This systematic review examined whether event-related potentials (ERPs) during higher cognitive processing can detect subtle, early signs of neurodegenerative disease. Original, empirical studies retrieved from PsycINFO and PubMed were reviewed if they analyzed patterns in cognitive ERPs (³150ms post-stimulus) differentiating mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), or cognitively intact elders who carry AD risk through the Apolipoprotein-E ε4 allele (ε4+) from healthy older adult controls (HC). The 100 studies meeting inclusion criteria (MCI=47; AD=47; ε4+=6) analyzed N200, P300, N400, and occasionally, later components. While there was variability across studies, patterns of reduced amplitude and delayed latency were apparent in pathological aging, consistent with AD-related brain atrophy and cognitive impairment. These effects were particularly evident in advanced disease progression (i.e., AD > MCI) and in later ERP components measured during complex tasks. Although ERP studies in intact ε4+ elders are thus far scarce, a similar pattern of delayed latency was notable, along with a contrasting pattern of increased amplitude, consistent with compensatory neural activation. This limited work suggests ERPs might be able to index early neural changes indicative of future cognitive decline in otherwise healthy elders. As ERPs are also accessible and affordable relative to other neuroimaging methods, their addition to cognitive assessment might substantively enhance early identification and characterization of neural dysfunction, allowing opportunity for earlier differential diagnosis and targeting of intervention. To evaluate this possibility there is urgent need for well-powered studies assessing late cognitive ERPs during complex tasks, particularly in healthy elders at risk for cognitive decline.

This systematic review examined whether event-related potentials (ERPs) during higher cognitive processing can detect subtle, early signs of neurodegenerative disease. Original, empirical studies retrieved from PsycINFO and PubMed were reviewed if they analyzed patterns in cognitive ERPs (150ms post-stimulus) differentiating mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or cognitively intact elders who carry AD risk through the Apolipoprotein-E ε4 allele (ε4+) from healthy older adult controls (HC). The 100 studies meeting inclusion criteria (MCI=47; AD=47; ε4+=6) analyzed N200, P300, N400, and occasionally, later components. While there was variability across studies, patterns of reduced amplitude and delayed latency were apparent in pathological aging, consistent with AD-related brain atrophy and cognitive impairment. These effects were particularly evident in advanced disease progression (i.e., AD > MCI) and in later ERP components measured during complex tasks. Although ERP studies in intact ε4+ elders are thus far scarce, a similar pattern of delayed latency was notable, along with a contrasting pattern of increased amplitude, consistent with compensatory neural activation. This limited work suggests ERPs might be able to index early neural changes indicative of future cognitive decline in otherwise healthy elders. As ERPs are also accessible and affordable relative to other neuroimaging methods, their addition to cognitive assessment might substantively enhance early identification and characterization of neural dysfunction, allowing opportunity for earlier differential diagnosis and targeting of intervention. To evaluate this possibility there is urgent need for well-powered studies assessing late cognitive ERPs during complex tasks, particularly in healthy elders at risk for cognitive decline.

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Anniversaries of traumatic events are associated with increased symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, especially in individuals with prior mental health symptoms. However, research has largely focussed on 1‐year anniversaries, and it is unclear whether symptom exacerbation persists for more distal, or milestone, anniversaries. Symptoms typically decrease over time after traumatic events, but major anniversaries may be associated with increases in mental health symptoms. During and 3 months after the 50th anniversary of the political protest violence at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, 115 individuals completed measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and anniversary‐related stress. Participants reported greater stress (t(97) = 4.04 p ≤ .001) during the 50th anniversary compared to 3 months later, but there were no differences in total PTSD (t(114) = .65, p = .52) or depression/anxiety symptoms (all p's > .05). Even in higher‐risk individuals (those who previously received mental health services), symptoms did not differ during versus after the anniversary. In general, long‐term anniversaries may contribute to transient increases in distress but do not induce major changes in mental health symptoms.

Rates of, and relationships between, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) decades after a single-incident trauma remain unclear. During a two-month period surrounding the 50th anniversary of the political protest violence at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, 132 individuals completed measures of PTG, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. Participants were, on average, 19 years old (SD = 3.01) on May 4, 1970, and 44% were present at the protests. 17% met cutoff scores consistent with PTG, 6% for PTSD, 8% for anxiety, 11% for depression and 20% for sleep difficulties. PTG was significantly and positively correlated with PTSD ( r = .32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.44) and anxiety ( r = .23, 95% CI: 0.08-0.38) but not depression or sleep difficulties after controlling for additional trauma exposure since May 4, 1970. All relationships were best explained by linear rather than curvilinear relationships and were not moderated by proximity to the events of May 4, 1970. Results indicate that clinicians working with survivors of trauma decades later may be able to capitalize on the adaptive functions of PTG to foster positive treatment outcomes.

No abstract