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142 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 142
Differential effects of enriched environment at work on cognitive decline in old age.
LIFE - Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate how different mentally demanding work conditions during the professional life-i.e., enriched environments at work-might influence the rate … of cognitive decline in old age. METHODS: Individuals (n = 1,054) of the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged, a representative population-based cohort study of individuals aged 75 years and older, underwent cognitive testing via the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in up to 6 measurement waves. Type and level of mentally demanding work conditions in the participants' former professional life were classified based on the O*NET job descriptor database. RESULTS: In multivariate mixed-model analyses (controlling for sociodemographic and health-related factors), a high level of mentally demanding work tasks stimulating verbal intelligence was significantly associated with a better cognitive functioning at baseline (on average 5 MMSE points higher) as well as a lower rate of cognitive decline (on average 2 MMSE points less) over the 8-year follow-up period compared with a low level. The rate of cognitive decline in old age was also significantly lower (on average 3 MMSE points less) in individuals who had a high level of mentally demanding work tasks stimulating executive functions than those who had a low level. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a professional life enriched with work tasks stimulating verbal intelligence and executive functions may help to sustain a good cognitive functioning in old age (75+ years). The findings thus emphasize that today's challenging work conditions may also promote positive health effects.

Authors: F. S. Then, T. Luck, M. Luppa, H. H. Konig, M. C. Angermeyer, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 26th May 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: dementia

Common genomic variation in the FER gene: useful to stratify patients with sepsis due to pneumonia?
LIFE - Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases

Abstract

Not specified

Authors: F. Schoneweck, E. Kuhnt, M. Scholz, F. M. Brunkhorst, A. Scherag

Date Published: 30th Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: bacterial infectious disease, pneumonia

Age- and gender-specific norms for the German version of the Three-Factor Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ).
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

The 'Fragebogen zum Essverhalten' (FEV) is the German version of the Three-factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ). This questionnaire covers three domains of eating behaviour ('cognitive … restraint', 'disinhibition' and 'hunger') as well as common problems (e.g. craving for sweets). So far, there is a lack of normative data of the FEV especially for the middle-aged and older population. Aim of this study therefore was to provide age- and gender-specific norms of the FEV for the general population aged 40-79 years. We studied 3144 participants of the ongoing large community-based Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE) Health Care Study. We provided age- (four age groups: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years) and gender-specific percentile ranks and T-scores for the three domains of the FEV as well as age- and gender-specific frequencies of the common problems in eating behaviour. Females scored significantly higher than males in all three domains of the FEV (p < 0.001). Older individuals showed significantly higher mean scores than the younger ones in the domain of cognitive restraint, but lower mean scores in disinhibition and hunger (p < 0.001). 45.1% of the males and 69.9% of the females reported specific problems in eating. The main problem in both genders was craving for sweets (38.6%). Eating in response to stress was mostly reported in younger individuals. The present study offers current normative data for the FEV in the middle-aged and older general population that can be applied in clinical and non-clinical settings. Information on eating behaviour can be helpful in understanding body weight modulation, and thus, may help to improve interventive and preventive programmes for overweight, obesity, and eating disorders.

Authors: A. Loffler, T. Luck, F. S. Then, M. Luppa, C. Sikorski, P. Kovacs, A. Tonjes, Y. Bottcher, J. Breitfeld, A. Horstmann, M. Loffler, C. Engel, J. Thiery, M. Stumvoll, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 19th Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: obesity, eating disorder

PET/MR in dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

The spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases covers the dementias, parkinsonian syndromes, Huntington disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases. In these entities, brain MRI is often … used in clinical routine to exclude other pathologies and to demonstrate specific atrophy patterns. [18F]FDG PET delivers early and sensitive readouts of neural tissue loss, and more specific PET tracers currently in use clinically target beta-amyloid plaques or dopaminergic deficiency. The recent integration of PET into MR technology offers a new chance to improve early and differential diagnosis of many neurodegenerative diseases. Initial evidence in the literature is available to support this notion. New emerging PET tracers, such as tracers that bind to tau or alpha-synuclein aggregates, as well as MR techniques, like diffusion-tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and arterial spin labeling, have the potential to broaden the diagnostic capabilities of combined PET/MRI to image dementias, Parkinson disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The ultimate goal is to establish combined PET/MRI as a first-line imaging technique to provide, in a one-stop-shop fashion with improved patient comfort, all biomarker information required to increase diagnostic confidence toward specific diagnoses. The technical challenge of accurate PET data attenuation correction within PET/MRI systems needs yet to be solved. Apart from the projected clinical routine applications, future research would need to answer the questions of whether combined brain PET/MRI is able to improve basic research of neurodegenerative diseases and antineurodegeneration drug testing.

Authors: H. Barthel, M. L. Schroeter, K. T. Hoffmann, O. Sabri

Date Published: 6th Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: dementia, neurodegenerative disease

Cost-utility analysis of a preventive home visit program for older adults in Germany.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Most older adults want to live independently in a familiar environment instead of moving to a nursing home. Preventive home visits based on multidimensional geriatric assessment can be one … strategy to support this preference and might additionally reduce health care costs, due to the avoidance of costly nursing home admissions. The purpose of this study was to analyse the cost-effectiveness of preventive home visits from a societal perspective in Germany. METHODS: This study is part of a multi-centre, non-blinded, randomised controlled trial aiming at the reduction of nursing home admissions. Participants were older than 80 years and living at home. Up to three home visits were conducted to identify self-care deficits and risk factors, to present recommendations and to implement solutions. The control group received usual care. A cost-utility analysis using quality-adjusted life years (QALY) based on the EQ-5D was performed. Resource utilization was assessed by means of the interview version of a patient questionnaire. A cost-effectiveness acceptability curve controlled for prognostic variables was constructed and a sensitivity analysis to control for the influence of the mode of QALY calculation was performed. RESULTS: 278 individuals (intervention group: 133; control group: 145) were included in the analysis. During 18 months follow-up mean adjusted total cost (mean: +4,401 EUR; bootstrapped standard error: 3,019.61 EUR) and number of QALY (mean: 0.0061 QALY; bootstrapped standard error: 0.0388 QALY) were higher in the intervention group, but differences were not significant. For preventive home visits the probability of an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio <50,000 EUR per QALY was only 15%. The results were robust with respect to the mode of QALY calculation. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated preventive home visits programme is unlikely to be cost-effective. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT00644826.

Authors: C. Brettschneider, T. Luck, S. Fleischer, G. Roling, K. Beutner, M. Luppa, J. Behrens, S. G. Riedel-Heller, H. H. Konig

Date Published: 3rd Apr 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

BDNF as a biomarker for successful treatment of mood disorders: a systematic & quantitative meta-analysis.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in acute major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) and recovered after treatment. Here we validated on a … meta-analytical level whether BDNF restores differentially according to treatment response and whose measurements could be used as a biomarker, plasma or serum. METHODS: Using strict inclusion criteria, we compared BDNF in healthy controls and patients with MDD (38 studies, n=6619), and BD (17 studies, n=1447). Pre- and post-treatment BDNF levels were meta-analyzed according to treatment response in patients from 21 MDD studies (n=735) and 7 BD studies (n=88). Serum and plasma subgroups were analyzed, publication bias was assessed and heterogeneity was investigated. RESULTS: Serum and plasma BDNF were decreased in acute MDD and BD, and did not differ in euthymia in comparison with control subjects. Antidepressive treatment increased serum BDNF levels in MDD in responders (Cohens d (d)=1.27, p=4.4E-07) and remitters (d=0.89, p=0.01), significantly more than in non-responders (d=0.11, p=0.69). For plasma BDNF in MDD and for BD, the evidence was insufficient for a meta-analysis. Although no significant difference was found between serum and plasma ES, variance of plasma ES was higher. LIMITATIONS: Between-study heterogeneity was explained only partially; signs of publication bias in serum studies. CONCLUSION: Serum BDNF might be regarded as a biomarker for the successful treatment of MDD. Serum measurements seem more reliable than plasma ones. Further research should focus on defining optimal time points for BDNF measurements and increase evidence for the usage of BDNF as a predictive biomarker in BD.

Authors: M. Polyakova, K. Stuke, K. Schuemberg, K. Mueller, P. Schoenknecht, M. L. Schroeter

Date Published: 15th Mar 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: mental depression, bipolar disorder

Progesterone mediates brain functional connectivity changes during the menstrual cycle-a pilot resting state MRI study.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

The growing interest in intrinsic brain organization has sparked various innovative approaches to generating comprehensive connectivity-based maps of the human brain. Prior reports point to a sexual … dimorphism of the structural and functional human connectome. However, it is uncertain whether subtle changes in sex hormones, as occur during the monthly menstrual cycle, substantially impact the functional architecture of the female brain. Here, we performed eigenvector centrality (EC) mapping in 32 longitudinal resting state fMRI scans of a single healthy subject without oral contraceptive use, across four menstrual cycles, and assessed estrogen and progesterone levels. To investigate associations between cycle-dependent hormones and brain connectivity, we performed correlation analyses between the EC maps and the respective hormone levels. On the whole brain level, we found a significant positive correlation between progesterone and EC in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral sensorimotor cortex. In a secondary region-of-interest analysis, we detected a progesterone-modulated increase in functional connectivity of both bilateral DLPFC and bilateral sensorimotor cortex with the hippocampus. Our results suggest that the menstrual cycle substantially impacts intrinsic functional connectivity, particularly in brain areas associated with contextual memory-regulation, such as the hippocampus. These findings are the first to link the subtle hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle, to significant changes in regional functional connectivity in the hippocampus in a longitudinal design, given the limitation of data acquisition in a single subject. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of such a longitudinal Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) design and illustrates a means of creating a personalized map of the human brain by integrating potential mediators of brain states, such as menstrual cycle phase.

Authors: K. Arelin, K. Mueller, C. Barth, P. V. Rekkas, J. Kratzsch, I. Burmann, A. Villringer, J. Sacher

Date Published: 11th Mar 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

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