Cognitive frailty: a potential target for secondary prevention of dementia

Influencing health behaviour using smart building interventions for people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment: expert interviews and a systematic literature review

PURPOSE

Behaviour can have an influence on (coping with) chronic conditions such as dementia. Assistive technology can stimulate the daily behaviour of people with dementia, but the mechanisms through which this happens are unclear. Therefore, this paper focuses on potential behaviour change mechanisms, that can be employed in smart building interventions for people with dementia or MCI.

METHODS

This research uses expert interviews with medical experts (n = 9) and a systematic literature review of smart building interventions stimulating health behaviour (n = 12).

RESULTS

Results show how facilitation, incentive motivation (i.e., feedback), observational learning and self-efficacy are most promising according to medical experts; if they are appropriately personalised towards needs, preferences as well as abilities. The literature review shows how most of the examined research uses facilitation and incentive motivation to stimulate behaviour. Although positive results are reported in all studies, methodological quality could be improved.

CONCLUSION

For the design of smart building interventions for people with MCI or dementia, facilitation and incentive motivation seem to be promising behaviour change mechanisms. Outcome expectation, observational learning and self-efficacy could reinforcing the aforementioned mechanisms. Future research should focus on how different (environmental, digital) cues can be personalized and can adapt over time, as dementia progresses.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAssistive technology for people with dementia can have an effect on (health) behaviour, which may in turn influence coping strategies or quality of life.Behaviour change mechanisms can inform the design of assistive technology such as smart building interventions.Facilitation, Incentive Motivation, Observational Learning and Self-efficacy seem promising behaviour change mechanisms for people with dementia or MCI.In any intervention for people with dementia, personalized and adaptable cues are of vital importance.

Development and validation of a nomogram-assisted tool to predict potentially reversible cognitive frailty in Chinese community-living older adults

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty (CF) is a complex and heterogeneous clinical syndrome that indicates the onset of neurodegenerative processes and poor prognosis. In order to prevent the occurrence and development of CF in real world, we intended to develop and validate a simple and timely diagnostic instrument based on comprehensive geriatric assessment that will identify patients with potentially reversible CF (PRCF).

METHODS

750 community-dwelling individuals aged over 60 years were randomly allocated to either a training or validation set at a 4:1 ratio. We used the operator regression model offering the least absolute data dimension shrinkage and feature selection among candidate predictors. PRCF was defined as the presence of physical pre-frailty, frailty, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurring simultaneously. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to build a diagnostic tool to present data as a nomogram. The performance of the tool was assessed with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness.

RESULTS

PRCF was observed in 326 patients (43%). Predictors in the tool were educational background, coronary heart disease, handgrip strength, gait speed, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) disability, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and five-times-sit-to-stand test. The diagnostic nomogram-assisted tool exhibited good calibration and discrimination with a C-index of 0.805 and a higher C-index of 0.845 in internal validation. The calibration plots demonstrated strong agreement in both the training and validation sets, while decision curve analysis confirmed the nomogram's efficacy in clinical practice.

CONCLUSIONS

This tool can effectively identify older adults at high risk for PRCF, enabling physicians to make informed clinical decisions and implement proper patient-centered individual interventions.

Multiomics profiling of the impact of an angiotensin (1-7)-expressing probiotic combined with exercise training in aged male rats

Angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] is an active heptapeptide of the noncanonical arm of the renin-angiotensin system that modulates molecular signaling pathways associated with vascular and cellular inflammation, vasoconstriction, and fibrosis. Preclinical evidence suggests that Ang (1-7) is a promising therapeutic target that may ameliorate physical and cognitive function in late life. However, treatment pharmacodynamics limits its clinical applicability. Therefore, this study explored the underlying mechanisms altered by a genetically modified probiotic (GMP) that expresses Ang (1-7) combined with and without exercise training in an aging male rat model as a potential adjunct strategy to exercise training to counteract the decline of physical and cognitive function. We evaluated cross-tissue (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, colon, liver, and skeletal muscle) multi-omics responses. After 12 wk of intervention, the 16S mRNA microbiome analysis revealed a main effect of probiotic treatment within- and between groups. The probiotic treatment enhanced α diversity (Inverse Simpson (F[2,56] = 4.44; P = 0.02); Shannon-Wiener (F[2,56] = 4.27; P = 0.02)) and β-diversity (F[2,56] = 2.66; P = 0.01) among rats receiving our GMP. The analysis of microbes' composition revealed three genera altered by our GMP (Enterorhabdus, Muribaculaceae unclassified, and Faecalitalea). The mRNA multi-tissue data analysis showed that our combined intervention upregulated neuroremodeling pathways on prefrontal cortex (i.e., 140 genes), inflammation gene expression in the liver (i.e., 63 genes), and circadian rhythm signaling on skeletal muscle. Finally, the integrative network analysis detected different communities of tightly (|r| > 0.8 and P < 0.05) correlated metabolites, genera, and genes in these tissues.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This manuscript uses a multiomics approach (i.e., microbiome, metabolomics, and transcriptomics) to explore the underlying mechanisms driven by a genetically modified probiotic (GMP) designed to express angiotensin (1-7) combined with moderate exercise training in an aged male rat model. After 12 wk of intervention, our findings suggest that our GMP enhanced gut microbial diversity while exercise training altered the transcriptional response in relevant neuroremodeling genes, inflammation, and circadian rhythm signaling pathways in an aging animal model.

Dietary profiling of physical frailty in older age phenotypes using a machine learning approach: the Salus in Apulia Study

PURPOSE

Growing awareness of the biological and clinical value of nutrition in frailty settings calls for further efforts to investigate dietary gaps to act sooner to achieve focused management of aging populations. We cross-sectionally examined the eating habits of an older Mediterranean population to profile dietary features most associated with physical frailty.

METHODS

Clinical and physical examination, routine biomarkers, medical history, and anthropometry were analyzed in 1502 older adults (65 +). CHS criteria were applied to classify physical frailty, and a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess diet. The population was subdivided by physical frailty status (frail or non-frail). Raw and adjusted logistic regression models were applied to three clusters of dietary variables (food groups, macronutrients, and micronutrients), previously selected by a LASSO approach to better predict diet-related frailty determinants.

RESULTS

A lower consumption of wine (OR 0.998, 95% CI 0.997-0.999) and coffee (OR 0.994, 95% CI 0.989-0.999), as well as a cluster of macro and micronutrients led by PUFAs (OR 0.939, 95% CI 0.896-0.991), zinc (OR 0.977, 95% CI 0.952-0.998), and coumarins (OR 0.631, 95% CI 0.431-0.971), was predictive of non-frailty, but higher legumes intake (OR 1.005, 95%CI 1.000-1.009) of physical frailty, regardless of age, gender, and education level.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher consumption of coffee and wine, as well as PUFAs, zinc, and coumarins, as opposed to legumes, may work well in protecting against a physical frailty profile of aging in a Mediterranean setting. Longitudinal investigations are needed to better understand the causal potential of diet as a modifiable contributor to frailty during aging.

Translational research into frailty from bench to bedside: Salivary biomarkers for inflammaging

Frailty is a complex physiological syndrome associated with adverse ageing and decreased physiological reserves. Frailty leads to cognitive and physical disability and is a significant cause of morbidity, mortality and economic costs. The underlying cause of frailty is multifaceted, including immunosenescence and inflammaging, changes in microbiota and metabolic dysfunction. Currently, salivary biomarkers are used as early predictors for some clinical diseases, contributing to the effective prevention and treatment of diseases, including frailty. Sample collection for salivary analysis is non-invasive and simple, which are paramount factors for testing in the vulnerable frail population. The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge on the association between frailty and the inflammatory process and discuss methods to identify putative biomarkers in salivary fluids to predict this syndrome. This study describes the relationship between i.-inflammatory process and frailty; ii.-infectious, chronic, skeletal, metabolic and cognitive diseases with inflammation and frailty; iii.-inflammatory biomarkers and salivary fluids. There is a limited number of previous studies focusing on the analysis of inflammatory salivary biomarkers and frailty syndrome; hence, the study of salivary fluids as a source for biomarkers is an open area of research with the potential to address the increasing demands for frailty-associated biomarkers.

Unhealthy oral status contributes to the older patients with cognitive frailty: an analysis based on a 5-year database

BACKGROUND

Oral health is associated with the onset and deterioration of cognitive function and physical frailty, which can be improved with appropriate interventions. However, far too little attention has been paid to oral health status of elderly with cognitive frailty. The objective of this study was to investigate the oral health status and potential risk factors of elderly hospitalized patients aged 60 years or older with cognitive frailty.

METHODS

The participants' assessment data derived from the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Database of hospitalized patients from The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Data were collected from April 2016 to December 2021. All participants underwent a face-to-face assessment conducted by professional evaluators. Physical frailty was defined by Fried's criteria. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). The cognitive frailty is characterized by the simultaneous presence of at least 1 Fried's criteria and mild cognitive impairment according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition. The oral health was assessed according to 10-item Brief Oral Health Status Examination (BOHSE). The general demographic characteristics, BOHSE scores were compared between the cognitive frailty and non-cognitive frailty (control group). The score of BOHSE and ten items were included in the binary logistic regression analysis. The covariate characteristics were adjusted for a final model with a multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 425 patients (245 females) with cognitive frailty and 491 patients (283 females) with non-cognitive frailty were enrolled in this retrospective study. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences in age, education level, living arrangement, diabetes, Body Mass Index (BMI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), depression between the two groups. The total BOHSE score of cognitive frailty was higher than that of the control group (4.35 ± 2.68 vs. 3.64 ± 2.60, Z = 4.07, P < 0.001). The average scores and the proportions of health changes and unhealthy states of tongue, mucosa tissue, gums, natural teeth, dentures, masticatory teeth and oral hygiene in cognitive frailty were greater than those of the control group (all P < 0.05). The binary logistical regression analysis showed that four or more natural teeth decayed or broken was independently associated with cognitive frailty after adjusting the age, gender, education level, living arrangement and BMI, PSQI, diabetes and depression (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.20-3.07, P = 0.007). Additionally, while in the chewing position, those cases with a normal-occlusal-relationship number of less than 11 pairs had a higher risk of cognitive frailty than those with 12 pairs or more.

CONCLUSIONS

The oral health status of older hospitalized patients over 60 years with cognitive frailty was worse than that of patients with non-cognitive frailty. But only four or more natural teeth decayed or broken and a reduction in chewing pairs were independent risk factors for cognitive frailty.

Impact of frailty, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive frailty on adverse health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims

This study analyzes the impact of frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive frailty on adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines and MOOSE statement. We developed a specific search strategy for each electronic database and searched PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Embase from initial records to July 2021. The studies on adverse outcomes of frailty, pre-frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and mild cognitive impairment with pre-frailty and cognitive frailty were included. Two researchers independently extracted data based on a spreadsheet and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcomes were mortality, dementia, disability, and hospitalization. The second outcome included quality of life and falls. All analysis was conducted by using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 software.

Results

A total of 22 cohort studies (71,544 older adults with mean age ranging from 65.1 to 93.6 years) were included with a low risk of bias and high methodological quality with a NOS score ≥7. Compared to robust elders, individuals identified as frailty were associated with a higher risk of mortality (RR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.57–2.83) and disability (RR = 5.91, 95% CI: 2.37–14.74). Mild cognitive impairment with pre-frailty was associated with mortality (RR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.48–2.05) and dementia (RR = 4.15, 95% CI: 1.87–9.20). Pre-frailty was associated with a higher risk of mortality (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11–1.50). Cognitive frailty was associated with higher risk of incident mortality (RR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.97–2.94), dementia (RR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.81–4.78), disability (RR = 11.32, 95% CI: 4.14–30.97), and hospitalization (RR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.60–3.32), as well as poor quality of life.

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty could be a comprehensive psychosomatic predictor for adverse outcomes among older people. Interactions between frailty, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive frailty on adverse outcomes must be further explored.

Systematic review registration

[https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-5-0064/], identifier [INPLASY202250064].

Effects of reversible cognitive frailty on disability, quality of life, depression, and hospitalization: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Cognitive frailty, a potentially reversible condition describing the concurrence of physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), has been recently proposed to incorporate subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a reversible pre-MCI state with more readily available cognitive reserve, as well as pre-physical frailty. Reversible cognitive frailty has been associated with dementia and mortality. We aimed to examine the association of reversible cognitive frailty with other adverse outcomes including disability, poor quality of life (QOL), depression, and hospitalization.

METHODS

This was a cohort study with 1-year follow-up among 735 Chinese community-dwelling older adults with intact cognition. Reversible cognitive frailty was operationalized with the presence of pre-physical or physical frailty identified by the Frailty Phenotype and SCD identified by the simplified SCD questionnaire including four self-report cognitive domains of memory, naming, orientation, and mathematical reasoning. Adverse outcomes included incident Activities of Daily Living (ADL)-Instrumental ADL (IADL) disability, poor physical, mental and overall QOL, depression, and hospitalization over 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

The prevalence of reversible cognitive frailty was 27.8%. Participants with reversible cognitive frailty had higher risk of the incidence of ADL-IADL disability, poor physical QOL, poor mental QOL, poor overall QOL, and depression (Odds Ratios: 1.67-4.38, P < 0.05), but not higher risk of hospitalization over 1-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Reversible cognitive frailty was not uncommon and associated with incident disability, poor QOL, and depression among community-dwelling older adults. Early identification of reversible cognitive frailty can facilitate targeted interventions and may promote independence in older adults.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.2011835.

Cognitive Frailty as a Predictor of Mortality in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study in Peru

Objective

To evaluate the role of cognitive frailty and its components as risk factors of mortality in older adults of the Centro Médico Naval (CEMENA) in Callao, Peru during 2010-2015.

Methods

We performed a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort that included older adults (60 years and older) treated at the CEMENA Geriatrics service between 2010–2015. Frailty was defined as the presence of three or more criteria of the modified Fried Phenotype. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Peruvian version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), considering a score <21 as cognitive impairment. Cognitive frailty was defined as the coexistence of both. In addition, we included sociodemographic characteristics, medical and personal history, as well as the functional evaluation of each participant.

Results

We included 1,390 older adults (mean follow-up: 2.2 years), with a mean age of 78.5 ± 8.6 years and 59.6% (n = 828) were male. Cognitive frailty was identified in 11.3% (n = 157) and 9.9% (n = 138) died during follow-up. We found that cognitive frailty in older adults (aHR = 3.57; 95%CI: 2.33–5.49), as well as its components, such as sedentary behavior and cognitive impairment (aHR = 7.05; 95%CI: 4.46–11.13), weakness and cognitive impairment (aHR = 6.99; 95%CI: 4.41–11.06), and exhaustion and cognitive impairment (aHR = 4.51; 95%CI: 3.11–6.54) were associated with a higher risk of mortality.

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty and its components were associated with a higher risk of mortality in older adults. It is necessary to develop longitudinal studies with a longer follow-up and that allow evaluating the effect of interventions in this vulnerable group of patients to limit adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality.

Health Care Utilization and Out-of-Pocket Payments among Elderly with Cognitive Frailty in Malaysia

Background: Cognitive frailty (CF) as a potential risk factor for dementia, functional disability, poor quality of life, and mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the health care-related utilization and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures, sociodemographic characteristics, and comorbidities among elderly Malaysians with CF. Methods: A cross-sectional study targeting elderly Malaysian aged ≥65 years was conducted. The study included all participants of the fourth phase of the Malaysian representative Long-Term-Research-Grant-Scheme Towards-Useful-Aging (LRGS-TUA) community-based study. A structured and validated interview questionnaire was used. Results: In total, 1006 elderly were interviewed, with a 66.18% response rate. Only 730 respondents met the inclusion criteria. Of the eligible respondents, the CF prevalence was 4.5%. Around 60.6% of the participants with CF had utilized outpatient care at government clinics within the past 6 months. The estimated mean total OOP payments for CF during the past 6 months was 84 Malaysian Ringgit (RM) (SD 96.0). Conclusions: CF among elderly Malaysians is within the internationally recognized range of prevalence. The OOP payments for seeking health care among CF elderly are not different from that of other elderly categories. There is a high possibility of underutilization of the health care services of CF cases while they are still needy.

A Home-Based Individual Cognitive Stimulation Program for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility and meaningfulness of a home-based individual cognitive stimulation (iCS) program delivered by caregivers to persons with cognitive impairment (PwCIs). It also aims to assess whether the older adults receiving this program improved their cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and depressive symptoms and quality of life and whether their caregivers improved their mental and physical health.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with PwCI-caregiver dyads recruited from the community. Participants were allocated to two groups: intervention (n = 28) and control (n = 24). The intervention group received the European Portuguese version of the Individual Cognitive Stimulation Program—Making a Difference 3 (MD3-P). The control group received usual care. The iCS therapy program was implemented three times a week for 12 weeks. Caregivers were supported by the researchers to deliver the sessions at home. Participants were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention (week 13). Feasibility and meaningfulness were assessed through the attrition rate, adherence, and degree of satisfaction with the sessions. Four interviews were conducted (after week 13) to understand participants’ experiences.

Results: The attrition rate was 23.1%. The dyads reported that they did not have high expectations about the iCS program before starting the study. Nevertheless, as the program evolved, caregivers noted that their family members had improved some areas of functioning. Intention-to-treat analysis based on group differences revealed a significant improvement in PwCIs’ cognition, specifically in their orientation and ability to follow commands. The intervention had no impact on other variables such as caregivers’ physical and mental health.

Conclusion: The iCS program implemented by caregivers showed promising results in improving PwCIs’ cognition. The participants who completed the intervention attributed a positive meaning to the MD3-P, confirming it as a valid non-pharmacological therapeutic approach to reducing frailty in PwCIs in community settings.

Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier [NCT03514095].

Feasibility and Effects of Virtual Reality Motor-Cognitive Training in Community-Dwelling Older People With Cognitive Frailty: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty refers to the coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, and is associated with many adverse health outcomes. Although cognitive frailty is prevalent in older people, motor-cognitive training is effective at enhancing cognitive and physical function. We proposed a virtual reality (VR) simultaneous motor-cognitive training program, which allowed older people to perform daily activities in a virtual space mimicking real environments.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to (1) explore the feasibility of offering VR simultaneous motor-cognitive training to older people with cognitive frailty and (2) compare its effects with an existing motor-cognitive training program in the community on the cognitive function and physical function of older people with cognitive frailty.

METHODS

A two-arm (1:1), assessor-blinded, parallel design, randomized controlled trial was employed. The eligibility criteria for participants were: (1) aged ≥60 years, (2) community dwelling, and (3) with cognitive frailty. Those in the intervention group received cognitive training (ie, cognitive games) and motor training (ie, cycling on an ergometer) simultaneously on a VR platform, mimicking the daily living activities of older people. Those in the control group received cognitive training (ie, cognitive games) on tablet computers and motor training (ie, cycling on the ergometer) sequentially on a non-VR platform. Both groups received a 30-minute session twice a week for 8 weeks. Feasibility was measured by adherence, adverse outcomes, and successful learning. The outcomes were cognitive function, physical frailty level, and walking speed.

RESULTS

Seventeen participants were recruited and randomized to either the control group (n=8) or intervention group (n=9). At baseline, the median age was 74.0 years (IQR 9.5) and the median Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was 20.0 (IQR 4.0). No significant between-group differences were found in baseline characteristics except in the number of chronic illnesses (P=.04). At postintervention, the intervention group (Z=-2.67, P=.01) showed a significantly larger improvement in cognitive function than the control group (Z=-1.19, P=.24). The reduction in physical frailty in the intervention group (Z=-1.73, P=.08) was similar to that in the control group (Z=-1.89, P=.06). Improvement in walking speed based on the Timed Up-and-Go test was moderate in the intervention group (Z=-0.16, P=.11) and greater in the control group (Z=-2.52, P=.01). The recruitment rate was acceptable (17/33, 52%). Both groups had a 100% attendance rate. The intervention group had a higher completion rate than the control group. Training was terminated for one participant (1/9, 11%) due to minimal VR sickness (Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire score=18.3/100). Two participants (2/8, 25%) in the control group withdrew due to moderate leg pain. No injuries were observed in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence that the VR simultaneous motor-cognitive training is effective at enhancing the cognitive function of older people with cognitive frailty. The effect size on frailty was close to reaching a level of significance and was similar to that observed in the control group. VR training is feasible and safe for older people with cognitive frailty.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04467216; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04467216.

Towards a Redefinition of Cognitive Frailty

Background:

The progressive aging of the population will dramatically increase the burden of dementia related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders in the future. Because of the absence of drugs that can modify the neuropathological substrate of AD, research is focusing on the application of preemptive and disease-modifying strategies in the pre-symptomatic period of the disease. In this perspective, the identification of people with cognitive frailty (CF), i.e., those individuals with higher risk of developing dementia, on solid pathophysiological bases and with clear operational clinical criteria is of paramount importance.

Objective/Methods:

This hypothesis paper reviews the current definitions of CF, presents and discusses some of their limitations, and proposes a framework for updating and improving the conceptual and operational definition of the CF construct.

Results:

The potential for reversibility of CF should be supported by the assessment of amyloid, tau, and neuronal damage biomarkers, especially in younger patients. Physical and cognitive components of frailty should be considered as separate entities, instead of part of a single macro-phenotype. CF should not be limited to the geriatric population, because trajectories of amyloid accumulation are supposed to start earlier than 65 years in AD. Operational criteria are needed to standardize assessment of CF.

Conclusion:

Based on the limitations of current CF definitions, we propose a revised one according to a multidimensional subtyping. This new definition might help stratifying CF patients for future trials to explore new lifestyle interventions or disease-modifying pharmacological strategies for AD and dementia.

Prevalence and risk factors of the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment in Chinese community-dwelling older adults

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment and to identify its associated demographic, psychosocial and behavioural factors. Participants were recruited from 32 neighbourhoods using multistage sampling method in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. A total of 1585 older adults were included who lived in community, were 75 years or older and without a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Based on the presences of frailty (using the modified frailty phenotype criteria) and/or cognitive impairment (using Chinese version Mini-Mental Status Examination stratified by educational level), the participants were classified into four groups: normal, cognitive impairment alone, frailty alone and co-occurrence. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the demographic, psychosocial (depression, social participation and social support) and behavioural (sedentary lifestyle and sleep problems) characteristics associated with the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment. The prevalence of frailty alone, cognitive impairment alone and the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment in the study sample were 7%, 26.94% and 7.19% respectively. The results of multinomial logistic regression show the following characteristics significantly associated with the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment: advanced age (81-85 years old, Odds Ratio, OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.10-3.59; 86 years or older, OR = 6.43, 95% CI = 3.66-11.29), number of co-morbidities (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.01-1.77), depression (OR = 3.88, 95% CI = 2.39-6.29), social participation (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.96), sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.66-4.34) and sleep problems (insomnia occasionally, OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.07-3.17; insomnia every day, OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.33-4.26). The co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment is a prevalent health issue in oldest old community-dwelling older adults. Advanced age, co-morbidity, depression, sedentary lifestyle and sleep problems are risk factors for cognitive frailty while good social participation may have a protective effect on it.

The prevalence of cognitive frailty and pre-frailty among older people in Bangkok metropolitan area: a multicenter study of hospital-based outpatient clinics

Objectives:

To identify the prevalence of, and factors associated with, cognitive frailty and prefrailty, and to investigate correlation between frailty tools.

Methods:

One hundred and ninety five older adults were recruited from the medical outpatient clinics of 3 tertiary hospitals in Bangkok metropolitan region. The data collected were demographic information, lifestyle factors, functional status, mood assessment, and cognitive and frailty assessments. The frailty tools used were Frailty Phenotype and FRAIL scale.

Results:

The prevalence of pre-frailty, frailty, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), cognitive pre-frailty and cognitive frailty was 57.4%, 15.9%, 26.2%, 14.4% and 6.7%, respectively. A multivariate analysis showed that age ≥70 years (OR 5.34; 95% CI 2.06-12.63), and education at primary school or under (OR 4.18; 95% CI 1.61-10.82) were associated with cognitive frailty and cognitive pre-frailty. The correlation between physical frailty rated by the Modified Fried Frailty Phenotype and the FRAIL scale was good (Kappa coefficient = 0.741).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of cognitive frailty is not uncommon which requires screening and interventions. Age and a low educational level were related to cognitive frailty/prefrailty. The FRAIL scale yielded a high correlation with Frailty phenotypes, implying its benefit in routine clinical use in primary care practice, where there is limited time and resources.

Effects of an mHealth Brisk Walking Intervention on Increasing Physical Activity in Older People With Cognitive Frailty: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty is the coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment and is an at-risk state for many adverse health outcomes. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is protective against the progression of cognitive frailty. Physical inactivity is common in older people, and brisk walking is a feasible form of physical activity that can enhance their MVPA. Mobile health (mHealth) employing persuasive technology has been successful in increasing the levels of physical activity in older people. However, its feasibility and effects on older people with cognitive frailty are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to identify the issues related to the feasibility of an mHealth intervention and the trial (ie, recruitment, retention, participation, and compliance) and to examine the effects of the intervention on cognitive function, physical frailty, walking time, and MVPA.

METHODS

An open-label, parallel design, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was employed. The eligibility criteria for the participants were age ≥60 years, having cognitive frailty, and having physical inactivity. In the intervention group, participants received both conventional behavior change intervention and mHealth (ie, smartphone-assisted program using Samsung Health and WhatsApp) interventions. In the control group, participants received conventional behavior change intervention only. The outcomes included cognitive function, frailty, walking time, and MVPA. Permuted block randomization in 1:1 ratio was used. The feasibility issue was described in terms of participant recruitment, retention, participation, and compliance. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test the within-group effects in both groups separately.

RESULTS

We recruited 99 participants; 33 eligible participants were randomized into either the intervention group (n=16) or the control (n=17) group. The median age was 71.0 years (IQR 9.0) and the majority of them were females (28/33, 85%). The recruitment rate was 33% (33/99), the participant retention rate was 91% (30/33), and the attendance rate of all the face-to-face sessions was 100% (33/33). The majority of the smartphone messages were read by the participants within 30 minutes (91/216, 42.1%). ActiGraph (58/66 days, 88%) and smartphone (54/56 days, 97%) wearing compliances were good. After the interventions, cognitive function improvement was significant in both the intervention (P=.003) and the control (P=.009) groups. The increase in frailty reduction (P=.005), walking time (P=.03), step count (P=.02), brisk walking time (P=.009), peak cadence (P=.003), and MVPA time (P=.02) were significant only in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our mHealth intervention is feasible for implementation in older people with cognitive impairment and is effective at enhancing compliance with the brisk walking training program delivered by the conventional behavior change interventions. We provide preliminary evidence that this mHealth intervention can increase MVPA time to an extent sufficient to yield clinical benefits (ie, reduction in cognitive frailty). A full-powered and assessor-blinded RCT should be employed in the future to warrant these effects.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

HKU Clinical Trials Registry HKUCTR-2283; http://www.hkuctr.com/Study/Show/31df4708944944bd99e730d839db4756.

Relevance of oxidative stress and inflammation in frailty based on human studies and mouse models

Frailty represents a state of vulnerability and increases the risk of negative health outcomes, which is becoming an important public health problem. Over recent years, multiple independent studies have attempted to identify biomarkers that can predict, diagnose, and monitor frailty at the biological level. Among them, several promising candidates have been associated with frailty status including antioxidants and free radicals, and also inflammatory response biomarkers. In this review, we will summarize the more recent advances in this field. Moreover, the identification of scales and measurements to detect and quantify frailty in aged mice, as well as the generation of mouse models, have started to unravel the underlying biological and molecular mechanisms of frailty. We will discuss them here with an emphasis on murine models with overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and loss of function of superoxide dismutase and interleukin 10, which reveal that altered oxidative stress and inflammation pathways are involved in the physiopathology of frailty. In summary, we provide the current available evidence, from both human cohorts and experimental animal models, that highlights oxidative damage and inflammation as relevant biomarkers and drivers of frailty.

The association between frailty and incidence of dementia in Beijing: findings from 10/66 dementia research group population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between frailty and dementia is unclear and there are very few population-based studies regarding this issue in China. The purpose of this study is to estimate the association between frailty and incident dementia in China, and to explore different effects of frailty established by three definitions of frailty on dementia incidence.

METHODS

A five-year prospective cohort study was carried out in 2022 participants aged 65 years and over in urban and rural sites in Beijing, China. The participants were interviewed by trained community primary health care workers from 2004 to 2009. Frailty was defined using modified Fried frailty phenotype, physical frailty definition, and multidimensional frailty definition. Dementia was diagnosed using the 10/66 dementia criterion for calculating cumulative incidence. Both competing risk regression models and Cox proportional hazards models were applied to examine the associations between frailty at baseline and five-year cumulative incidence of dementia.

RESULTS

At the end of follow-up the five-year cumulative incidence rates of dementia with frailty and without frailty defined by the modified Fried frailty were 21.0% and 9.6%, those defined by the physical frailty were 19.9% and 9.0%, and those defined by the multidimensional frailty were 22.8% and 8.9%, respectively. Compared with non-frail participants, frail people had a higher risk of incident dementia using multidimensional frailty definition after adjusting covariates based on competing risk regression model (HR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.01~2.17) and Cox proportional hazards model (HR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.07~2.26). The association between frailty and incident dementia was statistically significant in participants in the upper three quartiles of age (aged 68 years and over) using the multidimensional frailty definition based on the competing risk regression model (HR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.06~2.43) and Cox proportional hazard model (HR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.19~2.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Multidimensional frailty may play an inherent role in incident dementia, especially in the people aged over 68, which is significant for distinguishing high risk people and determining secondary prevention strategies for dementia patients.

Crosstalk Between the Gut Microbiome and Bioactive Lipids: Therapeutic Targets in Cognitive Frailty

Cognitive frailty is a geriatric condition defined by the coexistence of cognitive impairment and physical frailty. This "composite" aging phenotype is associated with a higher risk of several adverse health-related outcomes, including dementia. In the last decade, cognitive frailty has gained increased attention from the scientific community that has focused on understanding the clinical impact and the physiological and pathological mechanisms of development and on identifying preventive and/or rehabilitative therapeutic interventions. The emergence of gut microbiome in neural signaling increased the interest in targeting the gut-brain axis as a modulation strategy. Multiple studies on gastroenteric, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases support the existence of a wide bidirectional communication network of signaling mediators, e.g., bioactive lipids, that can modulate inflammation, gut permeability, microbiota composition, and the gut-brain axis. This crosstalk between the gut-brain axis, microbiome, and bioactive lipids may emerge as the basis of a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract cognitive frailty. In this review, we summarize the evidence in the literature regarding the link between the gut microbiome, brain, and several families of bioactive lipids. In addition, we also explore the applicability of several bioactive lipid members as a potential routes for therapeutic interventions to combat cognitive frailty.

Understanding the Physiological Links Between Physical Frailty and Cognitive Decline

Declines in both physical and cognitive function are associated with increasing age. Understanding the physiological link between physical frailty and cognitive decline may allow us to develop interventions that prevent and treat both conditions. Although there is significant epidemiological evidence linking physical frailty to cognitive decline, a complete understanding of the underpinning biological basis of the two disorders remains fragmented. This narrative review discusses insights into the potential roles of chronic inflammation, impaired hypothalamic-pituitary axis stress response, imbalanced energy metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine dysfunction linking physical frailty with cognitive decline. We highlight the importance of easier identification of strategic approaches delaying the progression and onset of physical frailty and cognitive decline as well as preventing disability in the older population.

Prevalence of Cognitive Frailty Phenotypes and Associated Factors in a Community-Dwelling Elderly Population

OBJECTIVES

Cognitive frailty was notable target for the prevention of adverse health outcomes in future. The goal of this study was to use a population-based survey to investigate cognitive frailty phenotypes and potentially sociodemographic factors in elderly Chinese individuals.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

General community.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 5328 elderly adults (aged 60 years or older, mean age 71.36 years) enrolled in the Shanghai study of health promotion for elderly individuals with frailty.

MEASUREMENTS

The 5-item FRAIL scale and the 3-item Rapid Cognitive Screen tools were used to assess physical frailty and cognitive impairment, including dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Physical frailty was diagnosed by limitations in 3 or more of the FRAIL scale domains and pre-physical frailty by 1-2 limitations. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and pre-MCI SCD, was diagnosed with two self-report measures based on memory and other cognitive domains in elderly adults.

RESULTS

Of the participating individuals, 97.17% (n= 5177, female 53.4%) were eligible. Notably, 9.67%, 41.61% and 35.20% of participants were MCI, SCD and pre-MCI SCD; 35.86% and 4.41% exhibited physical pre-frailty and frailty; and 19.86% and 6.30% exhibited reversible and potential reversible cognitive frailty. Logistic regression analyses indicated that physical frailty phenotypes were significantly associated with MCI with SCD, and pre-MCI with SCD. Older single females with a high education level were more likely to exhibit the reversible cognitive frailty; and younger elderly individuals with a middle education level were at lower risk for potentially reversible cognitive frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of pre-physical and reversible cognitive frailty was high in elderly individuals and age was the most significant risk factor for all types of frailty phenotypes. To promote the rapid screening protocol of cognitive frailty in community-dwelling elderly is important to find high-risk population, implement effective intervention, and decrease adverse prognosis.

Exploring the association between subjective cognitive decline and frailty: the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet Study (HELIAD)

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) refers to self-evaluations of impairment in cognitive functions in the absence of objective deficits. Frailty is a multidimensional syndrome that results in increased vulnerability. Both terms are associated with cognitive decline and increased incidence of dementia. The aim of this study was to explore potential associations between SCD and frailty in elderly individuals.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 1454 participants aged 65 and older from the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (HELIAD) study. Individuals with a diagnosis of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, severe anxiety or depression were excluded. SCD were assessed with eighteen questions categorized into cognitive domains. Frailty was assessed according to the Fried definition, the Frailty Index (FI) and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association.Results: Lower educational level, female sex and low socioeconomic status were found to be associated with frailty and more SCD complaints. Having two or more types of SCD complaints was significantly associated with frailty according to all frailty definitions. All types of SCD complaints were significantly associated with the FI and the TFI. In addition, SCD complaints concerning problems requiring mathematical reasoning had the strongest association with frailty.Conclusion: We found that SCD complaints may be a valid indicator of frailty in cognitively unimpaired older people. We believe that SCD may provide a crucial proactive assessment to detect frailty and to implement programs that will help maintain good health and quality of life during aging.

Bidirectional relationship between caregiver burden and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease: A narrative review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to make a state of the art of the potential influence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPs) on caregiver stress and vice versa.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for potential eligible articles.

RESULTS

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) usually need high levels of care in all activities of daily living, most of them provided by family members, friends, or informal caregivers. Caregivers have to cope with both age-related conditions and dementia-related factors. Therefore, caregiving in dementia is more difficult and stressful than caregiving for older adults, affected by other conditions. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, agitation, disinhibition, aggressive behavior, and sleep disturbances are more closely related to caregiver burden, and associated with more negative outcomes such as decline in their general health, quality of life, and social isolation. Caregiver burden worsens relationship between caregiver and patients with AD. Thus, this relationship may increase the frequency and severity of NPs. Predictors of burden were being a woman, a spouse, and old person with immature coping mechanisms, social isolation, with insufficient knowledge about dementia, poor premorbid relationship with patient, and high levels of negative expressed emotions.

CONCLUSION

Because of the bidirectional relationship between caregiver burden and NPs, the active management strategies of dementia care should include early identification and treatment risk factors for both caregiver stress and NPs in patients with AD. Therefore, to improve one of them can be exert beneficial for the other.

Association Between Timed Up and Go Test and Future Dementia Onset

Background

This study evaluated whether baseline results of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is associated with future dementia occurrence.

Methods

Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort database, we identified 49,283 subjects without a dementia diagnosis who participated in the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages at 66 years of age during 2007-2012. Gait impairment was defined as taking longer than 10 seconds to perform the TUG test. Dementia occurrence was defined by the first prescription for acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor antagonist with an International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) code for dementia (F00, F01, F02, F03, G30, F051, or G311) during 2007-2013. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to assess the hazard ratios for dementia occurrence according to baseline TUG test results.

Results

Mean follow-up period was 3.8 years. Incidence rates of dementia were 4.6 and 6.8 cases per 1,000 person-years in the normal and impaired TUG groups, respectively. The impaired TUG group showed a higher risk of total dementia incidence (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.34; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.14-1.57). Subtype analysis showed that the impaired TUG group had a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.51) and vascular dementia (aHR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.19-2.30).

Conclusions

The TUG test result was associated with future dementia occurrence. More vigilant follow-up and early intervention to prevent dementia would benefit elderly people with impaired TUG test result.

The metabolomics side of frailty: Toward personalized medicine for the aged

Frailty encompasses several domains (i.e., metabolic, physical, cognitive). The multisystem derangements underlying frailty pathophysiology, its phenotypic heterogeneity, and the fluctuations of individuals across severity states have hampered a comprehensive appraisal of the condition. Circulating biomarkers emerged as an alleged tool for capturing this complexity and, as proxies for organismal metabolic changes, may hold the advantages of: 1) supporting diagnosis, 2) tracking the progression, 3) assisting healthcare professionals in clinical and therapeutic decision-making, and 4) verifying the efficacy of an intervention before measurable clinical manifestations occur. Among available analytical tools, metabolomics are able to identify and quantify the (ideally) whole repertoire of small molecules in biological matrices (i.e., cells, tissues, and biological fluids). Results of metabolomics analysis may define the final output of genome-environment interactions at the individual level. This entire collection of metabolites is called "metabolome" and is highly dynamic. Here, we discuss how monitoring the dynamics of metabolic profiles may provide a read-out of the environmental and clinical disturbances affecting cell homeostasis in frailty-associated conditions.

Biopsychosocial frailty and the risk of incident dementia: The Italian longitudinal study on aging

INTRODUCTION

Frailty is a critical intermediate status of the aging process including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains/phenotypes. We operationalized a new biopsychosocial frailty (BF) construct, estimating its impact on the risk of incident dementia and its subtypes.

METHODS

In 2171 older individuals from the population-based Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA), we identified by latent class procedures the BF construct as the physical frail status plus at least one of the two items of the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale impaired (items 3/10).

RESULTS

Over a 3.5-year follow-up, participants with BF showed an increased risk of overall dementia (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.07-4.37), particularly vascular dementia (VaD) (HR: 3.21, 95% CI: 1.05-9.75). Similarly, over a 7-year follow-up, an increased risk of overall dementia (HR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.06-3.20), particularly VaD (HR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.08-5.91), was also observed.

DISCUSSION

In a large cohort of Italian older individuals without cognitive impairment at baseline, a BF model was a short- and long-term predictor of overall dementia, particularly VaD.

Cognitive Frailty and Mortality in a National Cohort of Older Adults: the Role of Physical Activity

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between cognitive frailty and long-term all-cause mortality and the stratified and combined associations of physical activity and cognitive frailty with long-term all-cause mortality in a population-based cohort of older adults from Spain.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A representative cohort of 3677 noninstitutionalized individuals from Spain aged 60 years or older was recruited between April 17, 2000, and April 28, 2001, with follow-up through December 28, 2014. Information on self-reported physical activity and cognitive frailty status were collected at baseline. Analyses were performed with Cox regression after adjustment for confounders.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 14 years (range, 0.03-14.25 years), corresponding to 40,447 person-years, with a total of 1634 deaths. The hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality among participants with cognitive frailty compared with robust participants was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.43-2.01). Being active was associated with a mortality reduction of 36% (95% CI, 21%-47%) in cognitively frail individuals. Compared with those who were robust and active, participants with cognitive frailty who were inactive had the highest mortality risk (HR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.73-2.61), which was equivalent to being 6.8 (95% CI, 5.33-7.99) years older.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive frailty was more markedly associated with increased mortality in inactive older adults, and being active reduced the mortality risk among cognitively frail individuals by 36%. These novel results highlight that engaging in physical activity could improve survival among cognitively frail older adults.

Different Cognitive Frailty Models and Health- and Cognitive-related Outcomes in Older Age: From Epidemiology to Prevention

Frailty, a critical intermediate status of the aging process that is at increased risk for negative health-related events, includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains or phenotypes. Cognitive frailty is a condition recently defined by operationalized criteria describing coexisting physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with two proposed subtypes: potentially reversible cognitive frailty (physical frailty/MCI) and reversible cognitive frailty (physical frailty/pre-MCI subjective cognitive decline). In the present article, we reviewed the framework for the definition, different models, and the current epidemiology of cognitive frailty, also describing neurobiological mechanisms, and exploring the possible prevention of the cognitive frailty progression. Several studies suggested a relevant heterogeneity with prevalence estimates ranging 1.0–22.0% (10.7–22.0% in clinical-based settings and 1.0–4.4% in population-based settings). Cross-sectional and longitudinal population-based studies showed that different cognitive frailty models may be associated with increased risk of functional disability, worsened quality of life, hospitalization, mortality, incidence of dementia, vascular dementia, and neurocognitive disorders. The operationalization of clinical constructs based on cognitive impairment related to physical causes (physical frailty, motor function decline, or other physical factors) appears to be interesting for dementia secondary prevention given the increased risk for progression to dementia of these clinical entities. Multidomain interventions have the potential to be effective in preventing cognitive frailty. In the near future, we need to establish more reliable clinical and research criteria, using different operational definitions for frailty and cognitive impairment, and useful clinical, biological, and imaging markers to implement intervention programs targeted to improve frailty, so preventing also late-life cognitive disorders.

Frailty as a Predictor of Cognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aim: Current evidence in the literature supports associations between frailty, cognitive impairment, and dementia. The study aim was to describe the risk of cognitive disorders associated with physical frailty in older adults from community-based studies.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science as databases for the search. Cohort and longitudinal studies were included in qualitative analysis and quantitative synthesis. For inclusion, studies had to assess dementia and cognitive impairment as a primary or secondary outcome, and describe the prevalence of frailty among participants at baseline and follow-up.

Results: Of the 2,210 studies retrieved by the systematic review, 6 relevant studies were included in a meta-analysis. Baseline frailty was significantly associated with an increased risk of geriatric cognitive disorders (pooled OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.11–2.92; p = 0.02). Heterogeneity across the studies was significant (I² = 79%).

Conclusions: The analyses confirmed that frail older adults were at higher risk of incident cognitive disorders than non-frail elders. Frailty status seems to be most associated with the risk of incident dementia. Frailty may represent a risk factor for dementia and could constitute a novel modifiable target in early cognitive impairment.

Cognitive Frailty and Its Association with Nutrition and Depression in Community-Dwelling Older People

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty is a condition where physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) co-exist. It is associated with increased risk of dementia and dependency. Previous studies reported that malnutrition and depression are associated with physical frailty and MCI; however, their relationships with cognitive frailty remained to be explored. The aims of this study were to examine the association of nutrition and depression with cognitive frailty, in comparison to having physical frailty or MCI alone.

METHODS

This study employed a cross-sectional design. Data collection was conducted in the community settings on the older people without dementia. Dependent variables were cognitive frailty, physical frailty, and MCI. The independent variables were depression and nutrition. Multi-nominal regression was employed to examine the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. The associations were adjusted by four known co-variates, including age, gender, education and APOE ε4 carrier status.

RESULTS

A total of 185 participants were recruited from four community centres and one elderly hostel and completed the data collection. Approximately 44.9% of the older people with physical frailty and 82.5% of elderly with MCI belonged to cognitive frailty. Multi-nominal regression models showed that depression is positively associated with cognitive frailty and with physical frailty, but not associated with solely MCI. Nutrition is negatively associated with cognitive frailty, but not associated with physical frailty or MCI alone.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive frailty is associated with malnutrition and depression. Therapeutic interventions managing depression and malnutrition may focus the older people with cognitive frailty to improve efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

Gut microbiota, cognitive frailty and dementia in older individuals: a systematic review

Cognitive frailty, defined as the coexistence of mild cognitive impairment symptoms and physical frailty phenotype in older persons, is increasingly considered the main geriatric condition predisposing to dementia. Recent studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota may be involved in frailty physiopathology by promoting chronic inflammation and anabolic resistance. The contribution of gut microbiota to the development of cognitive impairment and dementia is less defined, even though the concept of "gut-brain axis" has been well demonstrated for other neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the current state-of-the-art literature on the gut microbiota alterations associated with cognitive frailty, mild cognitive impairment and dementia and elucidate the effects of pre- or probiotic administration on cognitive symptom modulation in animal models of aging and human beings. We identified 47 papers with original data (31 from animal studies and 16 from human studies) suitable for inclusion according to our aims. We concluded that several observational and intervention studies performed in animal models of dementia (mainly Alzheimer's disease) support the concept of a gut-brain regulation of cognitive symptoms. Modulation of vagal activity and bacterial synthesis of substances active on host neural metabolism, inflammation and amyloid deposition are the main mechanisms involved in this physiopathologic link. Conversely, there is a substantial lack of human data, both from observational and intervention studies, preventing to formulate any clinical recommendation on this topic. Gut microbiota modulation of cognitive function represents, however, a promising area of research for identifying novel preventive and treatment strategies against dementia.

Independent association between subjective cognitive decline and frailty in the elderly

Background

The relationship between subjective cognitive decline and frailty, two components of the so-called reversible cognitive frailty, in the elderly remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate whether this association exists, independent of confounding factors such as nutritional status, kidney function, inflammation, and insulin resistance.

Methods

2386 participants (≥ 65 years of age) selected from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST) study. Fried frailty phenotype was adopted to quantify frailty status. We classified cognitive status into two categories—subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and normal cognition—and used polytomous logistic regressions to investigate the associations between SCD and frailty.

Results

There were 188 (7.88%), 1228 (51.47%), and 970 (40.65%) participants with frailty, pre-frailty, and robustness, respectively. Compared to those with normal cognition, elders with SCD were more likely to have pre-frailty (odds ratio [OR]: 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10–1.67, p = 0.004) or frailty (OR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.23–2.58, p = 0.002) after adjusting for age, gender, education level, comorbidity, nutritional status, kidney function, and biochemical-related factors.

Conclusions

A significant association between subjective cognitive decline and frailty was revealed in this study. Subjective cognitive decline was positively associated with pre-frailty or frailty even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Our results can provide useful references in understanding mechanisms and developing suitable preventive strategies for the elderly with reversible cognitive frailty.

Self-reported exhaustion, physical activity, and grip strength predict frailty transitions in older outpatients with chronic diseases

Effective screening instruments are necessary for evaluating the outcomes of early interventions for the prevention or delay of disability in older persons. This study examined how transitions in frailty items over 1 year and the baseline components of a comprehensive geriatric assessment were associated with improvements in frailty at a 2-year follow-up in a sample of older patients.This was a single-center prospective observational study of older patients aged 65 years and over with chronic diseases (n = 103), who were followed through a hospital-based program over 2 years. Frailty was evaluated via the modified Fried Frailty Index and a comprehensive geriatric assessment.We noted significant improvements in weight loss (P = .016) and self-reported exhaustion (P = .006), and a less decrease in grip strength (P = .009) at the 1-year follow-up. Furthermore, baseline cerebral vascular accident diagnosis (P = .022), high polypharmacy (P = .037), a higher Geriatric Depression Scale score (P = .033), and a lower Mini Nutritional Assessment score (P = .039) were significantly associated with improved frailty at the 2-year follow-up. Furthermore, improvement in self-reported exhaustion (odds ratio [OR]: 4.7, 1.4-16.1, P = .014) and physical activity (OR: 3.8, 1.0-13.7, P = .046), and a less decrease in grip strength (OR: 4.0, 1.3-12.5, P = .017) at the 1-year follow-up were significantly associated with improved frailty at the 2-year follow-up.Self-reported exhaustion, physical activity, and grip strength are easy, quick, and feasible screening tests for improvements in frailty in clinical practice.

Protective effects of cultured and fermented ginseng extracts against scopolamine-induced memory loss in a mouse model

This study was performed to investigate the effect of a concentrate of fermented wild ginseng root culture (HLJG0701) on memory improvement in the scopolamine (SPL)-induced memory-deficient mouse model. Eight-week-old male ICR mice were used to evaluate the protective effect of HLJG0701 against the SPL-induced memory loss animal model. The Morris water maze test, which measures hippocampus-dependent learning ability, and the Y-maze test, a short-term memory assessment test, were performed and related markers were analyzed. HLJG0701-treated groups displayed significantly reduced acetylcholinesterase activity and increased acetylcholine level compared with the SPL-administered group (SPL-G) (P<0.05). In the Y-maze test, the spontaneous alternation in al HLJG0711-treated groups was significantly increased compared with that in SPL-G (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze test, the escape latency and time spent in the target quadrant in all HLJG0701-treated groups were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, compared with those in SPL-G (P<0.05). In addition, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor level in groups treated with HLJG0701 300 and 600 mg/kg body weight was significantly increased compared with that in SPL-G (P<0.05). These results suggest that the HLJG0701 may protect against memory loss by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity and preventing acetylcholine deficiency.