Participation in leisure activities is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, even after adjustment for base-line cognitive status and after the exclusion of subjects with possible preclinical dementia. Controlled trials are needed to assess the protective effect of cognitive leisure activities on the risk of dementia.

Primary chronic daily headache can be subdivided into transformed migraine, chronic tension-type headache, hemicrania continua, and new daily persistent headache. We proposed and tested criteria in 150 consecutive outpatients with chronic daily headache. Based on preliminary analysis, we revised the criteria for transformed migraine. Using the International Headache Society criteria, 43% of the patients could not be classified; using our old criteria, 25% could not be classified; however, using our new criteria, we were able to classify 100%. Seventy-eight percent had transformed migraine, 15.3% had chronic tension-type headache, and 6.7% had other headache disorders.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

In a preliminary effort to improve the early diagnosis of dementia, we developed a regression-based method for estimating premorbid intelligence measured by the ability to read irregular words from the American version of the Nelson Adult Reading Test (AMNART). Using errors on the AMNART and years of education, a model for predicting current verbal intelligence (VIQ) was developed in a sample of nondemented elderly. Double cross validation showed that the model had high accuracy and stability in estimating current VIQ in nondemented subjects. The model was then used to estimate premorbid VIQ in mildly demented subjects. Estimated premorbid IQ exceeded current IQ by at least 10 points and did not differ from that of nondemented subjects. Less than 10% of nondemented elderly had discrepancies that were as large. If intellectual decline predicts future functional loss and can be reliably measured using cross-sectional data, the requirement of functional impairment may be an unnecessary barrier to the early diagnosis of dementia.

Researchers assert that affective responses to seemingly minor daily events have long-term implications for mental health, yet this phenomenon has rarely been investigated. In the current study, we examined how levels of daily negative affect and affective reactivity in response to daily stressors predicted general affective distress and self-reported anxiety and depressive disorders 10 years after they were first assessed. Across eight consecutive evenings, participants (N = 711; age = 25 to 74 years) reported their daily stressors and their daily negative affect. Increased levels of negative affect on nonstressor days were related to general affective distress and symptoms of an affective disorder 10 years later. Heightened affective reactivity to daily stressors predicted greater general affective distress and increased likelihood of reporting an affective disorder. These findings suggest that the average levels of negative affect that people experience and how they respond to seemingly minor events in their daily lives have long-term implications for their mental health.

The MIS provides efficient, reliable, and valid screening for AD and other dementias.

The relations between dual-task effects and aging were examined through a meta-analysis of 33 studies (with 48 independent participant groups) using latency as the dependent measure and 30 studies (with 40 independent participant groups) focusing on accuracy. Brinley plots and state traces were derived, and a model to explicate different types of complexity (additive and multiplicative) was developed. The effects of dual-task processing on latency were additive, and this additive cost was larger in older adults than in younger adults and larger than predicted from general slowing. This cost was small and independent of task complexity. The effects of dual-task processing on logit-transformed accuracy were likewise additive, but no specific age deficit was associated with this dual-task cost.

A central goal of daily stress research is to identify resilience and vulnerability factors associated with exposure and reactivity to daily stressors. The current study examined how age differences and global perceptions of stress relate to exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors. Sixty-seven younger (M age = 20) and 116 older (M age = 80) adults completed a daily stress diary and measures of positive and negative affect on 6 days over a 14 day period. Participants also completed a measure of global perceived stress. Results revealed that reported exposure to daily stressors is reduced in old age, but that emotional reactivity to daily stressors did not differ between young and older adults. Global perceived stress was associated with greater reported exposure to daily stressors in old adults, and greater stress-related increases in negative affect in younger adults. Furthermore, across days on which daily stressors were reported, intraindividual variability in the number and severity of stressors reported was associated with increased negative affect, but only among younger adults. KeywordsAging; Stress; Emotion; Emotional Reactivity The experience of both major life events and daily stressors has been linked to numerous negative physical health outcomes, as well as mental health and psychological well-being (Baum & Posluzny, 1999;Grzywacz, Almeida, Neupert & Ettner, 2004;Kiecolt-Glaser, McGuire, Robles, & Glaser, 2002;Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). In contrast to major life events, which are relatively rare, daily stressors (or "hassles") are minor stressors that occur with greater frequency and represent proximal aspects of stress in individuals' daily lives and environments. There has been increased interest in examining factors associated with exposure and reactivity to daily stressors in order to identify risk-and protective-factors (Almeida, 2005). Furthermore, it is important to understand who is at risk for experiencing daily stressors, as well what factors exacerbate (or protect against) reactivity to these events, because these minor hassles could have long-lasting, detrimental effects on physical and mental health (Lazarus, 1999;Zautra, 2003). The current study was conducted to examine reported exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors in younger (e.g., in their 20s) and older (e.g., in their 80s) adults, and the role of one's perceived stress in exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors.Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Robert S. Stawski, Pennsylvania State University -Gerontology Center, 135 E. Nittany Ave., Suite 405, State College, PA 16801, Ph: 814.865.7374, Fax: 814.863.9423, rss24@psu.edu, or Recent studies have shown that age plays an important role in daily stress processes (Mroczek & Almeida, 2004;Sliwinski, Smyth, Hofer & Stawski, 2006), and understanding the role of age in exposure and reactivity to daily stressors is important because it can help characterize daily experiences and well-being across the lifespan. Furth...