Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Verbal Fluency Tests and Boston Naming Test.

An increased cognitive reserve is associated with changes in the pattern of cognitive decline during aging. Thus, normative data adapted to the characteristics of the target population are needed to reduce the possibility of false diagnoses. The aim of this work was to develop normative data for the Phonemic Verbal Fluency test, the Semantic Verbal Fluency test and the Boston Naming Test (BNT). METHOD: Regression-based normative data were calculated from a sample of 118 non-depressed, cognitively active, independent community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older (64.4% women) from SABIEX (University for Seniors at the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche). Raw scores were regressed on age, sex, and education. RESULTS: The effects of age and education varied across neuropsychological measures. No effect of sex was found in any of the tests assessed. Statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of low scores using SABIEX or population-based normative datasets. The level of agreement identifying individuals labeled as showing one or more low scores was only fair-to-good. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data obtained from the general population might not be sensitive to identify low scores in cognitively active older adults, increasing the risk of misdiagnoses. A friendly calculator is available for neuropsychological assessment.

Different Exercise Types Produce the Same Acute Inhibitory Control Improvements When the Subjective Intensity Is Equal.

Twenty-eight active older people (67.19 ± 4.91 years) who engaged in physical exercise activity twice a week were recruited to participate in a counterbalanced experimental protocol. The participants performed three different exercise sessions on three different days, one based on aerobic activities, one based on strength exercises with elastic bands, and one based on stationary balance games. During all three sessions, they were encouraged to maintain a moderate subjective intensity (5-6 on the RPE10 scale), and their heart rate was recorded. In addition, all of the participants took a digital version of the Stroop test before and after each session. The study aimed to compare the acute cognitive impacts of different types of exercise sessions in older adults. The participants' heart rate differed between the exercise sessions, but they maintained the RPE intensity. There was a significant improvement in inhibitory control (Stroop test) after all sessions, with no differences between exercise sessions. Moreover, some participants agreed to be genotyped to record the single nucleotide polymorphism of BDNF rs6265. There were no differences between Val/Val and Met carriers at the beginning or end of the exercise sessions. The present study showed similar cognitive improvements with different exercise type sessions when the subjective intensity was maintained.

Benefits of a psychosocial intervention programme using volunteers for the prevention of loneliness among older women living alone in Spain.

This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention programme in preventing loneliness and increasing self-efficacy and social participation among older women living alone in Spain. A sequential, nested experimental design was used, with a primary quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post study with a control group (CG) and a secondary qualitative study. A total of 48 women participated, and 34 of them (the experimental group, EG) received a 25-hour psychosocial support intervention delivered by volunteers who focused on three aspects: conversation, attribution retraining and behavioural activation. The other women remained on the waiting list (CG = 14). The women (EG and CG) were all interviewed before and after the intervention and a follow-up of the EG was performed at 6 months (N = 25). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect sociodemographic and health-related data, as well as data on satisfaction with the programme and its benefits. Validated instruments were used to collect data on the dependent variables (self-efficacy in ageing, subjective social participation and loneliness). Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Compared to the pre-test results, women in the EG improved their self-efficacy in ageing (t-test: -2.246; p: 0.031; d: 0.30), and, more specifically, their self-efficacy in managing socio-emotional problems such as loneliness (t-test: -1.995; p: 0.054; d: 0.25) and in managing their health (t-test: -2.450; p: 0.020; d: 0.47). No significant differences were observed between the follow-up and the post-test results, meaning that the changes identified after the intervention remained stable. Four additional categories of benefits were identified in the participants' discourses. In conclusion, the intervention appears to be beneficial and effective in improving self-efficacy, which is a well-established predictor of loneliness in old age, in a group of vulnerable individuals. Further studies on this type of community intervention are necessary to prevent loneliness among older people.

Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test and Judgement of Line Orientation.

The aim of this work was to develop normative data for neuropsychological tests for the assessment of independent and cognitively active Spanish older adults over 55 years of age. METHODS: regression-based normative data were calculated from a sample of 103 nondepressed independent community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older (66% women). The raw data for the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) and the Judgement of Line Orientation Test (JLO) were regressed on age, sex and education. The model predicting the FCSRT delayed-recall (FCSRT-Del) scores also included the FCSRT immediate-recall (FCSRT-Imm) scores. The model predicting the ROCF immediate-recall (ROCF-Imm) scores included the ROCF copy-trial (ROCF-C) scores, and the model predicting the ROCF delayed-recall (ROCF-Del) scores included both the ROCF-C and the ROCF-Imm scores. In order to identify low scores, z-scores were used to determine the discrepancy between the observed and the predicted scores. The base rates of the low scores for both the SABIEX normative data and the published normative data obtained from the general population were compared. RESULTS: the effects of the different sociodemographic variables (age, sex and education) varied throughout the neuropsychological measures. Despite finding similar proportions of low scores between the normative data sets, the agreement was irrelevant or only fair-to-good. CONCLUSIONS: the normative data obtained from the general population might not be sensitive enough to identify low scores in cognitively active older adults, incorrectly classifying them as cognitively normal compared to the less active population.

Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Digit Span, Letters and Numbers, Trail Making Test and Symbol Digit Modalities Test.

In this work, we developed normative data for the neuropsychological assessment of independent and cognitively active Spanish older adults over 55 years of age. METHOD: Regression-based normative data were calculated from a sample of 103 non-depressed independent community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older (67% women). Raw data for Digit Span (DS), Letters and Numbers (LN), the Trail Making Test (TMT), and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) were regressed on age, sex, and education. The model predicting TMT-B scores also included TMT-A scores. Z-scores for the discrepancy between observed and predicted scores were used to identify low scores. The base rate of low scores for SABIEX normative data was compared to the base rate of low scores using published normative data obtained from the general population. RESULTS: The effects of age, sex, and education varied across neuropsychological measures. Although the proportion of low scores was similar between normative datasets, there was no agreement in the identification of cognitively impaired individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data obtained from the general population might not be sensitive to identify low scores in cognitively active older adults, incorrectly classifying them as cognitively normal compared to the less-active population. We provide a friendly calculator for use in neuropsychological assessment in cognitively active Spanish people aged 55 or older.

Effects of e-Health Training and Social Support Interventions for Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia-A Narrative Review.

Along with the burden commonly experienced by informal caregivers (ICs) of people with dementia (PwD), associated with the progressive decline that accompanies dementia, the lockdown due to the public health crisis has had a great negative impact on the emotional wellbeing, physical health, and social relationships of ICs. Support interventions through telemedicine represent an opportunity for ICs to learn the skills required for the care and maintenance of social networks. In this work, a narrative review of the effects of e-health training and social support interventions was carried out. A literature search was conducted using the ProQuest, Ovid, and Scopus databases. Information regarding social support (SS), psychological interventions, and training for the management of medications and behavioral changes was extracted. One hundred and nine studies were included in this review. Forums and training platforms were the main tools for ICs. The most effective platforms to improve SS include the participation of both ICs and health professionals. However, no significant improvements in objective caring skills were identified. Platforms developed specifically for ICs should be based in tools that ICs are familiar with, because many ICs have not yet incorporated Information and Communication Technologies in many activities of their daily lives. Education in the digitalization to ICs of PwD should be one of the priority objectives in telehealth interventions.

Datos normativos del test Barcelona revisado-abreviado para personas mayores cognitivamente activas / Normative data of the abbreviated-revised Barcelona test for cognitively active elderly people

INTRODUCCIÓN: La evaluación neuropsicológica es esencial para identificar los cambios cognitivos que ocurren durante el envejecimiento normal y patológico. Sin embargo, es necesario contar con baremos adaptados a las características del funcionamiento cognitivo de la población diana para reducir la posibilidad de falsos diagnósticos de alteración cognitiva. El objetivo de este trabajo es proporcionar baremos normativos basados en una muestra de personas mayores cognitivamente activas que participan en un programa universitario para personas mayores. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Se analizaron datos de 87 participantes (70,9% mujeres) de 66,73 años de edad media, emparejados por edad y nivel educativo, a quienes se aplicó el test de Barcelona revisado-abreviado. Los datos normativos se calcularon mediante regresión lineal controlando la edad, el sexo y los años de escolaridad. Se analizó la utilidad de estos datos normativos en comparación con los baremos disponibles en el manual del test y obtenidos en la población general. RESULTADOS: La variable con mayor peso en la regresión fueron los años de escolaridad, seguida de la edad y el sexo. Los baremos obtenidos en la muestra de personas cognitivamente activas mostraron un número de puntuaciones bajas diferente al de los datos normativos de la población general. El número de puntuaciones bajas difirió en función de los años de escolaridad y del funcionamiento cognitivo general. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos normativos obtenidos con la población mayor cognitivamente activa podrían ayudar a identificar el funcionamiento cognitivo real de personas mayores cognitivamente activas con mayor precisión que utilizando los baremos establecidos con la población general

INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychological assessment is mandatory in order to identify cognitive changes that occur during either normal or pathological aging. However, normative data adapted to the characteristics of the population are needed in order to reduce the probability of false diagnoses of cognitive impairment. The aim of the present work was to compute normative data for cognitively active elderly people attending a University course for the elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis was performed on the data from 87 participants (70.9% women) with a mean age of 66.73 years who undertook the abbreviated- revised Barcelona test (test de Barcelona revisado-abreviado). Normative data were calculated using linear regressions controlling for age, gender, and years of education. Adjusted normative data were compared with normative data available from the test manual and obtained from the general population. RESULTS: Years of education and gender showed the highest weights in the regression model. Normative data for cognitively active older adults showed a different number of low scores compared to normative data from the general population. The number of low scores were related to years of education and general cognitive functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data obtained from cognitively active older people could help identify more accurately the cognitive functioning of cognitively active older people than do normative data obtained from the general population

[Normative data of the abbreviated-revised Barcelona test for cognitively active elderly people]. / Datos normativos del test Barcelona revisado-abreviado para personas mayores cognitivamente activas.

INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychological assessment is mandatory in order to identify cognitive changes that occur during either normal or pathological aging. However, normative data adapted to the characteristics of the population are needed in order to reduce the probability of false diagnoses of cognitive impairment. The aim of the present work was to compute normative data for cognitively active elderly people attending a University course for the elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis was performed on the data from 87 participants (70.9% women) with a mean age of 66.73 years who undertook the abbreviated- revised Barcelona test (test de Barcelona revisado-abreviado). Normative data were calculated using linear regressions controlling for age, gender, and years of education. Adjusted normative data were compared with normative data available from the test manual and obtained from the general population. RESULTS: Years of education and gender showed the highest weights in the regression model. Normative data for cognitively active older adults showed a different number of low scores compared to normative data from the general population. The number of low scores were related to years of education and general cognitive functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data obtained from cognitively active older people could help identify more accurately the cognitive functioning of cognitively active older people than do normative data obtained from the general population.