Iris Blotenberg

Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen | DZNE

INTRODUCTION This study investigated the association between modifiable factors and symptom progression in dementia over up to 8 years. METHODS Multilevel growth curve models assessed the role of modifiable risk factors (low education, hearing impairment and its treatment, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes and its treatment, smoking, hyper...

Background Previous trials reported that collaborative Dementia Care Management (cDCM) could be effective for patients and caregivers and cost‐effective for healthcare systems in the short term. However, long‐term evidence is lacking. Therefore, the study’s objective was to determine the long‐term efficacy and cost‐effectiveness of cDCM compared wi...

Background Approximately 1.8 million individuals in Germany live with dementia, imposing a substantial burden on family caregivers who provide most care and often experience health issues, social isolation, and diminished quality of life. Recognizing and addressing the diverse needs of these caregivers is vital for their well‐being and the stabilit...

Background The aim of the present study was twofold: First, to examine the validity of previously reported sociodemographic (age, sex) and clinical predictors (cognitive status, functional status, comorbidities) for the life expectancy in people with dementia in a community sample. Second, to investigate the role of social support beyond individual...

Background Previous trials reported that collaborative Dementia Care Management (cDCM) could be cost‐effective in the short term, especially for those living alone. However, long‐term evidence is lacking. Therefore, the study’s objective was to determine the long‐term efficacy and cost‐effectiveness of cDCM in those living alone compared to those l...

Purpose We investigated the effects of a multidomain lifestyle intervention conducted in older adults at increased risk for dementia on participants’ diet. Methods Secondary analyses of the cluster-randomized AgeWell.de-trial, testing a multidomain intervention (optimization of nutrition and medication, enhancement of physical, social and cognitiv...

Introduction Health disparities pose a considerable challenge for older adults individuals, particularly those with a heightened risk of developing dementia. Discrepancies in health status among various income brackets are only partially attributable to structural factors such as working and living conditions or the quality of food. The aim of this...

Background Social participation as a protective factor against cognitive decline was one of the targets in the AgeWell.de study, a multi-domain interventional trial in a sample of older adults at increased risk for dementia. This study aimed to examine differential effects of the intervention and other influencing factors on social participation th...

Objectives: Various dementia risk scores exist that assess different factors. We investigated the association between the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score and modifiable risk factors in the Lifestyle for Brain Health (LIBRA) score in a German population at high risk of Alzheimer's disease. Method: Basel...

Importance Long-term evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of collaborative dementia care management (CDCM) is lacking. Objective To evaluate whether 6 months of CDCM is associated with improved patient clinical outcomes and caregiver burden and is cost-effective compared with usual care over 36 months. Design, Setting, and Partic...

BACKGROUND The use of unsupervised, app-based cognitive assessments provides considerable opportunities for early and comprehensive testing for Alzheimer’s disease, minimizing the demand on time and personnel resources in medical practices. However, the acceptance of such an app within healthcare has yet to be assessed. OBJECTIVE In this pilot stu...

Background: Caregivers of people with dementia living at home (CPwDh) are likely to be affected by a range of health problems. However, CPwDh are often regarded as accompanying persons and receive less attention in research and care. Little is known about this population and their needs in Germany. However, better knowledge of CPwDH is needed to d...

Background: Studies demonstrate associations between low social activity in older adults and cognitive decline. Little has been investigated regarding which factors are associated with low social activity in older adults at increased risk of dementia. Objective: We investigate which sociodemographic, psychological, health-related, and environmental...

Introduction Differences between women and men matter in the prevalence and risk factors of dementia. We aimed to examine potential sex differences regarding the effectiveness by running a secondary analysis of the AgeWell.de trial, a cluster-randomized multicenter multi-domain lifestyle intervention to reduce cognitive decline. Methods Intention-...

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the role of support from the social environment for the life expectancy in people with dementia beyond well-established individual demographic and clinical predictors over a period of up to 8 years. Methods The analyses are based on data from 500 community-dwelling individuals in Germany who test...

Background To support informal caregivers of people with dementia, it is crucial to identify sources of stress and burden, recognize early warning signs for timely intervention, and actively promote resilience. The Resilience and Strain Questionnaire in Caregivers of People with Dementia (ResQ-Care-Dem) has been developed to identify particularly v...

Background As the German population ages, the number of people with dementia is predicted to rise considerably in the upcoming decades. In the absence of a disease‐modifying treatment, prevention is key to curb the growing numbers of dementia cases. In order to tailor prevention approaches to the German context, knowledge about the potential for pr...

INTRODUCTION We investigated the effectiveness of a multidomain intervention to preserve cognitive function in older adults at risk for dementia in Germany in a cluster‐randomized trial. METHODS Individuals with a Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) risk score ≥ 9 aged 60 to 77 years were recruited. After randomization of thei...

To develop effective dementia prevention strategies, it is necessary to understand risk factors, associated factors and early signs of dementia. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is the earliest form of dementia. The aim of this study is to assess depression as a factor that is significantly associated with SCD. The data of 1030 general practition...

Background: The further development of public-health approaches for the prevention of dementia requires estimates of the number of people with dementia, trends in incidence and prevalence, and the potential impact of preventive measures. Methods: The projections described here are based on incidence and prevalence data for Europe and on current...

This study aims to describe social network and social participation and to assess associations with depressive symptoms in older persons with increased risk for dementia in Germany. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study in primary care patients (aged 60–77) as part of a multicenter cluster-randomized controlled trial (AgeWell.de). We p...

Background While single indicators measure a specific aspect of quality (e.g. timely support during labour), users of these indicators such as patients, providers and policy-makers are typically interested in some broader construct (e.g. quality of maternity care) whose measurement requires a set of indicators. However, guidance on desirable proper...

Organisations are subject to ongoing changes. These changes offer opportunities but they can also increase the uncertainty about the future of jobs. Although there is a large body of literature on job insecurity, most studies focus on the worry of losing the job while another important stressor, namely the worry of losing valued job features, recei...

We examined perceptual modality sequence learning by presenting number words either visually (V) or auditorily (A). Manual responses were assigned to number identity, which was random, but the stimulus modalities followed a predictable 6-element sequence (e.g., VVAAVA). In two experiments, we assessed sequence-specific learning as the performance d...

Most psychometric tests assessing sustained attention are characterized by a specific presentation mode: Many items are presented simultaneously and the test takers are required to constantly process and react to them until the testing time is up. The aim of the present study was to look into two mechanisms that potentially underlie performance in...

The present study set out to explore the locus of the poorly understood but frequently reported and comparatively large practice effect in sustained attention tests. Drawing on a recently proposed process model of sustained attention tests, several cognitive tasks were administered twice in order to examine which specific component of test performa...

Taking up new approaches and calls for experimental test validation, in the present study we propose and validate a process model of sustained attention tests. Four sub-components were postulated: the perception of an item, a simple mental operation to solve the item, a motor reaction, and the shift to the next item. In two studies, several cogniti...

The ability to learn event sequences is crucial to human behavior because it enables us to interact adaptively with our environment. The sensory environment is essential in guiding the acquisition of these sequences, so the role of the stimulus modality in sequence learning is of high relevance. The present study examined structured stimulus modali...

Die Konzentrationsfähigkeit spielt eine besondere Rolle für berufliche und andere alltägliche Aufgaben. In dieser Studie wurde die Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse in Konzentrationstests auf die Konzentrationsleistung im Alltag untersucht. Dafür wurden 101 Probanden die Konzentrationstests d2-R elektronisch, ein auditiver Aufmerksamkeitstest, ein Sor...

The process of sequence learning is at the heart of human skilled performance and is essentially guided by the sensory environment. Thus, it is important to investigate the role of stimulus modalities in sequence learning. In the present study, we combined sequence learning in the serial reaction time (SRT) task and modality shifting. 32 participan...

Service robotics has great potential for helping people to live independent lives in their own homes. However, if this potential is to be fully exploited in the near future, research and development cannot limit itself to solving the technological challenges involved. The only way to develop service robots that people will accept is to get potentia...

Content, usability and aesthetics are core constructs in users' perception and evaluation of websites, but little is known about their interplay in different use phases. In a first study, web users (n=330) stated content as most relevant, followed by usability and aesthetics. In Study 2, tests with four websites were performed (n=300), and resultin...