. It is now recognized that cerebrovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases all play major roles in the evolution of cognitive…
Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), and affects employment and quality of life. Large studies are needed to identify risk factors for cognitive decline. Currently, a MS-validated remote assessment for cognitive function does not exist. Studies to determine…
Sedentary behaviors and physical inactivity are not only increasing worldwide but also are critical risk factors for adverse health outcomes. Yet, few studies have examined the effects of sedentary behavior on cognition or the long-term role of either behavior in…
Using genome-wide genotypes, we characterized the genetic structure of 103,006 participants in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California multi-ethnic Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging Cohort and analyzed the relationship to self-reported race/ethnicity. Participants endorsed any of 23 race/ethnicity/nationality…
The Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment, and Health (RPGEH) Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) cohort includes DNA specimens extracted from saliva samples of 110,266 individuals. Because of its relationship to aging, telomere length measurement…
The Kaiser Permanente (KP) Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH), in collaboration with the University of California-San Francisco, undertook genome-wide genotyping of >100,000 subjects that constitute the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) cohort. The…
The aim of this study was to evaluate ethnic differences in burden of prevalent geriatric conditions and diabetic complications among older, insured adults with diabetes. An observational study was conducted among 115,538 diabetes patients, aged ³60, in an integrated health…
We hypothesized that greater cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower odds of having unfavorable brain MRI findings. We studied 565 healthy, middle-aged, black and white men and women in the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) Study. The…
Dementia is a major cause of disability and death among older adults. Those with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are 50-100% more likely to develop dementia than those without T2D, but it is unknown whether this association reflects a causal relationship…
The objective of this study was to obtain external validation of the only available midlife dementia risk score cardiovascular risk factors , aging and dementia study (CAIDE) constituting age, education, hypertension, obesity, and hyperlipidemia in a larger, more diverse population…
Studies have linked midlife and late-life cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) to cognitive function, yet little is known about CVRF exposure in early adulthood and subsequent cognitive function. In addition, most studies rely on single assessments of CVRFs, which may not…
To investigate whether greater cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with better cognitive function 25 years later. We studied 2,747 participants in the community-based Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study of black and white men and women aged 18…
OBJECTIVE Although patients with type 2 diabetes have double the risk of dementia, potential racial/ethnic differences in dementia risk have not been explored in this population. We evaluated racial/ethnic differences in dementia and potential explanatory factors among older diabetic patients…
Type 2 diabetes is associated with dementia, and also with more slight cognitive decrements. In this Review we discuss trajectories from normal cognition to dementia in people with type 2 diabetes, and explore opportunities for treatment. Slight diabetes-associated cognitive decrements…
Persons with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of dementia compared to those without, but the etiology of this increased risk is unclear. Cerebral microvascular disease may mediate the link between diabetes and dementia. Given the anatomical and…
Although patients with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop dementia as those without this disease, prediction of who has the highest future risk is difficult. We therefore created and validated a practical summary risk score that can…
BACKGROUND: Reducing symptom burden is paramount at the end-of-life, but typically considered secondary to risk factor control in chronic disease, such as diabetes. Little is known about the symptom burden experienced by adults with type 2 diabetes and the need…
The risk of dementia is increased in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This review gives an update on the relation between T2DM and specific dementia subtypes - i.e. Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia - and underlying pathologies. We…
OBJECTIVES: Observational studies suggest reduced risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) in users of hormone therapy (HT), but trials show higher risk. We examined whether the association of HT with AD varies with timing or type of HT use. METHODS: Between…
CONTEXT: Depression and dementia are common in older adults and often co-occur, but it is unclear whether depression is an etiologic risk factor for dementia. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the timing and nature of the association between depression and dementia. DESIGN:…
CONTEXT: Although depression is a risk factor for dementia in the general population, its association with dementia among patients with diabetes mellitus has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether comorbid depression in patients with type 2 diabetes increases…
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Central obesity is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Leptin is secreted by adipose tissue and has been associated with better cognitive function. Aging Mexican Americans have higher levels of obesity than non-Hispanic Whites, but no investigations examined the…
Four custom Axiom genotyping arrays were designed for a genome-wide association (GWA) study of 100,000 participants from the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health. The array optimized for individuals of European race/ethnicity was previously described. Here we…
The success of genome-wide association studies has paralleled the development of efficient genotyping technologies. We describe the development of a next-generation microarray based on the new highly-efficient Affymetrix Axiom genotyping technology that we are using to genotype individuals of European…
BACKGROUND: Smoking is a risk factor for several life-threatening diseases, but its long-term association with dementia is controversial and somewhat understudied. Our objective was to investigate the long-term association of amount of smoking in middle age on the risk of…
OBJECTIVE: Although previous research has shown that initiation of postmenopausal estrogen hormone therapy (HT) in late life increases risk of dementia, animal studies and some observational studies have suggested that midlife use of HT may be beneficial; however, this has…
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency of depressive symptoms and selected psychiatric disorders in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) cohort and related them to cognitive syndromes. DESIGN: WHIMS was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled prevention clinical trial examining whether opposed…
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether angiotensin receptor blockers protect against Alzheimer's disease and dementia or reduce the progression of both diseases. DESIGN: Prospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Administrative database of the US Veteran Affairs, 2002-6. Population 819 491 predominantly male participants (98%)…
OBJECTIVE: To develop a late-life dementia risk index that can accurately stratify older adults into those with a low, moderate, or high risk of developing dementia within 6 years. METHODS: Subjects were 3,375 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study…
CONTEXT: Although acute hypoglycemia may be associated with cognitive impairment in children with type 1 diabetes, no studies to date have evaluated whether hypoglycemia is a risk factor for dementia in older patients with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To determine…
AIMS: To investigate midlife cholesterol in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) in a large multiethnic cohort of women and men. METHODS: The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Group (healthcare delivery organization) formed the database for this…
BACKGROUND: Numerous reports show that a centralized distribution of adiposity is a more dangerous risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes than total body obesity. No studies have evaluated whether the same pattern exists with dementia. The objective was to…
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether childbearing is associated with increased visceral adiposity and whether the increase is proportionally larger than other depots. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This prospective study examined changes in adiposity assessed via computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry…
Statins have known anticarcinogenic effects, however, evidence for long-term statin use as effective chemoprevention for prostate cancer is inconsistent. We examined the association between statin use and risk of prostate cancer among 69,047 eligible participants in the California Men's Health…
Diabetes is a major public health burden. Even a modest effect of diabetes on cognitive function has significant public health implications. Several lines of mechanistic evidence implicate a role of insulin and glucose metabolism on risk of developing dementia, including…
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of metabolic syndrome on cognitive function in an elderly Latino population and to determine whether inflammation modifies this association. DESIGN: A longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Sacramento area and the surrounding California counties from 1998 to…
Prior work has suggested that obesity and overweight as measured by body mass index (BMI) increases risk of dementia. It is unknown if there is a difference in the risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD) versus vascular dementia (VaD) associated…
Adipose tissue is the largest endocrine gland in the body, yet only recently has its role in neurodegenerative disease been considered. Prospective population level evidence has emerged to show that both obesity and overweight, is associated with an increased risk…
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between duration of lactation and changes in maternal metabolic risk factors. METHODS: This 3-year prospective study examined changes in metabolic risk factors among lactating women from preconception to postweaning and among nonlactating women from preconception…
BACKGROUND: High concentrations of homocysteine have been linked to a greater risk of Alzheimer disease, dementia, and cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between homocysteine and 4.5-y combined incidences of dementia and cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND) in a…
Dementia is a common and debilitating disease that will increase dramatically for the next 50 years unless a prevention or treatment is identified. This review summarizes the evidence that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of dementia in…
OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a growing problem among middle-aged individuals. We investigated whether obesity in middle-aged individuals influences the need for future nursing home care and whether the risk of nursing home admission associated with obesity is greater in whites than…
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate any association between obesity in middle age, measured by body mass index and skinfold thickness, and risk of dementia later in life. DESIGN: Analysis of prospective data from a multiethnic population based cohort. SETTING: Kaiser Permanente Northern…
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if midlife cardiovascular risk factors are associated with risk of late-life dementia in a large, diverse cohort. METHOD: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of 8,845 participants of a health maintenance organization who underwent health evaluations…
BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have shown that estrogen reduces levels of homocysteine, and recent work has shown that elevated homocysteine increases the risk of incident dementia. However, no studies have investigated whether reduction of homocysteine is a mechanism by which estrogen…
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