Intervention Found to Slow Cognitive Decline in Older Blacks With MCI

Encouraging older black adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to set goals and develop plans to increase cognitive, physical, and/or social activities may help to slow cognitive decline, according to astudy published Monday inJAMA Neurology.MCI is known to increase the risk of progressive cognitive decline. While some observational studies have suggested that engaging in cognitive, physical, and/or social activity may prevent cognitive decline, “these studies have included few black individuals who may differ from white individuals in risk profile (e.g., cognitive reserve, hypertension, diabetes), mechanisms of decline (i.e., microvascular disease, amyloid deposition), and rates of dementia (i.e., black individuals have almost twice the rate),” wrote Barry W. Rovner, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and colleagues.For the current study, Rovner and colleagues recruited adults who sought memory screening at senior centers, senior housing sites, churches, and primary care clinics in Philadelphia. Adults aged 65 and older who self-identified as black and had amnestic MCI (according to the National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer ’s Association criteria) were included in the trial. The researchers excluded individuals who had other psychiatric disorders, were taking antidementia medication, and/or had severe sensory deficits.The researchers randomly assigned 221 adults to behavioral activation (encouraged patients to set goals and action plans to i...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Barry Rovner behavioral activation blacks health equity JAMA Neurology MCI mild cognitive impairment supportive therapy Source Type: research