The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Even the simplest questions may cause harm: How one woman with profound dementia taught me about the stress of a medical interview.
Meeting Betty changed everything. A petite, slight woman of 81 years, Betty had lost the ability to use or understand words long before she met me. Yet, she profoundly affected me as a human being and as a psychiatrist. For the first time ever, I was able to clearly see how a simple polite interaction might seem terrifying to a person with dementia. (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 5, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Maureen C. Nash Tags: Clinical Wisdom in Geriatric Psychiatry Source Type: research

Introduction of a new Special Section of AJGP: “Clinical Wisdom in Geriatric Psychiatry”
Life-long learning is integral to a successful and satisfying career in medicine, psychology, and clinical social sciences. Ongoing learning, personal reflection, and iterative refinement of our clinical, communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills make us better healers. Yet it takes time for a clinician to understand the human condition and implement their own life experiences and wisdom into clinical care. Indeed, every clinical encounter, every teaching moment, and every interaction with our families, colleagues, and staff, when reflected upon, can improve our practice of caring for the mental health of older a...
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 4, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Jordan F. Karp Tags: Clinical Wisdom in Geriatric Psychiatry Source Type: research

Commentary on “Study Partner Report of Apathy in Older Adults is Associated with AD Biomarkers: Findings from the Harvard Aging Brain Study”
Apathy, characterized by a reduction in self-initiated or goal-directed activity, is the most common neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a prevalence between 43-59% across stages of dementia (1). Apathy is linked to a progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or from MCI to dementia (2). Across clinical stages of AD, apathy increases functional impairment, mortality, and caregiver stress (2). (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 4, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Siddharth Khasnavis, Ryan S. O'Dell, Christopher H. van Dyck, Adam P. Mecca Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

Meeting the WHO physical activity guidelines is associated with lower odds of depression in older adults: Potential psychosomatic mechanisms
Depression is a major psychologic-related disorder and a leading cause of global disability, affecting more than 322 million people worldwide1,2, with approximately 47 million disability-adjusted life-years in 20193. Comorbid depression is highly related to premature death4 and a main precursor to suicide behaviors5. Depression is a serious public health concern in later life and remains prevalent among older people (i.e., 7.0% compared to 4.4% in the general global population2, while approximately 7.3% of older Ghanaians report depression61), with debilitating consequences. (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 4, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Razak M. Gyasi, Nicholas Quansah, Paul Antwi Boateng, Eric Akomeah, Abdul-Fatawu Yakubu, Patience Aku Ahiabli, Emelia Aikins, Obed Jones Owusu-Sarpong, Yunus Dumbe, Michael Nimoh, David R. Phillips, Andr é Hajek Tags: Regular Research Article Source Type: research

Redefining Success: A Champion's Journey Beyond the Finish Line
To say my journey has been filled with ups and downs would be an understatement. But it was through these high and low moments that my personal evolution came to be. As a young sprinter, I excelled in the 200-meter race, with performances that propelled me to the World Championships. By my early 20s, I was decorated with titles – a 3-time national champion, a 10-time All-American, and ranked as the 6th fastest man in the world. On the cusp of signing my first shoe deal, I stood at a height many athletes dream of, a symbol not just of financial prosperity but also recognition at the peak of sports. (Source: The American J...
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 4, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Charles Clark Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

From AI With Love
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 16:S1064-7481(24)00287-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2024.03.006. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38565446 | DOI:10.1016/j.jagp.2024.03.006 (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 2, 2024 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Zhaohui Su Source Type: research

The association of plasma leptin, soluble leptin receptor and total and high-molecular weight adiponectin with the risk of perioperative neurocognitive disorders
Exposure to surgery often comes with a substantial risk of developing perioperative neurocognitive disorders (NCD), particularly in older age. Over 20% of surgical patients can be affected by postoperative delirium (POD) during the first few days after surgery (1). POD is characterized by acute onset of symptoms such as apathy or confusion. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) may develop after POD, but may also occur independently (2). Neuropsychological impairment in cognitive domains such as memory or processing speed with new onset after surgery is characteristic of POCD, which is typically transient but can pers...
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - March 30, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Insa Feinkohl, J ürgen Janke, Arjen J.C. Slooter, Georg Winterer, Claudia Spies, Tobias Pischon Source Type: research

Depressive Symptoms and Plasma Markers of Alzheimer's Disease and Neurodegeneration: A Coordinated Meta-Analysis of 8 Cohort Studies
CONCLUSIONS: Late-life depressive symptoms did not show an association to plasma biomarkers of AD pathology. However, in APOE ε4 allele carriers, a more profound role of neurodegeneration was suggested with depressive symptoms.PMID:38553327 | DOI:10.1016/j.jagp.2024.03.004 (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - March 29, 2024 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Emma L Twait Maria Kamarioti Inge M W Verberk Charlotte E Teunissen Astrid C J Nooyens W M Monique Verschuren Pieter Jelle Visser Martijn Huisman Almar A L Kok P Eline Slagboom Marian Beekman Dina Vojinovic Nico Lakenberg M Arfan Ikram Isabel K Schuurmans Source Type: research

Thwarting Undue Influence: Testamentary Capacity in the Elderly
In Demographics, Symptoms, Psychotropic Use, and Caregiver Distress in Patients with Early vs. Late Onset Dementia1, Lee DR et al., publish data from a cross-sectional, retrospective study. The paper highlights some key challenges individuals with early-onset dementia face, including, but not limited to financial difficulties. I choose to further the discussion on financial challenges in the elderly, particularly testamentary capacity as it intersects forensic and geriatric psychiatry. (Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - March 28, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Oliver M. Glass Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

A New Window to the Brain: Exosomes as a Promising Approach to Understand Mechanisms of Cognitive Deficits associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Affecting nearly 1 billion individuals worldwide, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, underdiagnosed, undertreated sleep disorder where airway collapse leads to intermittent hypoxic events while asleep (1). OSA is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment, cognitive decline, and dementia. Studies have found consistent impairments in immediate recall, delayed recall, verbal and motor learning, attention, episodic memory, and executive functioning (2-4). Several studies have shown that the gold standard treatment for OSA, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), can improve cognitive domains including pro...
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - March 28, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Ellen E. Lee Tags: Editorial Source Type: research