We aimed to analyze the relationship between optimism and quality of life (QoL) among informal caregivers of patients with dementia (PWD).

In this cross-sectional study, a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the association between optimism and caregiver's QoL after controlling the effect of different covariates, including burden.

A sample of 130 PWD and their informal caregivers underwent a comprehensive protocol of assessment.

Caregivers completed the Battery of Generalized Expectancies of Control Scales, the Zarit Burden Interview, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief as measure of QoL. Optimism was estimated based on the combination of three expectancies of control, namely, self-efficacy, contingency, and success.

QoL correlated positively with optimism and negatively with burden. Optimism predicted each dimension of QoL, even after controlling for the effect of sociodemographic, care-recipients’ clinical covariates, and burden in all models.

Optimism consistently predicted well-being and QoL in informal caregivers of PWD.

Research on psychobiological markers of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains a hot topic. Non-motor symptoms such as depression and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) each attribute to a particular neurodegenerative cluster in PD, and might enlighten the way for early prediction/detection of PD. The neuropathology of mood disturbances remains unclear. In fact, a few studies have investigated depression using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (diffusion MRI).

Diffusion MRI of PD patients without comorbid RBD was used to assess whether microstructural abnormalities are detectable in the brain of 40 PD patients with depression compared to 19 patients without depression. Diffusion MRI connectometry was used to carry out group analysis between age- and gender-matched PD patients with and without depressive symptoms. Diffusion MRI connectometry is based on spin distribution function, which quantifies the density of diffusing water and is a sensitive and specific analytical method to psychological differences between groups.

A significant difference (FDR = 0.016129) was observed in the left and right uncinate fasciculi, left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculi, left and right fornices, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, right corticospinal tract, genu of corpus callosum, and middle cerebellar peduncle.

These results suggest the prominent circuits involved in emotion recognition, particularly negative emotions, might be impaired in comorbid depressive symptoms in PD.

To examine whether previously established associations between experiences of meaning in life on the one hand and life satisfaction and depressive symptoms on the other hand are transferable to a population of older residential care residents with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Cross-sectional study using questionnaires administered in a structured interview format.

Nine residential care settings in Flanders, Belgium.

Convenience sample of 138 older adults (+65) living in residential care with a diagnosis of AD.

Meaning in life was measured using the Presence of Meaning (PoM) subscale of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire-Short Form, life satisfaction was measured using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), depressive symptoms were measured using a five-item short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and general cognitive status was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Controlling for demographic variables (age, sex, and marital status) and cognitive status, meaning in life scores were positively predictive of life satisfaction scores and negatively predictive of depressive symptoms. Post-hoc analyses suggested a possible interaction between meaning in life and cognitive status in predicting both outcomes of psychological functioning (GDS and SWLS).

The presence of meaning in life is related to important well-being outcomes for older adults with AD living in residential care. More awareness for the importance of existential themes and interventions fostering meaning might be warranted for this population.