Minor Neurocognitive Disorder Research Articles

Modified Dead–Alive Test for the assessment of semantic and episodic memory performance of older patients with neurocognitive disorder

The aim of this study is to provide a test that allows for evaluation of both semantic memory (SM) and episodic memory (EM). The study sought to examine psychometric characteristics of the Modified Dead–Alive Test (M-DAT) in patients with neurocognitive disorders and the healthy elderly (HE). The M-DAT consists of 45 names of celebrities who have died in the remote past (15), died in the last five years (15), and are still alive (15), and participants are asked whether they are alive or dead. The M-DAT performances of patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) major neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s Disease (MND-AD) (n = 69) and patients with minor neurocognitive disorder (MiND) (n = 27) who were admitted to a geriatric psychiatry clinic and healthy controls (HC) (n = 29) were compared. Age and level of education were taken as covariates, and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed since the MND-AD group was older and less educated. The MND-AD group had lower performance in EM and SM scores of the M-DAT. M-DAT failed to differentiate between MiND and HE. Both subscale scores of the M-DAT were associated with other neuropsychological test performances as well as the level of education. The results suggest that M-DAT is a valid and reliable tool that examines both EM and SM performances. M-DAT is an alternative for the assessment of SM evaluated by verbal fluency or naming tests. Evaluating EM and SM together is an important advantage; however, M-DAT is influenced by education, and the items require updating.

Studying lack of awareness of cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases requires measures of both anosognosia and denial.

The cause(s) of lack of awareness of cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases can be multifactorial. Yet neurologically oriented research on anosognosia of cognitive decline almost exclusively assumes that the underlying disturbance of neuro-networks that support various cognitive functions accounts for the reduced self-awareness. Cultural and psychosocial factors, including the person's emotional state, however, can contribute to the underreporting or avoidance of admitting to cognitive impairments in neurodegenerative diseases. Research on the causes of lack of awareness of cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disorders needs to include these variables. We briefly present two case examples of underreporting or "unawareness" of memory difficulties in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (or minor neurocognitive disorder). One presented with classic anosognosia for memory impairment, while the other initially reported no memory impairment but later admitted to "denying" her memory difficulties secondary to anxiety. Based on these patients' clinical presentations and available research, we suggest three potential screening items that may help identify probable denial of memory impairments when studying anosognosia in MCI.

Physical and brain frailty in ischaemic stroke or TIA: Shared occurrence and outcomes. A cohort study.

There is increasing interest in the concept of frailty in stroke, including both physical frailty and imaging-evidence of brain frailty. We aimed to establish the prevalence of brain frailty in stroke survivors as well as the concurrent and predictive validity of various frailty measures against long-term cognitive outcomes. We included consecutively admitted stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) survivors from participating stroke centres. Baseline CT scans were used to generate an overall brain frailty score for each participant. We measured frailty via the Rockwood frailty index, and a Fried frailty screening tool. Presence of major or minor neurocognitive disorder at 18-months following stroke or TIA was established via a multicomponent assessment. Prevalence of brain frailty was established based upon observed percentages within groups defined by frailty status (robust, pre-frail, frail). We assessed the concurrent validity of brain frailty and frailty scales via Spearman's rank correlation. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses, controlling for age, sex, baseline education and stroke severity, to evaluate association between each frailty measure and 18-month cognitive impairment. Three-hundred-forty-one stroke survivors participated. Three-quarters of people who were frail had moderate-severe brain frailty and prevalence increased according to frailty status. Brain frailty was weakly correlated with Rockwood frailty (Rho: 0.336; p < 0.001) and with Fried frailty (Rho: 0.230; p < 0.001). Brain frailty (OR: 1.64, 95% CI = 1.17-2.32), Rockwood frailty (OR: 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.08) and Fried frailty (OR: 1.93, 95% CI = 1.39-2.67) were each independently associated with cognitive impairment at 18 months following stroke. There appears to be value in the assessment of both physical and brain frailty in patients with ischaemic stroke and TIA. Both are associated with adverse cognitive outcomes and physical frailty remains important when assessing cognitive outcomes.

Strategies to prevent cognitive decline after menopause

Cognitive decline after menopause is highly heterogenous. It is uncertain whether what type, or amount, of cognitive decline associated with ageing is physiologically normal. The major risk factor for the most serious form of cognitive decline, dementia, is age itself, with the risk doubling for every 5 years past the age of 60. Dementia is much more age dependent as opposed to the more common condition, Minor Neurocognitive Disorder (MCD) (previously called Mild Cognitive Impairment). MCD may occur in around 20% of people over the age of 60 years but progression to dementia is relatively uncommon and many people with MCD may regress to normal.

Reversible large-scale network disruption correlates with neurocognitive improvement in HIV-associated minor neurocognitive disorder with combined anti-retroviral therapy intensification: a prospective longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) affects multiple cognitive domains and currently, the neuropsychological testing is the gold standard to identify these deficits. The aim of this longitudinal 12-month pilot study is to determine the effect of intensified combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on rs-fMRI in virally suppressed (both in CSF and blood) patients with active HAND (those who have progressive neurocognitive impairment) and correlated with neurocognitive function tests. In this pilot study, we have evaluated sixteen patients with active HAND with viral suppression in both blood and CSF to study the effect of cART on functional connectivity. Participants underwent rs-fMRI at the baseline (time point-1 (TP-1) and 12-month visits (time point-2 (TP-2)). Connectivity in the five major networks was measured at TP-1 and TP-2 using the seed-based approach. All the participants underwent a five-domain neuropsychological battery at TP-1 and TP-2. Neurocognitive scores (NC) as well as blood and CSF markers were correlated with functional connectivity (FC). There was a significant increase in the FC between the two time points within the executive, salience, default mode, dorsal attention, and visual networks at voxel level threshold of p < 0.001 and cluster level threshold of p < 0.05 and corrected for false detection rate (FDR). The neurocognitive scores were positively correlated with all the networks at similar cluster and voxel level thresholds. These results indicate that rs-fMRI can be potentially used as one of the biomarkers for treatment efficacy in HAND.

Predominant Objective Cognitive Function Groups and their Association with Risk Factors in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The epidemiological characterization of the predominant population groups by cognitive function allows supporting health policies to prevent dementia in Older Adults (OA). Objective: To analyze if there are association among predominant cognitive function groups and lifestyle factors, comorbidity and motor function in OA. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of insured OA, &gt;60 years old of either sex. Sociodemographic, habits, comorbidities and motor function data were the risk factors. Data for hierarchical cluster analysis were subjective and objective cognitive function, sex and academic level. Cognitive function from population groups defined according to DSM-5, and their association with risk factors. Results: A sample of 350 OA, 65 ± 7.4 years old. Cluster analysis grouped four groups: i) without Neurocognitive Disorder (NCD), ii) with major NCD, iii and iv) with minor NCD in OA ≥70 years and &lt;70 years. The factors associated with major NCD were unqualified work, Living Alone (LA), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypertension (HT), reduced March Speed (MS), frailty and alteration of Activities of Daily Life (ADL). The minor NCD &gt;70 years: unqualified work, LA, DM, frailty and alterations in ADL; and finally, minor NCD &lt;70 were unqualified work, LA, DM, HT, dyslipidemia, obesity, cardiac diseases and hypothyroidism. Physical activity was a protector for the three groups. The likelihood value for major NCD had lower values than the model soft heminor NCD groups. Conclusions: There are association among lifestyle factors, comorbidity, and motor function for protection and risk for the predominant cognitive function groups.

R4Alz-Revised: A Tool Able to Strongly Discriminate 'Subjective Cognitive Decline' from Healthy Cognition and 'Minor Neurocognitive Disorder'.

The diagnosis of the minor neurocognitive diseases in the clinical course of dementia before the clinical symptoms' appearance is the holy grail of neuropsychological research. The R4Alz battery is a novel and valid tool that was designed to assess cognitive control in people with minor cognitive disorders. The aim of the current study is the R4Alz battery's extension (namely R4Alz-R), enhanced by the design and administration of extra episodic memory tasks, as well as extra cognitive control tasks, towards improving the overall R4Alz discriminant validity. The study comprised 80 people: (a) 20 Healthy adults (HC), (b) 29 people with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), and (c) 31 people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The groups differed in age and educational level. Updating, inhibition, attention switching, and cognitive flexibility tasks discriminated SCD from HC (p ≤ 0.003). Updating, switching, cognitive flexibility, and episodic memory tasks discriminated SCD from MCI (p ≤ 0.001). All the R4Alz-R's tasks discriminated HC from MCI (p ≤ 0.001). The R4Alz-R was free of age and educational level effects. The battery discriminated perfectly SCD from HC and HC from MCI (100% sensitivity-95% specificity and 100% sensitivity-90% specificity, respectively), whilst it discriminated excellently SCD from MCI (90.3% sensitivity-82.8% specificity). SCD seems to be stage a of neurodegeneration since it can be objectively evaluated via the R4Alz-R battery, which seems to be a useful tool for early diagnosis.

Comparative prevalence of mild cognitive impairment of Alzheimer’s Disease sub‐type in Adult Ugandans living with HIV and demographically matched HIV‐negative controls

AbstractBackgroundPrevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) in cART treated people living with HIV (PWH) is unknown.Method277 PWH and 189 HIV‐negative Ugandan adults matched by age, sex, and residence were neuropsychologically evaluated i. Impairment in seven domains ‐ including immediate recall, memory and learning (delayed recall, recognition) and others, were defined. Cognitive status – i.e., not impaired, asymptomatic impairment (ANI), minor neurocognitive disorder (MND) or HIV‐associated dementia (i.e., HAD, if HIV+), was defined according to Frascatti criteria. Cognitive dysfunction of the AD subtype was defined per Bondi et al. (2014); MCI included moderate (i.e. ≥1 SD worse in ≥2 tests) or pronounced (i.e. &gt;2.0 SD worse in ≥1 tests) cognitive impairments without functional limitation. AD ‐ i.e., ≥1 pronounced impairment in recognition/delayed recall accompanied with functional limitation. Differences in MCI and AD by HIV status and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated stratified by age (&lt;60 vs. ≥60 years).ResultAmong adults cognitively unimpaired (26.1%) or with ANI (27.8%), amnestic MCI rate was 28.9% (60/204) among PWH and 14.7% (21/133) among HIV‐ controls (OR = 2.18, 95%CI:1.25, 3.84). Similarly, among adults with MND/HAD, prevalent AD was 38.7% (29/75) among PWH and 23% (14/61) among HIV‐ controls (OR = 2.11, 95%CI:0.99, 4.50). Among cognitively unimpaired/ANI affected individuals &lt;60 years old, amnestic MCI prevalence was 16.2% for community controls and 30.3% for PWH (OR = 1.9, 95%CI:1.02, 3.60). Among individuals classified as MND or HAD, prevalent AD was 16.3% for HIV‐ controls vs. 38.6% for PWH (OR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.23, 8.52) . Among adults 60+ years old with ANI/no impairment, prevalent amnestic MCI was 14.7% for community controls and 41.9% for PWH (OR = 4.04, 95%CI:1.23, 13.40) but the prevalence of AD was identical at 38.9% each for HIV+ and for HIV‐ controls 60+ years old with MND/HAD.ConclusionUgandan PWH are at increased risk for being diagnosed with MCI/AD, and they may be diagnosed at a younger age than HIV‐negative Ugandans. These data highlight the importance of MCI/AD screening in PWH and the need to avail PWH with interventions to mitigate MCI/AD risk.

Understanding psychiatric illness through natural language processing (UNDERPIN): Rationale, design, and methodology.

Psychiatric disorders are diagnosed through observations of psychiatrists according to diagnostic criteria such as the DSM-5. Such observations, however, are mainly based on each psychiatrist's level of experience and often lack objectivity, potentially leading to disagreements among psychiatrists. In contrast, specific linguistic features can be observed in some psychiatric disorders, such as a loosening of associations in schizophrenia. Some studies explored biomarkers, but biomarkers have yet to be used in clinical practice. The purposes of this study are to create a large dataset of Japanese speech data labeled with detailed information on psychiatric disorders and neurocognitive disorders to quantify the linguistic features of those disorders using natural language processing and, finally, to develop objective and easy-to-use biomarkers for diagnosing and assessing the severity of them. This study will have a multi-center prospective design. The DSM-5 or ICD-11 criteria for major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorder and for major and minor neurocognitive disorders will be regarded as the inclusion criteria for the psychiatric disorder samples. For the healthy subjects, the absence of a history of psychiatric disorders will be confirmed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). The absence of current cognitive decline will be confirmed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). A psychiatrist or psychologist will conduct 30-to-60-min interviews with each participant; these interviews will include free conversation, picture-description task, and story-telling task, all of which will be recorded using a microphone headset. In addition, the severity of disorders will be assessed using clinical rating scales. Data will be collected from each participant at least twice during the study period and up to a maximum of five times at an interval of at least one month. This study is unique in its large sample size and the novelty of its method, and has potential for applications in many fields. We have some challenges regarding inter-rater reliability and the linguistic peculiarities of Japanese. As of September 2022, we have collected a total of >1000 records from >400 participants. To the best of our knowledge, this data sample is one of the largest in this field. Identifier: UMIN000032141.

Multidomain cognitive impairment in non-hospitalized patients with the post-COVID-19 syndrome: results from a prospective monocentric cohort

BackgroundA fraction of patients with asymptomatic to mild/moderate acute COVID-19 disease report cognitive deficits as part of the post-COVID-19 syndrome. This study aimed to assess the neuropsychological profile of these patients.MethodsAssessment at baseline (three months or more following acute COVID-19) of a monocentric prospective cohort of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Multidomain neuropsychological tests were performed, and questionnaires on depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep, and general health status were administered.ResultsOf the 58 patients screened, six were excluded due to possible alternative causes of cognitive impairment (major depression, neurodegenerative disease). Of the remaining 52 individuals, only one had a below-threshold screening result on Mini-Mental State Examination, and 13 scored below the cut-off on Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Extended neuropsychological testing revealed a neurocognitive disorder (NCD) in 31 (59.6%) participants with minor NCD in the majority of cases (n = 26). In patients with NCD, the cognitive domains learning/memory and executive functions were impaired in 60.7%, complex attention in 51.6%, language in 35.5%, and perceptual-motor function in 29.0%. Cognitive profiles were associated with daytime sleepiness but not with depression, anxiety, sleep quality, total general health status, or fatigue.ConclusionNeurocognitive impairment can be confirmed in around 60% of individuals with self-reported deficits as part of post-COVID-19 syndrome following a mild acute COVID-19 disease course. Notably, screening tests cannot reliably detect this dysfunction. Standard psychiatric assessments showed no association with cognitive profiles. Longitudinal studies are needed to further evaluate the course of neurocognitive deficits and clarify pathophysiology.

A Call for Drug Therapies for the Treatment of Social Behavior Disorders in Dementia: Systematic Review of Evidence and State of the Art.

Growing evidence supports the presence of social cognition deficits and social behavior alterations in major and minor neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). Even though the ability to identify socio-emotional changes has significantly improved in recent years, there is still no specific treatment available. Thus, we explored evidence of drug therapies targeting social cognition alterations in NCDs. Papers were selected according to PRISMA guidelines by searching on the PubMed and Scopus databases. Only papers reporting information on pharmacological interventions for the treatment of social cognition and/or social behavioral changes in major and/or minor NCDs were included. Among the 171 articles entered in the paper selection, only 9 papers were eligible for the scope of the review. Trials testing pharmacological treatments for socio-emotional alterations in NCDs are poor and of low-medium quality. A few attempts with neuroprotective, psychoactive, or immunomodulating drugs have been made. Oxytocin is the only drug specifically targeting the social brain that has been tested with promising results in frontotemporal dementia. Its beneficial effects in long-term use have yet to be evaluated. No recommendation can currently be provided. There is a long way to go to identify and test effective targets to treat social cognition changes in NCDs for the ultimate benefit of patients and caregivers.

Cognitive, Functional, and Emotional Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greek Patients with Neurocognitive Disorders.

Prolonged periods of social deprivation, such as COVID-19-related lockdowns, are associated with deleterious effects on cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to gauge the effect of prolonged social isolation on the cognitive function of older adults with neurocognitive disorders. We recruited 125 older adults with minor or major neurocognitive disorders divided into two groups. The control group was tested at the first period of the study (October 2018-May 2019), whereas the experimental group was evaluated at the second chronological period of the study (October 2020-May 2021) during the second wave of COVID-19. Neuropsychological tests were performed at baseline and six months after baseline. In the control group, significant changes in the scores from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; p = 0.049) and the Functional Rating Scale for Symptoms of Dementia (FRSSD; p = 0.005) were found between baseline and follow-up assessments, whereas no changes were identified in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; p = 0.229) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; p = 0.619) scores. In the experimental group, the scores from all neuropsychological tests (MoCA, MMSE, GDS, and FRSSD; p < 0.001 for all) were significantly different at follow-up when compared with those at baseline measurements. Moreover, significant deterioration of specific functions assessed in MMSE and FRSSD was detected, especially in the experimental group. This study highlights cognitive functions directly affected by social deprivation of individuals with neurocognitive disorders. The findings can be used in the rehabilitation from confinement and its negative consequences.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with High-Dose Choline Alfoscerate (Cerebrain® Forte) on Cognitive Functioning in Patients with Minor Neurocognitive Disorder (Mind): A Pilot Study

Introduction and aim of the study:</strong> Normal and pathological aging have been related to deficits of several neurotransmitters able to account for cognitive, emotional and behavioral disorders associated with mild cognitive decline or overt dementia.

Memantine resolves inappropriate sexual behavior in an elderly male with intellectual disability.

<h3>Introduction</h3> Memantine is a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Given its connection with glutamate pathways, memantine is effective in many psychiatric conditions as monotherapy and as an adjunct. Inappropriate sexual behavior (ISB) incorporates sex talk, implied sexual behavior (openly reading pornography, requesting unnecessary genital care) and sexual acts (touching, grabbing, exposing, masturbating) privately or publicly. Hypersexuality has been regarded as a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. There is a dearth of literature about ISB in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), and diagnosing major neurocognitive disorder (NCD) is difficult, due to the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria. In this population, NCD is suspected in the context of new onset cognitive impairment, behavior disturbance and a functional decline. The prevalence of behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of minor and major neurocognitive disorders is 50–80 %, respectively. This patient was initially diagnosed with NCD and memantine was initiated. However, clinical follow ups and serial, stable Montreal Cognitive Assessments (MOCA) over three years, did not support this diagnosis. <h3>Methods</h3> Casereport of a male with ID who manifested novel, ISB at age 67. This includes history, clinical follow ups, physical and cognitive evaluation, neuroimaging, laboratory (lab) tests, literature review using PubMed. ISB uncontrolled with various pharmacologic agents eventually resolved with the addition of memantine which was gradually increased to 10 mg twice daily (BID). When a recurrence of ISB occurred after two years, it remitted with memantine 25 mg (administered in two divided doses). <h3>Results</h3> A67 year-old, single, white male with ID, hypertension, diabetes type 2 and hyperlipidemia who followed up in psychiatry for intermittent explosive disorder and anxiety, was stabilized on citalopram 40 mg daily (QD) and gabapentin 300 mg thrice daily (TID). He had special education through 12th grade and an intelligence quotient of 68. New onset ISB toward men was reported on January 2016. Episodes occurred in communal areas involving the touching of penises with pants down, propositioning someone at a public pool, and placing himself very close to a man during a class. Due to complaints, a team with a behaviorist was formulated to assist in preventing triggering of sexual impulse. Gabapentin was progressively increased to 600 mg TID; later risperidone was initiated, then increased to 0.5 mg BID in combination with citalopram 40 mg. Thereafter, the undesirable behavior gradually subsided. MOCA was 16/30. Labs included: creatinine; 1.28mg/dl (N<1.34mg/dl), GFR; >60ml/min(N), fasting glucose; 129mg/dl (N60-99mg/dl), vitamin B12; 291pg/ml(N>200pg/ml), vitamin B1; 75 nmol/L (N70-180 nmol/L), Methylmalonate, MRI and other dementia related labs were unremarkable. Vitamin B1 and B12 were started. Although ISB had ceased, the patient was seen again after two months due to progressive unsteadiness, falls, slurred speech and worsening cognition after gabapentin was increased. Mini mental status examination was 17/30. Memantine 5 mg daily was initiated and Gabapentin was gradually decreased to 300 mg QD. After two months, improved cognition with resolution of ISB was reported. After two years of stability, he began pursuing a man obsessively in a sexual manner over a two-month period. When examined on April 2019, his MOCA was 16/30 with stable labs. Memantine was increased to 10 mg in am and 15 mg at pm to target ISB. After 44 days, ISB was reported to have resolved soon after increasing memantine. At this visit, escitalopram 15 mg replaced citalopram 40 mg QD due to safety concerns. Sustained remission of ISB was reported in January, 2020. In March 2020, patient was seen again as he had touched a female inappropriately a few times during pool classes. MOCA was 18/30 (increased by two-points). He admitted to experiencing slight urges, but later quit the class and declined to attend the Pride parade to curb temptation. Although he had age related physical decline, there was no evidence of cognitive or functional impairment compared to baseline. Subsequently, the diagnosis of major neurocognitive disorder (NCD) was questioned. Additionally, he had demonstrated insight and successfully resolved ISB. To date, his ISB is in remission with stable labs. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Resolution of ISB in a patient with ID is a previously unreported therapeutic effect of memantine. ISB remitted with the addition of memantine 20 mg daily after multiple failed trials of various psychotropics. Two years later, the reemergence of ISB resolved with memantine 25 mg, and was well tolerated with stable medical tests. Memantine could be a promising medication for the control of ISB in these patients when used as an adjunct. <h3>This research was funded by</h3> NA

Addressing Access to Care in Geriatric Psychiatry through Outpatient Consultation

<h3>Introduction</h3> Article 31 clinics, under the regulation of the Office of Mental Health, have limitations in the patients that are able to be seen. In particular, patients with a primary diagnosis of neurocognitive disorder are considered ineligible for admission to such a clinic. Furthermore, many of the patients that would seek treatment at Montefiore Medical Center's Outpatient Psychiatry clinic, an Article 31 clinic, would not be able to afford private practice psychiatrists. Nevertheless, older adults with neurocognitive disorder experience symptoms that are typically managed by psychiatrists. In response to this gap in care, the Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry team at Montefiore Medical Center developed an outpatient psychiatric consultation service to increase access to care and meet the mental health care needs of older adults living in the community. This service is provided under an Article 28 clinic, which is regulated by the Department of Health like any other medical specialty clinic. In this study, we aimed to identify which patients benefited from this service, what types of interventions were made and the impact on referring providers. This was done by collecting demographic data on patients referred for consultation and the format, frequency, and outcomes of these consultations. We also plan to collect feedback from referring providers. <h3>Methods</h3> The Geriatric Psychiatry outpatient consultation service started in December 2019 and conducted visits in person for 3 months, stopped during the 3 months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic (March to June 2020), restarted with virtual visits in July 2020 and then resumed with in person visits. Patients are referred by other providers in the Montefiore Health System or through self-referral. Patients are then screened for appropriateness for outpatient consultation. Patients who are ≥65 years old or have an underlying medical condition that contributes to their frailty, and who have a psychiatric concern are scheduled for an appointment. Efforts are made to direct those who are not appropriate for the service to more appropriate resources. In a retrospective chart review, data was gathered on patient age, referral source and reason for referral, diagnosis, format and number of visits, and outcomes of interest including medication changes, supportive services, and higher level of care. <h3>Results</h3> From December 2019 through September 2021, 38 patients were scheduled, 32 of whom presented to clinic for psychiatric evaluation. Patients ranged from 61 to 93 years old with a mean age of 79 years. A majority of patients were from ethnically diverse backgrounds with 59% Hispanic, 12.5% Black, 3% Asian and 3% American Indian. 50% of patients were Spanish speaking. About half the visits were conducted in person, with the remaining visits about evenly split between phone and video. Patients on average were seen for about 2 visits with a range from 1 to 11 visits. Most of the referrals came from primary care providers and among the reasons for referral were decline in function or cognition, behavioral concerns, depressed or anxious mood and psychosis. About 87.5% of patients had a diagnosis of major or minor neurocognitive disorder diagnosis. The most common interventions included medication changes, referral to support services, behavioral interventions, transfer to the outpatient department or sending for evaluation in the emergency department. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The Geriatric Psychiatry consultation service provided through an Article 28 clinic was primarily used by patients with neurocognitive disorders who would otherwise not be seen in Article 31 outpatient psychiatry clinics and would not be able to afford private practice. Through this service we were able to address a gap in care for a diverse and underserved patient population. In order to further assess the impact of this service, we plan to ask referring providers for feedback about the process of referral, the evaluations conducted and the recommendations received for their patients. Future studies would be helpful to collect prospective data on patients being followed by consultation service and additionally obtain patient and caregiver feedback. <h3>This research was funded by</h3> N/A Chart: https://apps.aagponline.org/abstracts/uploads/2022/gpn8zt4h8w464zu.pdf

Cognitive functions in late-life depression.

Cognitive disorders are frequently found during late-life depression (LLD). Many cognitive functions may be concerned and can be explained by frontostriatal brain circuits and hippocampus dysfunctions partly through abnormalities related to cerebrovascular diseases. It seems important to distinguish between early and late onset depression, the cognitive characterisation and aetiopathogenesis of which differ in some respects. Cognitive impairment may represent markers of depression, but it is still unclear whether potential biomarkers of disease should be considered as markers of condition, trait or risk factors. These disorders may precede depression and persist despite symptomatic remission. Moreover, the interest of specifying these disorders is multiple because they can have pejorative consequences, such as by modifying emotional content, encouraging suicidal acts, limiting the effectiveness of psychotherapy, being a risk factor for a poor response to antidepressants, or being a potential risk factor for progression to a minor or major neurocognitive disorder, especially Alzheimer disease.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Cognition in Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The role of vitamin D supplementation in improving cognition and slowing the incidence of minor and major neurocognitive disorders is a matter of debate. To our knowledge, no systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has examined this question in adults. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence regarding the effects of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive performance and neurocognitive disorders in adults. A systematic search of scientific articles in English or French was conducted. The MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE (Ovid, EMBASE), PsychINFO, and Cochrane Central databases were searched for records without any limit on publication date in May 2021. Inclusion criteria were (1) human participants, (2) RCT, (3) participant age ≥ 18, (4) vitamin D supplementation as the intervention, and (5) cognition (i.e., cognitive performance or cognitive status such as cognitively healthy or minor and major neurocognitive disorder) as the primary outcome. Two independent reviewers both assessed all eligible studies' full texts and the risk of bias arising from methodological issues using a standardized procedure. Of the 2137 abstracts identified, 61 (2.9%) met screening inclusion criteria. After full text examination, 41 records (67.2%) were excluded. As a result, 20 RCTs (32.8%) were included in the systematic review. The review yielded mixed findings and, thus, failed to find evidence supporting cognitive benefits from vitamin D supplementation or suggesting a causal association between vitamin D and cognitive function. Half of the RCTs reported mixed results, one quarter negative results, and the last quarter positive effects for vitamin D supplementation on cognitive performance. The variability in serum 25-dihydroxyvitamin D concentration thresholds, the cognitive tests employed, the supplementation doses, and the samples' characteristics (i.e., ethnicity or number of participants) may explain these mixed findings. This systematic review of RCTs does not support a role for vitamin D supplementation in enhancing cognitionin adults.

Predictive value of brain MRI at term-equivalent age in extremely preterm children on neurodevelopmental outcome at school-age.

This study's objective was to correlate the abnormalities in brain MRIs performed at corrected-term age for minor or moderate neurocognitive disorders in children school-age born extremely premature (EPT) and without serious sequelae such as autism, cerebral palsy, mental impairment. Data were issued from a cross-sectional multicenter study (GP-Qol study, number NCT01675726). Clinical examination and psychometric assessments were performed when the children were between 7 and 10years old during a day-long evaluation. Term-equivalent age brain MRIs on EPT were analyzed with a standardized scoring system. There were 114 children included in the study. The mean age at the time of evaluation, was 8.47years old (± 0.70). 59% of children with at least one cognitive impairment and 53% who had a dysexecutive disorder. Only ten EPT (8.7%) presented moderate to severe white and grey matter abnormalities. These moderate to severe grey matter abnormalities were associated with at least two abnormal executive functions [OR 3.08 (95% CI 1.04-8.79), p = 0.04] and language delay [OR 3.25 (95% CI 1.03-9.80), p = 0.04]. These results remained significant in the multivariate analysis. Moderate to severe ventricular dilatation abnormalities (15%, n = 17) were associated with ideomotor dyspraxia [OR 7.49 (95% CI 1.48-35.95), p = 0.02] and remained significant in multivariate analysis [OR 11.2 (95% CI 1.45-131.4), p = 0.02]. Biparietal corrected diameters were moderate abnormal in 20% of cases (n = 23) and were associated to visuo spatial integration delay [OR 4.13 (95% CI 1.23-13.63), p = 0.02]. Cerebral MRI at term-equivalent age with scoring system analysis can provide information on long-term neuropsychological outcomes at school-age in EPTs children having no severe disability.

200 - Neuropsychiatric symptoms influence performance of activities of daily living in symptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease

Background:The triad of symptom groups of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) encompasses cognitive impairment (e.g. impaired memory or orientation), neuropsychiatric symptoms like apathy, depressive mood, delusions, hallucinations or anxiety, and functional impairment exclusively in complex activities of daily living (cADL, e.g. preparing meals, managing finances) in minor neurocognitive disorder due to AD and both in complex and basic ADL (bADL, e.g. dressing, toileting) in major neurocognitive disorder due to AD. These functional impairments are widely thought to be exclusively attributable to the cognitive deficits of the disease. Of note, mounting evidence indicates that neuropsychiatric symptoms are very common in AD and pose a heavy burden to both patients and their caregivers.Research objective:To unravel potential associations between neuropsychiatric symptoms and cADL and bADL in individuals with neurocognitive disorder due to AD by means of machine learning (ML).Methods:The study included 189 cognitively intact older individuals (CI) and 130 with either minor or major neurocognitive disorder due to AD. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were captured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), covering delusions, hallucinations, aggression, depression, anxiety, apathy, elation, disinhibition, irritability, motor disturbance, nighttime behavioural disturbances and appetite disturbances; cognitive function was assessed with the Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument (COGTEL); The Bristol ADL scale, an informant-rated measure, was employed for tapping performance of ADL. A variety of ML-models was constructed and trained/tested using a 5-fold cross validation, with SMOTE employed as a remedy for class imbalances. In all cases the features had been selected beforehand based on LASSO technique. The dependent variable was either cADL or bADL (after their discretization based on kMeans quantization). Additionally, the modelling of the diagnosis was also attempted within our ML framework.Results:Gradient Boosting models performed superiorly. cADL and bADL levels are predicted based on both deficits in cognitive domains and NPI variables with an accuracy of 82.3% and 84.8% respectively.In addition, diagnosis can be predicted, with an accuracy of 83.5%, based on a model in which NPI and Bristol ADL variables were significant predictors.Conclusions:cADL- and bADL performance in patients with AD is influenced by both cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Pilot Study: The Queen Square Screening Test for Visual Deficits in Dementia

ABSTRACT The Queen Square Screening Test for Visual Deficits (QS test) screens for changes in visual processing. Our pilot study aimed to review the applicability of the QS test in individuals with dementia compared with those with normal cognition. Participants with major and minor neurocognitive disorder scored 50/71 (n=12) and 61/71 (n=10) respectively on the QS test, compared to 65/71 for age-matched healthy controls (n=11). The QS test score correlated with cognitive impairment as measured using the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (r = 0.74). The QS test is an affordable and easy bedside screening test for visual processing changes.