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This is the first study to investigate instrumental activities of daily living in older autistic adults. We conducted interviews with fifteen adults (mean age = 60.1, SD = 7.4, range = 50-73) from Australia with no intellectual disability. Analysis included both deductive and inductive steps, to categorise responses using the Occupational Performance Model Australia and identify themes across participants' experiences. Strengths and challenges were unique to the individual, as were the methods they had developed to manage tasks. Challenges occurred mostly at the interaction between aspects of the environment (sensory, cognitive, social and cultural) and personal factors such as health conditions and sensory sensitivities. Enhanced person-environment fit is needed, as is a shift in wider sociocultural attitudes to enable comfort and autonomy in later life.

Assistive technologies have the potential to provide accessible support to people with varying needs and abilities, including older autistic adults. However, there is currently limited knowledge about how older autistic adults use technology in their daily lives, whether it is sufficient to meet their needs and whether they experience any barriers to technology use. To address these questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 autistic adults aged over 50 years. Using thematic analysis, we identified two major themes related to how older autistic adults use technology: 'Helping to Manage the External Environment' and 'Increasing Everyday Accessibility and Convenience'. Overall, participants reported experiencing a number of challenges associated with performing everyday activities and while technology was able to offer some assistance, a number of gaps still remain in meeting the support needs of this population. Based on these findings, we offer some guidelines and recommendations for technology use with this population to guide future research and practice.

In the past decade a large body of evidence has accumulated on risk factors for dementia, primarily from Europe and North America. Drawing on recent integrative reviews and a consensus workshop, the International Research Network on Dementia Prevention developed a consensus statement on priorities for future research. Significant gaps in geographical location, representativeness, diversity, duration, mechanisms, and research on combinations of risk factors were identified. Future research to inform dementia risk reduction should fill gaps in the evidence base, take a life-course, multi-domain approach, and inform population health approaches that improve the brain-health of whole communities.

Background: Mothers of children with autism experience high levels of stress. However, little is known about whether maternal stressors differ across children of different ages. Method: This study investigated stressors in mothers of 29 pre-school-aged and 27 school-aged children with autism. Correlation and regression analyses were used to determine if maternal stressors differed between the two age groups. Results: Findings revealed no difference in maternal stress levels across the two age groups; however, stressors for each age group were different. Stressors in the school-aged group were related to repetitive behaviours, sensory sensitivities, and problematic behaviours, while stressors in the pre-school-aged group were mainly related to adaptive behaviours. Conclusions: These findings are informative for practitioners and highlight the need for tailored supports and therapies for mothers of children with autism of different ages.

The social difficulties of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically explained as a disruption in the Shared Attention Mechanism (SAM) sub-component of the theory of mind (ToM) system. In the current paper, we explore the hypothesis that SAM's capacity to construct the self-other-object relations necessary for shared-attention arises from a self-categorization process, which is weaker among those with more autistic-like traits. We present participants with self-categorization and shared-attention tasks, and measure their autism-spectrum quotient (AQ). Results reveal a negative relationship between AQ and shared-attention, via self-categorization, suggesting a role for self-categorization in the disruption in SAM seen in ASD. Implications for intervention, and for a ToM model in which weak central coherence plays a role are discussed.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have explored dementia risk according to sex and gender including for transgender and non‐binary adults. This study evaluated dementia risk factors and risk scores among cisgender, transgender, and non‐binary adults. METHODS: Observational data were drawn from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. A matched‐cohort approach was used to develop sex (male, female) and gender identity cohorts (cisgender men, cisgender women, transgender men, transgender women, and non‐binary adults) for comparison. Dementia risk scores were calculated using established mid‐life and late‐life risk score algorithms. RESULTS: Males had higher overall mid‐life dementia risk, and lower late‐life Alzheimer's disease risk compared to females. Transgender men, transgender women, and non‐binary adults had higher overall late‐life risk compared to both cisgender men and women. DISCUSSION: Future research is needed to build the evidence base for specific risk factors that may be contributing to higher overall risk among understudied and underserved gender groups. Highlights: Using data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this matched‐cohort study found that those assigned female at birth had lower overall mid‐life dementia risk and higher overall late‐life Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk compared to those assigned male at birth.Transgender men, transgender women, and non‐binary adults all showed higher overall late‐life AD risk compared to cisgender men and cisgender women.Between‐group differences were found in the incidence of specific risk and protective factors for dementia and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tip growth is an extreme form of polarized cell expansion that occurs in all eukaryotic kingdoms to generate highly elongated tubular cells with specialized functions, including fungal hyphae, animal neurons, plant pollen tubes, and root hairs (RHs). RHs are tubular structures that protrude from the root epidermis to facilitate water and nutrient uptake, microbial interactions, and plant anchorage. RH tip growth requires polarized vesicle targeting and active exocytosis at apical growth sites. However, how apical exocytosis is spatially and temporally controlled during tip growth remains elusive. Here, we report that the Qa-Soluble N -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) SYP121 acts as an effector of Rho of Plants 2 (ROP2), mediating the regulation of RH tip growth. We show that active ROP2 promotes SYP121 targeting to the apical plasma membrane. Moreover, ROP2 directly interacts with SYP121 and promotes the interaction between SYP121 and the R-SNARE VAMP722 to form a SNARE complex, probably by facilitating the release of the Sec1/Munc18 protein SEC11, which suppresses the function of SYP121. Thus, the ROP2-SYP121 pathway facilitates exocytic trafficking during RH tip growth. Our study uncovers a direct link between an ROP GTPase and vesicular trafficking and a new mechanism for the control of apical exocytosis, whereby ROP GTPase signaling spatially regulates SNARE complex assembly and the polar distribution of a Q-SNARE. Root hair tip growth requires polarized vesicle targeting and active exocytosis at apical growth site, but how it is spatially and temporally controlled remains elusive. This study demonstrates that ROP2 directly regulates the polar localization of SYP121 and its interaction with VAMP722 for SNARE complex assembly, establishing a tight link between ROP signaling and apical exocytosis during root hair tip growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is the crucial pathogenic factor in osteoporosis. Cell autophagy, a major form of self‐digestion, plays critical functions in different forms of stress by devouring harmful cytosolic proteins or organelles for the renewal of organelles and to maintain cellular homeostasis. Glucosamine (GlcN) has been widely utilized in treatments for patients with osteoarthritis‐related joint pain. It has potential antioxidant effects and its pharmacological effect in osteoblasts remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate whether autophagy participates in the protective effects of GlcN in osteoblasts under oxidative stress and the possible mechanism. First of all, MC3T3‐E1 cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce oxidative stress, as assessed by viability assays, apoptosis, the intracellular reactive oxygen species production. GlcN was capable of inducing autophagy and protected osteoblasts from those cytotoxic effects. Moreover, it significantly attenuated H2O2‐induced oxidative stress as measured by malondialdehyde, glutathione, nitrite, and superoxide dismutase levels. Importantly, the autophagy level increased in osteoblasts treated with GlcN as represented by an increase in both Beclin1 expression and the LC3 II/I ratio. Immunofluorescence analysis of autophagosomes also confirmed the above results. In addition, GlcN decreased the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and protein kinase B (Akt). However, the Akt activator (SC79) suppressed the autophagy level induced by GlcN in osteoblasts. Consequently, the antioxidant effects of GlcN were mediated, at least in part, by enhancing autophagy through the Akt/mTOR pathway. These results suggested that GlcN might be a promising candidate for osteoporosis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With population ageing worldwide, dementia poses one of the greatest global challenges for health and social care in the 21st century. In 2019, around 55 million people were affected by dementia, with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries. Dementia leads to increased costs for governments, communities, families and individuals. Dementia is overwhelming for the family and caregivers of the person with dementia, who are the cornerstone of care and support systems throughout the world. To assist countries in addressing the global burden of dementia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) developed the Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017–2025. It proposes actions to be taken by governments, civil society, and other global and regional partners across seven action areas, one of which is dementia risk reduction. This paper is based on WHO Guidelines on risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia and presents recommendations on evidence-based, multisectoral interventions for reducing dementia risks, considerations for their implementation and policy actions. These global evidence-informed recommendations were developed by WHO, following a rigorous guideline development methodology and involved a panel of academicians and clinicians with multidisciplinary expertise and representing geographical diversity. The recommendations are considered under three broad headings: lifestyle and behaviour interventions, interventions for physical health conditions and specific interventions. By supporting health and social care professionals, particularly by improving their capacity to provide gender and culturally appropriate interventions to the general population, the risk of developing dementia can be potentially reduced, or its progression delayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia prevention is a global health priority. In 2019, the World Health Organisation published its first evidence-based guidelines on dementia risk reduction. We are now at the stage where we need effective tools and resources to assess dementia risk and implement these guidelines into policy and practice. In this paper we review dementia risk scores as a means to facilitate this process. Specifically, we (a) discuss the rationale for dementia risk assessment, (b) outline some conceptual and methodological issues to consider when reviewing risk scores, (c) evaluate some dementia risk scores that are currently in use, and (d) provide some comments about future directions. A dementia risk score is a weighted composite of risk factors that reflects the likelihood of an individual developing dementia. In general, dementia risks scores have a wide range of implementations and benefits including providing early identification of individuals at high risk, improving risk perception for patients and physicians, and helping health professionals recommend targeted interventions to improve lifestyle habits to decrease dementia risk. A number of risk scores for dementia have been published, and some are widely used in research and clinical trials e.g., CAIDE, ANU-ADRI, and LIBRA. However, there are some methodological concerns and limitations associated with the use of these risk scores and more research is needed to increase their effectiveness and applicability. Overall, we conclude that, while further refinement of risk scores is underway, there is adequate evidence to use these assessments to implement guidelines on dementia risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 'Cognitive reserve' (CR) refers to a model of active protection against cognitive decline conferred by the adaptability of one's cognitive processes. Research on life‐course accumulation of reserve and impact of factors like gender is limited. We examined long‐term effects of CR on episodic memory in two population‐based cohorts. Methods: Participants consists of two cohorts from the PATH Through Life project with 12 years (4 waves) of follow‐up, with had an average of 14.6 and 13.9 years of education. The mid‐life cohort (MA) was aged 40‐44 at baseline (mean age 42.6, 52.7% self‐reported female;47.3% male, 0% other gender, N = 2513) and the older cohort (OA) was aged 60‐64 at baseline (mean age 62.5, 48.1% female, 49.9% male, 0% other gender, N = 2403). A baseline composite CR measure included education, occupational complexity, and cognitive and social engagement measured by the RIASEC scales. Episodic memory (Immediate and delayed recall) was assessed with a 16‐word list. Multilevel models adjusting for baseline age, self‐reported gender, race, APOE and non‐English speaking background; evaluated the effect of both baseline and longitudinal change in CR on the longitudinal change in episodic memory. Results: On average, women performed better than men on the episodic memory tasks. Compared with participants in the top tertile of CR, those middle and lowest tertiles had larger decline in episodic memory in both MA and OA. Interactions with APOE were not significant, but among those with medium (model derived beta weights 95% CI: 0.35 (0.01‐0.69)) and high (0.48(0.07‐0.90)) CR, women showed less decline than men. Each component of CR (education, occupational complexity, and RIASEC) was protective against decline in immediate and delayed recall. Increase in RIASEC score over time was protective (MA (0.05, (0.04‐0.07); OA 0.13, (0.11‐0.16)) with a larger effect seen in OA. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated protective effects against cognitive decline for all types of CR measured in both middle and older‐age groups. Increases in CR over time were also protective. The benefits of CR were highest for older women who comprise the age and gender group at most risk of Alzheimer's disease, indicating the need for CR interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first WHO guidelines for risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia marked an important milestone in the field of dementia prevention. In this paper, we discuss the evidence reviewed as part of the guidelines development and present the main themes emerged from its synthesis, to inform future research and policies on dementia risk reduction. The role of intervention effect-size; the mismatch between observational and intervention-based evidence; the heterogeneity of evidence among intervention trials; the importance of intervention duration; the role of timing of exposure to a certain risk factor and interventions; the relationship between intervention intensity and response; the link between individual risk factors and specific dementia pathologies; and the need for tailored interventions emerged as the main themes. The interaction and clustering of individual risk factors, including genetics, was identified as the overarching theme. The evidence collected indicates that multidomain approaches targeting simultaneously multiple risk factors and tailored at both individual and population level, are likely to be most effective and feasible in dementia risk reduction. The current status of multidomain intervention trials aimed to cognitive impairment/dementia prevention was also briefly reviewed. Primary results were presented focusing on methodological differences and the potential of design harmonization for improving evidence quality. Since multidomain intervention trials address a condition with slow clinical manifestation—like dementia—in a relatively short time frame, the need for surrogate outcomes was also discussed, with a specific focus on the potential utility of dementia risk scores. Finally, we considered how multidomain intervention could be most effectively implemented in a public health context and the implications world-wide for other non-communicable diseases targeting common risk factors, taking into account the limited evidence in low-middle income countries. In conclusion, the evidence from the first WHO guidelines for risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia indicated that "one size does not fit all," and multidomain approaches adaptable to different populations and individuals are likely to be the most effective. Harmonization in trial design, the use of appropriate outcome measures, and sustainability in large at-risk populations in the context of other chronic disorders also emerged as key elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with schizophrenia frequently present with visual disturbances including hallucination, and this symptom is particularly prevalent in individuals with comorbid depressive disorders. Currently, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms of such psychiatric symptoms, and few explanations for the co‐occurrence of schizophrenia, depression, and visual disturbances are available. Methods: In this study, we generated a mouse schizophrenia model in which depressive symptoms were also induced. We adopted in vivo two‐photon calcium imaging and ex vivo electrophysiological recording of the primary visual cortex to reveal the synaptic transmission and neural activity in the mouse schizophrenia model. Results: In vivo two‐photon calcium imaging and ex vivo electrophysiological recording of the primary visual cortex revealed impaired synaptic transmission and abnormal neural activity in the schizophrenia model, but not in the depression model. These functional deficits were most prominent in the combined schizophrenia and depression model. Conclusion: Overall, our data support a mechanism by which the visual cortex plays a role in visual disturbances in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined Australian primary healthcare providers' knowledge about dementia risk factors and risk reduction and their perspectives on barriers and enablers to risk reduction in practice. Primary healthcare providers were recruited through Primary Health Networks across Australia (n = 51). Participants completed an online survey that consisted of fixed-responses and free-text components to assess their knowledge, attitudes and current practices relating to dementia risk factors and risk reduction techniques. The results showed that Australian primary healthcare providers have good knowledge about the modifiable risk factors for dementia; however, face several barriers to working with patients to reduce dementia risk. Commonly reported barriers included low patient motivation and healthcare system level limitations. The most commonly reported recommendations to helping primary healthcare providers to work with patients to reduce dementia risk included increasing resources and improving dementia awareness and messaging. While the results need to be interpreted in the context of the limitations of this study, we conclude that collaborative efforts between researchers, clinicians, policy makers and the media are needed to support the uptake of risk reduction activities in primary care settings. The findings from this study showed that Australian primary healthcare providers have broadly accurate knowledge of the modifiable risk factors for dementia (when compared with the current evidence base on dementia risk reduction); but face several barriers to working with patients to reduce dementia risk. Increasing patients' awareness of dementia risk reduction and system level changes are needed to help overcome some of these barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the need and importance of investing time and resources on the career development of early- and mid-career researchers (EMCR) in dementia. Topics include the need to invest in research capacity building, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and the urgency of filling the gaps in the care and prevention practices in relation to dementia around the world.

Background Cognitive health expectancy estimates the proportion of the lifespan that is lived in good cognitive health at the population level. A number of cardiovascular diseases have been identified to be risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia including diabetes, stroke, heart diseases and hypertension. The aim of this study was to examine how these cardiovascular conditions relate to cognitive health expectancy. Methods Longitudinal data were obtained from the US Health and Retirement Study. Multistate modelling was used to estimate total life expectancy (LE), cognitive impairment free life expectancy (CIFLE) and years spent with cognitive impairment (CILE) across self-reported diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and stroke. Individual and cumulative effects of multiple cardiovascular conditions were examined. Results The presence of cardiovascular disease was associated with a 5- to 9-year decrease in LE and 4- to 8-year decrease in CIFLE at age 55. The outcomes varied in a hierarchical fashion by cardiovascular condition. Relative to other conditions, individuals with stroke had the shortest LE and CIFLE. Analysis of multiple cardiovascular risk factors revealed that each additional cardiovascular condition was associated with an exponential decrease in LE and CIFLE. Conclusions Having a cardiovascular condition is associated with a lower CIFLE and higher proportion of life lived with cognitive impairment. However, the outcomes vary depending on the type of cardiovascular condition. Reducing incidence of stroke and minimising exposure to multiple cardiovascular risk factors may be beneficial in helping to improve population estimates of cognitive health expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual cortex functional deficits can be observed in schizophrenia patients and in individuals at high risk of schizophrenia. However, to date, few studies have investigated methods to improve these functional deficits. This study aimed to investigate the pathological change in the primary visual cortex of a prenatal MK-801-induced high-risk mouse model of schizophrenia (HRMMS) and to test the effect of paroxetine on visual cortex activity. Pregnant mice were given a systemic injection of MK-801, and male offspring that did not present schizophrenia-like behaviors in early adulthood were defined as HRMMS. Some of the HRMMS mice were treated with pharmacological agents beginning at 4 weeks of age. After 4 weeks of treatment with risperidone and/or paroxetine, two-photon calcium imaging was performed to analyze the primary visual cortex activity. The sucrose preference test and the prepulse inhibition (PPI) apparatus test were used to assess the cognitive and behavioral performance. HRMMS mice with or without risperidone treatment had impairments in the primary visual cortex as observed by reduced neuronal calcium activity. Risperidone plus paroxetine and paroxetine alone treatments increased the neuronal calcium activity in the primary visual cortex. Notably, the neuronal calcium activity was higher in mice treated with paroxetine alone. Treatment with paroxetine alone also improved the cognitive and behavioral performance better than treatment with risperidone plus paroxetine. Our pioneering animal model showed that treatment with paroxetine alone improves visual cortex impairments in HRMMS mice better than treatment with risperidone plus paroxetine, indicating that antipsychotics cannot normalize visual cortex impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Trimethyltin chloride (TMT) is a neurotoxicant that is widely present in the aquatic environment, primarily from the manufacture of PVC plastic, but few studies have evaluated aquatic neurotoxicity. We have examined TMT dose-dependent malformation and neurobehavioral toxicity in the embryonic zebrafish model. Exposure of embryos to TMT (0–10μM) from 48 to 72hours post fertilization (hpf) elicited a concentration-related increase (0–100%) in malformation incidence with an EC25 of 5.55μM. TMT also significantly modulated the frequency of tail flexion, the earliest motor behavior observed in developing zebrafish, and the ability to respond to a mechanical tail touch. Exposure to 5μM TMT from 48 to 72hpf modulated the photomotor response at 4 and 5days post fertilization and significantly promoted apoptosis in the tail. Our study demonstrates the morphological and behavioral sensitivity of the developing zebrafish to TMT and establishes a platform for future identification of the affected pathways and chemical modulators of TMT toxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are severe symptoms of post traumatic distress disorder (PTSD). • AVHs is related to brain functional disturbances in the salience network(SN). • PTSD patients with AVHs benefit from atypical anti-psychotic treatment. • Atypical anti-psychotic treatment can decrease the functional activity of SN. • The decrease in functional connectivity within the SN was significantly correlated with the reduction in total AVHs assess scores. Abstract Auditory verbal hallucinations are common symptoms of post traumatic distress disorder. Previous studies have demonstrated alterations in the salience network (SN) in patients with post traumatic distress disorder and that hyperactivity of the SN is associated with AVHs in patients with psychosis. Patients with post traumatic distress disorder may benefit from aripiprazole; however, studies investigating the effect of aripiprazole on AVHs and activity in the SN in patients with post traumatic distress disorder are scarce. Therefore, we conducted an outcomes analysis using functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the effects of add-on aripiprazole treatment on AVHs and brain functional connectivity in patients with post traumatic distress disorder. AVHs were alleviated by add-on aripiprazole treatment (Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale [AHRS] score reduced by ≥ 50%) in 22.7% of patients. Functional activity in the SN was obviously decreased in patients in whom AHRS scores were reduced ≥ 50% following add-on aripiprazole treatment compared to patients in whom AHRS scores were reduced by <50%. The decrease in functional connectivity within the SN was significantly correlated with the reduction in total AHRS scores. Although this study was associated with several limitations, the findings suggest that add-on aripiprazole treatment can alleviate AVHs in patients with post traumatic distress disorder by reducing activity in the SN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Interpersonal relevancy appraisals are a dynamic and understudied aspect of human social cognition. Despite their importance, there are no existing measures. This study developed and validated a new measure of self-perceived interpersonal threat, opportunity, and invisibility appraisals among a life-course sample of adults. We also explored the relationships between relevance appraisals, social connectedness, loneliness, age, and sex-assigned-at-birth., Method: Items were developed based on a theoretical model of multi-domain interpersonal relevance appraisals and refined following feedback from five experts in social psychology. Cross-sectional data were obtained online from a sample of 1,079 adults (age 18-90 years), recruited from the general population of Australia. Data were split into two pseudo-random samples used for 1) scale development and evaluation, and 2) assessment of internal consistency, construct validity, convergent validity with social connectedness and loneliness, and exploratory analysis with age and sex., Results: Results support the factor structure and internal consistency of 17- and 9-item versions of the Perceived Interpersonal Relevancy Scales (PIRS) and measurement invariance across younger and older age groups. Higher self-perceived threat and invisibility appraisals were associated with decreased social network size, increased loneliness, younger age, and male sex. Higher self-perceived opportunity appraisals were associated with increased social network size and decreased loneliness., Discussion: Results support this new measure of perceived interpersonal relevance appraisals, which shows relationships between the way we believe others perceive us, loneliness, and social isolation. The PIRS likely has wide utility for studies that seek to understand the intersections between human social cognition, well-being, and health across the lifespan., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Digital dementia risk reduction interventions are cost-effective and scalable. However, it is unknown how they are perceived by people already experiencing cognitive concerns or decline., Objective: To understand the current use, interest, and preferences for online learning courses and interest in learning about factors influencing brain health and dementia risk among adults ≥45. To explore potential differences between individuals experiencing cognitive concerns and those without., Methods: Adults aged 45 and older completed a survey on technology use and healthy ageing ( n  = 249, Mean age = 65.6, 76.3% female). The Memory Assessment Clinic-Questionnaire was used to assess subjective memory decline, and 153 participants met the study criteria for cognitive concerns (≥25)., Results: Almost all participants (98.4%) reported using two or more digital devices, and 51.8% reported increasing device usage following COVID-19. Most (92.1%) were interested in learning about healthy living and memory within an online course, and over 80% indicated a high interest in learning about dementia risk factors. People with cognitive concerns were more likely to report using a 'routine or system' to aid memory than people without (82.4% versus 62.9%, p  = 0.001). However, no significant difference was found in technology use, course preferences, or interest in learning about different risk factors., Conclusions: We conclude that adults 45 years and over are interested in online methods for learning about brain health and offer unique insights into adapting dementia prevention programs for cognitive concerns., Competing Interests: KJA declares speaker honorarium from Roche. No other conflicts of interest to report., (© 2024 – The authors. Published by IOS Press.)

Introduction: Few studies have explored dementia risk according to sex and gender including for transgender and non-binary adults. This study evaluated dementia risk factors and risk scores among cisgender, transgender, and non-binary adults., Methods: Observational data were drawn from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. A matched-cohort approach was used to develop sex (male, female) and gender identity cohorts (cisgender men, cisgender women, transgender men, transgender women, and non-binary adults) for comparison. Dementia risk scores were calculated using established mid-life and late-life risk score algorithms., Results: Males had higher overall mid-life dementia risk, and lower late-life Alzheimer's disease risk compared to females. Transgender men, transgender women, and non-binary adults had higher overall late-life risk compared to both cisgender men and women., Discussion: Future research is needed to build the evidence base for specific risk factors that may be contributing to higher overall risk among understudied and underserved gender groups., Highlights: Using data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this matched-cohort study found that those assigned female at birth had lower overall mid-life dementia risk and higher overall late-life Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk compared to those assigned male at birth. Transgender men, transgender women, and non-binary adults all showed higher overall late-life AD risk compared to cisgender men and cisgender women. Between-group differences were found in the incidence of specific risk and protective factors for dementia and AD., (© 2023 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Introduction: Digital health interventions are cost-effective and easily accessible, but there is currently a lack of effective online options for dementia prevention especially for people at risk due to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or subjective cognitive decline (SCD)., Methods and Analysis: MyCOACH (COnnected Advice for Cognitive Health) is a tailored online dementia risk reduction programme for adults aged ≥65 living with MCI or SCD. The MyCOACH trial aims to evaluate the programme's effectiveness in reducing dementia risk compared with an active control over a 64-week period (N=326). Eligible participants are randomly allocated to one of two intervention arms for 12 weeks: (1) the MyCOACH intervention programme or (2) email bulletins with general healthy ageing information (active control). The MyCOACH intervention programme provides participants with information about memory impairments and dementia, memory strategies and different lifestyle factors associated with brain ageing as well as practical support including goal setting, motivational interviewing, brain training, dietary and exercise consultations, and a 26-week post-intervention booster session. Follow-up assessments are conducted for all participants at 13, 39 and 65 weeks from baseline, with the primary outcome being exposure to dementia risk factors measured using the Australian National University-Alzheimer's Disease Risk Index. Secondary measures include cognitive function, quality of life, functional impairment, motivation to change behaviour, self-efficacy, morale and dementia literacy., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval was obtained from the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HC210012, 19 February 2021). The results of the study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and research conferences., Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12621000977875., Competing Interests: Competing interests: KJA reports speaking honoraria from Nutricia and Roche. DP and JGA were paid research staff on the MyCOACH trial. There are no other conflicts of interest in this work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Traditional longitudinal aging research involves studying the same individuals over a long period, with measurement intervals typically several years apart. App-based studies have the potential to provide new insights into life-course aging by improving the accessibility, temporal specificity, and real-world integration of data collection. We developed a new research app for iOS named Labs Without Walls to facilitate the study of life-course aging. Combined with data collected using paired smartwatches, the app collects complex data including data from one-time surveys, daily diary surveys, repeated game-like cognitive and sensory tasks, and passive health and environmental data., Objective: The aim of this protocol is to describe the research design and methods of the Labs Without Walls study conducted between 2021 and 2023 in Australia., Methods: Overall, 240 Australian adults will be recruited, stratified by age group (18-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, 56-65, 66-75, and 76-85 years) and sex at birth (male and female). Recruitment procedures include emails to university and community networks, as well as paid and unpaid social media advertisements. Participants will be invited to complete the study onboarding either in person or remotely. Participants who select face-to-face onboarding (n=approximately 40) will be invited to complete traditional in-person cognitive and sensory assessments to be cross-validated against their app-based counterparts. Participants will be sent an Apple Watch and headphones for use during the study period. Participants will provide informed consent within the app and then begin an 8-week study protocol, which includes scheduled surveys, cognitive and sensory tasks, and passive data collection using the app and a paired watch. At the conclusion of the study period, participants will be invited to rate the acceptability and usability of the study app and watch. We hypothesize that participants will be able to successfully provide e-consent, input survey data through the Labs Without Walls app, and have passive data collected over 8 weeks; participants will rate the app and watch as user-friendly and acceptable; the app will allow for the study of daily variability in self-perceptions of age and gender; and data will allow for the cross-validation of app- and laboratory-based cognitive and sensory tasks., Results: Recruitment began in May 2021, and data collection was completed in February 2023. The publication of preliminary results is anticipated in 2023., Conclusions: This study will provide evidence regarding the acceptability and usability of the research app and paired watch for studying life-course aging processes on multiple timescales. The feedback obtained will be used to improve future iterations of the app, explore preliminary evidence for intraindividual variability in self-perceptions of aging and gender expression across the life span, and explore the associations between performance on app-based cognitive and sensory tests and that on similar traditional cognitive and sensory tests., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/47053., (©Brooke Brady, Shally Zhou, Daniel Ashworth, Lidan Zheng, Ranmalee Eramudugolla, Md Hamidul Huque, Kaarin Jane Anstey. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 06.07.2023.)

Schizophrenia is a complex and devastating neuropsychiatric disorder with an unknown etiology. Patients with schizophrenia have a high prevalence of visual disturbances, commonly accompanied by auditory impairments. In recent review articles, the perceptual deficits of visual and auditory sensory processing have been downplayed. However, visual and auditory impairments are associated with hallucinations, which is characteristic of schizophrenia across all cultures. Despite decades of research, the common neural mechanisms underlying hallucinations remain largely unknown. In recent years, neuroimaging technologies have empowered researchers to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. In this review article, we performed a literature search of studies that assessed visual and auditory processing impairments, along with their relationship to visual disturbances and auditory hallucinations, in schizophrenia. We proposed that the pulvinar may play a critical role. In addition, disrupted visual and auditory projections from the pulvinar to the visual and auditory cortices could be shared pathways in relation to visual disturbances and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Our findings suggest that early visual and auditory processing deficits may occur before the onset of the initial psychotic episode, including hallucinations, and the full manifestation of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we discussed the directions for future studies. Our findings from this review offer unique insights into the distinct underlying neural mechanisms of schizophrenia, which may help develop tailored preventive and therapeutic interventions in the future., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2020.)