Bei der Entwicklung dieses Lehrbuchs haben alle Beteiligten gemeinsam das Ziel verfolgt, das neue Standardwerk der deutschsprachigen Geriatrie zu präsentieren. Es beleuchtet die ganze Palette der Erkrankungen im höheren Lebensalter und der geriatrischen Syndrome, darunter Ernährungs- und Stoffwechselstörungen, Mobilitätsstörungen, Infektionskrankheiten, Tumorerkrankungen, Herz-Kreislauf- und Gefäßerkrankungen, neurologische Erkrankungen, die verschiedenen Formen des kognitiven Abbaus sowie Sarkopenie und Frailty. Zu weiteren wesentlichen Themen gehören das funktionelle Assessment, die Polypharmazie sowie die Palliativmedizin des älteren Patienten. Das Buch vermittelt ein Verständnis von Geriatrie als interdisziplinäre und interprofessionelle Komplexitätsmedizin mit dem Anspruch, ältere Patienten bestmöglich zu behandeln und auf diese Weise ihre Lebensqualität zu erhalten oder zu verbessern. Abschließend werden biologische, epidemiologische und politische Aspekte des Alterns reflektiert. Mit einem modernen, systematischen Aufbau, zahlreichen didaktischen Elementen und anschaulichen Abbildungen ist das Werk ideal für den Einsatz in Klinik und Praxis. In über 130 Kapiteln werden Schlüsselkonzepte der Diagnostik und Behandlung sowie alle relevanten Fragen und Problemstellungen behandelt. Dieses Buch wird Freude an der Geriatrie vermitteln, inspirieren und als Nachschlagewerk für die tägliche Arbeit dienen. Die vier Herausgeber wurden von einem Team von Sektionsherausgebern unterstützt, die anerkannte Experten auf dem Fachgebiet der Geriatrie und der Altersmedizin sind. Die mehr als 200 Autorinnen und Autoren wurden aufgrund ihrer wissenschaftlichen Expertise und ihrer praktischen Erfahrung eingebunden. Ohne die Fachvertreter der benachbarten Disziplinen wäre es nicht möglich gewesen, den hohen Ansprüchen dieser Publikation gerecht zu werden. Dieses neue Standardwerk ist an eine umfangreiche Leserschaft gerichtet: Fachärztinnen und -ärzte für Geriatrie, die eine verlässliche Referenz suchen, Ärztinnen und Ärzte in Weiterbildung bis hin zu allen ärztlichen Kolleginnen und Kollegen, die mit der Versorgung älterer Patienten befasst sind.

In der Gerontologie wird die Notwendigkeit hochwertiger Interventionen samt Prävention mit dem Erreichen des Renteneintritts der Babyboomer-Generation, dem stetigen Anstieg der Lebenserwartung und dem künftigen Fachkräftemangel drängender denn je. Vor diesem Hintergrund zeigt die neue "Interventionsgerontologie" wie ihre Vorgänger in den Jahren 2000 und 2012 prägnant das breite Spektrum an verhaltensbezogenen Interventionen in 100 Beiträgen. Neu an der "Interventionsgerontologie" ist eine nochmals deutlich verstärkte Bestandsaufnahme der jeweils verfügbaren Forschungsevidenz. In Kapitel 100 wird dazu im Sinne einer Metasynthese eine Gesamtbewertung der im Buch berücksichtigten Interventionsformen präsentiert. Damit stellt das Buch einen verlässlichen und kritischen Kompass durch die Vielfalt an heute verfügbaren Gerontologie-Interventionen dar.

Abstract: Cognition emerges from coordinated processing among distributed cortical brain regions, enabled through interconnected white matter networks. Cortical disconnection caused by age-related decline in white matter integrity (WMI) is likely to contribute to age-related cognitive decline. Physical activity (PA) has been suggested to have beneficial effects on white matter structure. However, its potential to counteract age-related decline in WMI is not yet well established. The present explorative study analyzed if PA was associated with WMI in cognitively healthy older adults and if this association was modulated by age. Forty-four cognitively healthy older individuals (aged 60-88 years) with diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) and PA measurements were included from the AgeGain study. Voxelwise analysis using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) demonstrated that PA was associated with WMI in older adults. However, results emphasized that this association was restricted to high age. The association between PA and WMI was found in widespread white matter regions suggesting a global rather than a regional effect. Supplementary analyses demonstrated an association between the integrity of these regions and the performance in memory [verbal learning and memory test (VLMT)] and executive functioning (Tower of London).Results of the present explorative study support the assumption that PA is associated with WMI in older adults. However, results emphasize that this association is restricted to high age. Since cognitive decline in the elderly is typically most pronounced in later stages of aging, PA qualifies as a promising tool to foster resilience against age-related cognitive decline, via the preservation of the integrity of the brains WM

Abstract: Background: Normal aging is associated with working memory decline. A decrease in working memory performance is associated with age-related changes in functional activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in healthy older adults. We implemented a cognitive training study to assess determinants of generalization of training gains to untrained tasks, a key indicator for the effectiveness of cognitive training. We aimed to investigate the association of resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of DLPFC with working memory performance improvement and cognitive gains after the training. Method: A sample of 60 healthy older adults (mean age: 68 years) underwent a 4-week neuropsychological training, entailing a working memory task. Baseline resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) images were acquired in order to investigate the FC of DLPFC. To evaluate training effects, participants underwent a neuropsychological assessment before and after the training. A second follow-up assessment was applied 12 weeks after the training. We used cognitive scores of digit span backward and visual block span backward tasks representing working memory function. The training group was divided into subjects who had and who did not have training gains, which was defined as a higher improvement in working memory tasks than the control group (N = 19). Results: A high FC of DLPFC of the right hemisphere was significantly associated with training gains and performance improvement in the visuospatial task. The maintenance of cognitive gains was restricted to the time period directly after the training. The training group showed performance improvement in the digit span backward task. Conclusion: Functional activation patterns of the DLPFC were associated with the degree of working memory training gains and visuospatial performance improvement. Although improvement through cognitive training and acquisition of training gains are possible in aging, they remain limited

Abstract: Background Most people with dementia (PwD) are cared for at home, with general practitioners (GPs) playing a key part in the treatment. However, primary dementia care suffers from a number of shortcomings: Often, diagnoses are made too late and therapies by GPs do not follow the guidelines. In cases of acute crises, PwD are too often admitted to hospital with adverse effects on the further course of the disease. The aim of this study is to implement and evaluate a new GP-based, complex dementia care model, DemStepCare. DemStepCare aims to ensure demand-oriented, stepped care for PwD and their caregivers. Methods/design In a cluster randomized controlled trial, the care of PwD receiving a complex intervention, where the GP is supported by a multi-professional team, is compared to (slightly expanded) usual care. GPs are clustered by GP practice, with 120 GP practices participating in total. GP practices are randomized to an intervention or a control group. 800 PwD are to be included per group. Recruitment takes place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In addition, a second control group with at least 800 PwD will be formed using aggregated routine data from German health insurance companies. The intervention comprises the training of GPs, case management including repeated risk assessment of the patients' care situation, the demand-oriented service of an outpatient clinic, an electronic case record, external medication analyses and a link to regional support services. The primary aims of the intervention are to positively influence the quality of life for PwD, to reduce the caregivers' burden, and to reduce the days spent in hospital. Secondary endpoints address medication adequacy and GPs' attitudes and sensitivity towards dementia, among others. Discussion The GP-based dementia care model DemStepCare is intended to combine a number of promising interventions to provide a complex, stepped intervention that follows the individual needs of PwD and their caregivers. Its effectiveness and feasibility will be assessed in a formative and a summative evaluation. Trial registration German Register of Clinical Trials (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, DRKS), DRKS00023560. Registered 13 November 2020 - Retrospectively registered. HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00023560