This pilot study suggests that 90 days of resveratrol supplementation at a dose of 1000/mg per day selectively improves psychomotor speed but does not significantly affect other domains of cognitive function in older adults. These findings provide modest support to further study the effects of resveratrol on cognitive function in older adults.

Age is associated with reductions in surface area and cortical thickness, particularly in prefrontal regions. There is also evidence of greater thickness in some regions at older ages. Non-linear age effects in some studies suggest that age may continue to impact brain structure in later decades of life, but relatively few studies have examined the impact of age on brain structure within middle-aged to older adults. We investigated age differences in prefrontal surface area and cortical thickness in healthy adults between the ages of 51 and 81 years. Participants received a structural 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scan. Based on a priori hypotheses, primary analyses focused on surface area and cortical thickness in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex. We also performed exploratory vertex-wise analyses of surface area and cortical thickness across the entire cortex. We found that older age was associated with smaller surface area in the dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices but greater cortical thickness in the dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. Vertex-wise analyses revealed smaller surface area in primarily frontal regions at older ages, but no age effects were found for cortical thickness. Results suggest age is associated with reduced surface area but greater cortical thickness in prefrontal regions during later decades of life, and highlight the differential effects age has on regional surface area and cortical thickness.

Objective Structural neuroimaging studies in older adults have consistently shown volume reductions in both major and subthreshold depression. Cortical thickness, another measure of brain structure, has not been well studied in this population. We examined cortical thickness in older adults across a range of depressive symptom (DS) severity. Methods Forty-three community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 68.80±7.00) underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Based on a priori hypotheses, we examined cortical thickness in regions of interest (ROIs) in the rostral anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, middle frontal gyrus and isthmus cingulate using multiple linear regressions with depression questionnaire scores as the independent variable and age, sex, and mean hemispheric thickness as covariates. We also performed an exploratory whole-brain vertex-wise analysis. Results After correction for multiple comparisons, we found an association between increased DSs and greater cortical thickness in the right isthmus cingulate [F(1, 38) = 8.09, FDR-corrected p = .028; R2 = 35.78] in the ROI analysis and in the left precuneus (cluster size = 413, p = 0.00002) in the vertex-wise analysis. Conclusions Older adults with higher DSs also have greater cortical thickness in the isthmus cingulate and precuneus, areas import for emotion regulation and self-referential processing. Additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and potential clinical significance underlying this relationship.

Objective Depression and anxiety and are associated with cognitive deficits and brain changes, especially in older adults. Despite the frequent co-occurrence of these conditions, cognitive neuroscience studies examining comorbid depression and anxiety are limited. The goal of the present study was to examine the unique and combined effect of depressive and anxiety symptoms on cognitive and brain functioning in young and older adults. Methods Seventy-one healthy, community-dwelling adults between the ages of 18 and 81 were administered a neuropsychological battery and completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T). A subset of 25 participants also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while completing the n-back working memory task. Results Total depressive symptoms, depressed mood symptoms, and somatic symptoms were associated with deficits in speed, working memory and executive functions, especially in older adults. Symptoms of lack of well-being were not associated with any neuropsychological test. Anxiety was associated with better attention and working memory. Moreover, anxiety modified the relationship between depressive symptoms and executive functioning in older adults, as elevated depressive symptoms were associated with worse performance at low levels of anxiety, but not at higher anxiety levels. Similarly, analysis of fMRI data showed that total depressive symptoms and depressed mood symptoms were associated with decreased activity in the superior frontal gyrus at low anxiety levels, but not at high anxiety levels. Conclusion Results confirm previous reports that subthreshold depression and anxiety impact cognitive and brain functioning and suggest that the interaction of depression and anxiety results in distinct cognitive and brain changes. Findings highlight the importance of assessing and controlling for symptoms of depression and anxiety in research studies of either condition.

Objectives White matter lesions (WMLs) are associated with depressive symptoms in older adults. However, it is not clear whether different symptom dimensions of depression have distinct associations with WMLs. We assessed the longitudinal relationships of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) total score and subscale scores with WML volume in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Design Prospective observational design with examination of WML volume and depressive symptoms at 1–2 year intervals for up to 9 years. Setting Neuroimaging substudy of the BLSA. Participants 116 dementia-free participants (mean age = 68.78 ± 7.68). Measurements At each visit, depressive symptoms were measured with the CES-D and WML volumes were quantified from structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Results Higher CES-D full scale scores were associated with greater WML volume and with a faster rate of volume increases over time in women, especially at older ages. Higher depressed mood and somatic symptoms subscale scores were associated with greater increases in WML volume over time at older ages. In men, depressed mood and somatic symptoms were associated with larger WML volume at baseline. Conclusions Findings confirm an association between WMLs and depressive symptoms and suggest that depressed mood and somatic symptoms may be stronger predictors of depression-related brain changes than lack of well-being. Age and sex may moderate the relationships between depressive symptoms and WMLs. Understanding particular symptom dimensions of depressive symptoms has implications for treatment and may lead to targeted interventions and more precise knowledge of mechanisms underlying depression.