Targeted support for caregivers of patients with YOD is needed to address the higher CB in this group.

Patients with YOD have a high economic burden. Young patients with FTD have the highest cost followed by vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Background:The Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT) is a language-neutral cognitive screening tool designed for use in culturally diverse populations without the need for translations or adaptations. While it has been established to be language-neutral, the VCAT’s construct validity has not been investigated.Methods:471 participants were recruited, comprising 233 healthy comparisons, 117 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 121 mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. VCAT and domain-specific neuropsychological tests were administered in the same sitting. Construct validity was assessed by analyzing domain-specific associations between the VCAT and well-established cognitive assessments. Reliability (internal consistency) was measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Diagnostic ability (area under the curve) and recommended cutoffs were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Results:The VCAT and its subdomains demonstrated good construct validity in terms of both convergent and divergent validity and good internal consistency (α = .74). ROC analysis found that the VCAT was on par with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at distinguishing between healthy comparisons, MCI, and mild AD. Consistent with previous studies, VCAT scores were not affected by language of administration or ethnicity in our cohort. Findings suggest the following cutoffs: Dementia 0–19, MCI 20–24, Normal 25–30.Conclusion:This study established the construct validity of the VCAT, which is vital to ensure its subdomains effectively measure the cognitive processes they were designed to. The VCAT is capable of detecting early cognitive impairments and allows for meaningful cross-cultural comparisons, especially useful for international collaborations and clinical trials, and for clinical use in diverse multiethnic populations.

These findings are consistent with known ARVCF gene effects on neurodevelopment in terms of cellular arrangement, migration, and intracellular signaling involving the striatum and may involve interactions with other brain networks such as prefrontal cortex, and they underscore the importance of imaging-genetic studies to elucidate the genetic influences underlying intermediate phenotypes in complex neurobehavioral disorders.

Background: Mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) are common in the older adult and associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes. There is limited data on the prevalence of MPS and its significance. Objective: To determine the prevalence of MPS in the community ambulant population and to evaluate the relationship of MPS with prodromal features of Parkinson's disease (PD) and cognition. Methods: This cross-sectional community-based study involved participants aged ≥50 years. Parkinsonian signs were assessed using the modified Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (mUPDRS) and cognition using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Premotor symptoms of PD were screened using a self-reported questionnaire. Linear regression was used to assess the association of MPS with premotor symptoms of PD and cognitive impairment. Results: Of 392 eligible participants, MPS was present in 105 (26.8%). Mean age of participants with MPS was 68.8 ± 6.9 years and without MPS was 66.1 ± 5.9 years (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that MoCA scores were significantly lower in the MPS group (␤ = -0.152, 95% CI = -0.009, -0.138, p < 0.05). A significant correlation between the presence of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and total MPS scores (␤ = 0.107, 95% CI = 0.053, 1.490, p < 0.05) was also found. Neither vascular risk factors nor other premotor symptoms were significantly associated with MPS. Conclusion: MPS is common and closely related to cognitive impairment and increasing age. Presence of RBD is predictive of higher MPS scores. This study highlights the necessity of other investigations or sensitive risk markers to identify subjects at future risk of PD.