Systemic inflammation may influence trajectories of depressive symptoms over time, perhaps differentially by sex and race. Inflammatory markers and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale [total score: CES-Dtotal and four distinctive domains: somatic complaints, depressed affect, positive affect and interpersonal problems] were examined among African-American (AA) and White urban adults participating in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study [2004–2013, Agebase:30–64y, mean±SD follow-up time: 4.64±0.93y, N=150 (with cytokine data) to N=1,767 (with other inflammatory markers)]. Findings suggest that serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), z-inflammation composite score [ICS, combining elevated hsCRP and ESR with low serum albumin and iron], and serum interleukin (IL) 1β were positively associated with ΔCES-Dtotal (Δ: annual rate of increase) among Whites only. IL-12 was directly related to ΔCES-Dtotal among men and AA. The race-specific associations of hsCRP, ICS, IL-1β and the sex-specific association of IL-12 with ΔCES-Dtotal were replicated for the “depressed affect” domain. Similarly, among men, lower serum albumin and higher ICS were linked with higher baseline “somatic complaints”. IL-10 among AA and IL-12 among men were inversely related to Δ”positive affect”, while “interpersonal problems” were cross-sectionally associated with IL-6 among AA and IL-10 among Whites. Finally, baseline ICS was positively associated with incident “elevated depressive symptoms” (EDS: CES-Dtotal≥16) among AA (HR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.04–1.56, P=0.017). Overall, systemic inflammation was directly linked to increased depressive symptoms over time and at baseline, differentially across sex and race groups. More longitudinal research is needed to replicate our findings.

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The current study examined whether relationship quality with older adults currently and in childhood, as well as experience with older adults, was associated with biases toward older adults and interest in working with older adults as a possible career area. We sampled undergraduate students (N=753; M=18.97 years, SD=2.11 years) from a Northern California university. In hierarchical regression analyses, higher perceived quality of relationships with older adult family members, higher perceived social support, and lower perceived conflict from relationships with older adults was significantly associated with positive attitudes toward older adults. Interest in working with older adults was significantly associated with taking courses in aging, providing care to an older adult, and volunteering with older adults. These results suggest that positive relationships with older adults are useful in reducing biases, though student interactions with older adults are key in helping to promote interest in working with older adults.

Objective: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) is a screening test of global cognitive function used in research and clinical settings. However, the CASI was developed using face validity and has not been investigated via empirical tests such as factor analyses. Thus, we aimed to develop and test a parsimonious conceptualization of the CASI rooted in cognitive aging literature reflective of crystallized and fluid abilities. Design: Secondary data analysis implementing confirmatory factor analyses where we tested the proposed two-factor solution, an alternate one-factor solution, and conducted a χ2 difference test to determine which model had a significantly better fit. Setting: N/A. Participants: Data came from 3,491 men from the Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Measurements: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument. Results: Findings demonstrated that both models fit the data; however, the two-factor model had a significantly better fit than the one-factor model. Criterion validity tests indicated that participant age was negatively associated with both factors and that education was positively associated with both factors. Further tests demonstrated that fluid abilities were significantly and negatively associated with a later-life dementia diagnosis. Conclusions: We encourage investigators to use the two-factor model of the CASI as it could shed light on underlying cognitive processes, which may be more informative than using a global measure of cognition.

Background Dysregulation of some metabolic factors increases the risk of dementia. It remains unclear if overall metabolic dysregulation, or only certain components, contribute to cognitive aging and if these associations are sex-specific. Methods Data from the 2006-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was used to analyze 7,103 participants aged 65+ at baseline (58% women). We created a metabolic-dysregulation risk score (MDRS) composed of blood pressure/hypertension status, HbA1c/diabetes status, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and waist circumference, and assessed cognitive trajectories from repeated measures of the HRS-Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (HRS-TICS) over 10 years of follow-up. Linear mixed-effects models estimated associations between MDRS or individual metabolic factors (biomarkers) with mean and change in HRS-TICS scores and assessed sex-modification of these associations. Results Participants with higher MDRSs had lower mean HRS-TICS scores, but there were no statistically significant differences in rate of decline. Sex-stratification showed this association was present for women only. MDRS biomarkers revealed heterogeneity in the strength and direction of associations with HRS-TICS. Lower HRS-TICS levels were associated with hypertension, higher HbA1c/diabetes, and lower HDL-C and TC; while faster rate of cognitive decline was associated with hypertension, higher HbA1c/diabetes and higher TC. Participants with higher HbA1c/diabetes presented worse cognitive trajectories. Sex-differences indicated women with higher HbA1c/diabetes to have lower HRS-TICS levels while hypertensive males presented better cognitive trajectory. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that metabolic dysregulation is more strongly associated with cognition in women compared to men, though sex-differences vary by individual biomarker.