Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UC San Diego

PREPARANDO EL CAMINO: CONVERSACIONES DE FIN DE VIDA

🧠 Article of the Week Spotlight
Can self-reported memory concerns help identify early cognitive changes? This week's featured study explores whether the severity of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is associated with objective cognitive performance in a diverse sample of Hispanic older adults from two Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers.

📊 Researchers examined both self-reported and informant-reported cognitive concerns in Hispanic older adults without dementia. They found that greater subjective cognitive decline was associated with poorer executive functioning, while informant reports were linked to lower global cognition, memory, and executive function. These relationships were strongest among individuals who were cognitively normal, suggesting that subjective cognitive concerns may reflect subtle changes that occur before measurable cognitive impairment develops.

✨ These findings support the value of including both self- and informant-reported cognitive concerns during evaluations, particularly in Hispanic older adults. Recognizing these early signs may improve the identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias while promoting more equitable and culturally informed cognitive assessments.

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How can we make cognitive testing more accurate for Spanish-speaking Latino older adults? This week's featured study examines whether self-reported years of education or grade-equivalent reading level provides a better way to interpret cognitive test performance.

📊 Researchers evaluated 140 Spanish-speaking U.S. Latino adults with subjective cognitive concerns. They found that participants' estimated grade-equivalent reading level was often substantially higher than their self-reported years of education. When cognitive test scores were adjusted using reading level rather than years of education, more individuals met criteria for cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that years of education alone may not fully capture a person's educational experience, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

✨ Improving how cognitive tests are interpreted can help reduce misclassification, promote more equitable evaluations, and ensure that Spanish-speaking Latino older adults receive more accurate assessments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
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Can your eyes reveal changes in the brain before memory problems begin? This week's featured study explores whether pupil responses during a visual search task could serve as an early indicator of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

📊The researchers examined cognitively healthy older adults with and without Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. Although both groups performed equally well on the visual search task, individuals with biomarker-positive Alzheimer's disease showed reduced pupil dilation as task difficulty increased. Smaller pupil responses were also associated with higher levels of plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau217) and poorer performance on memory and executive function measures. These findings suggest that subtle changes in the brain's arousal system may occur long before noticeable cognitive symptoms appear.

✨ This research highlights the potential of task-evoked pupillometry—a simple, non-invasive measure of pupil size—as a promising tool for detecting early Alzheimer's-related changes and improving preclinical screening.

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How can community-based cognitive screening help increase Latino participation in Alzheimer's disease research? This week's featured study explores how bringing memory screening directly into community medical clinics can help connect more Latino older adults with research opportunities while providing an important clinical service.

📊Researchers implemented a cognitive screening program in primary care and neurology clinics serving predominantly Latino communities. Of the 523 Latino older adults screened, over 99% agreed to allow their screening data to be used for research, and more than 85% agreed to be contacted about Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) research opportunities. The program ultimately generated 368 referrals to 45 research studies, demonstrating that community-based screening can successfully increase participation in Alzheimer's research.

✨ These findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive, community-centered approaches to improving research participation. Expanding access to cognitive screening can help ensure that Latino communities are better represented in Alzheimer's research, leading to discoveries and treatments that are more inclusive and equitable.

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How does language dominance influence memory testing in older bilingual adults? This week's featured study examines how being more proficient in one language than another can affect performance on verbal memory tests in older Spanish–English bilinguals.

📊 The researchers found that participants consistently recalled more words when tested in their dominant language than in their nondominant language—especially during the first learning trial. The study also showed that objective measures of language proficiency were better predictors of memory performance than self-reported language ability. These findings suggest that language dominance can significantly influence verbal memory test results and should be considered during cognitive assessments.

✨ By accounting for language dominance, clinicians and researchers can improve the accuracy of memory evaluations and help ensure that bilingual older adults are assessed more fairly, reducing the risk of misinterpreting normal language differences as signs of cognitive impairment.

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Dr. Judy Pa and Dr. Iris Broce-Diaz have received funding to study women's brain health. New grants will support studies of menopause, hormone therapy and Alzheimer’s risk, as well as development of a clinical tool for earlier dementia detection. Read the article here.
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/uc-san-diego-researchers-receive-major-grants-as-part-of-50m-effort-to-advance-womens-brain-UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Researchers Receive Major Grants as Part of $50M Effort to Advance Women’s Brain Health New grants to UC San Diego researchers will help them explain why women are more likely to get Alzheimer's disease and develop new risk-prediction tools for clinicians.

🧠 Article of the Week Spotlight
How can we better understand cognitive differences in aging and their links to Alzheimer’s and vascular disease? This week’s featured study uses data-driven phenotypes from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study to explore patterns of cognitive performance and how they relate to ADRD (Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias) and cerebrovascular biomarkers.

📊 The research identified distinct cognitive subgroups ranging from predominantly memory vs. executive dysfunction to mixed profiles and showed that these patterns were differentially associated with biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular disease. Their findings suggest that cognitive decline is not uniform, but instead reflects heterogeneous profiles with unique underlying pathology.

✨ Recognizing this cognitive heterogeneity can improve how we detect, track, and target interventions for individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s and vascular brain disease earlier and more precisely.
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As you have heard, the proposed changes to Proposition 1 are threatening to cut vital programs that older adults and family caregivers depend on every day, and the BHSA Integrated Plan does not account for these devastating losses. So, we need your help!

Watch this short video message to understand what's at stake and what it means for our most vulnerable community members. Then, Take Action: contact your legislators TODAY and urge them to protect these essential services before it's too late. Go to www.caregivercenter.org/help to find out how.
Dear caregivers!
We stand in support of our partners at Southern Caregiver Resource Center and are asking you to send a message to your State Representatives in support of this important initiative. The process takes less than five minutes, and participation can make a meaningful impact at the State and local level.

We strongly encourage you to not only participate yourself, but also encourage your family members, friends, colleagues, clients, and others in your network to urge their State Representatives to take action. With a short timeframe for action, every message, and every share matters!

Today's Caring Through the Last Chapter Educational Event in partnership with Southern Caregiver Resource Center was a great success! The expertise and resources provided to attendees were practical and actionable. The recorded presentations will be posted to our YouTube channel soon!