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Introduction: Poststroke cognitive impairment is common, but the trajectory and magnitude of cognitive change after stroke are unclear. We aimed to measure changes in the trajectory of cognitive function following a first stroke, controlling for pre-stroke cognitive performance using diverse population-based studies from the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC). Methods: Fourteen longitudinal cohorts from 11 countries from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia contributed data. Cognitive domain scores were formed by selecting the most common test administered amongst studies in each domain (memory, processing speed, language, and executive function) and the scores standardised; global cognition was the standardised average of the 4 domains and the primary outcome. One-stage IPD meta- analysis with linear mixed model and regression discontinuity design was used to model the change in cognitive function. Time-dependent incident stroke, age, time in study, and time since stroke were included in the basic model. In the full model we adjusted for sex, education, ethno- racial group, study period and potential confounders significant in the basic model at p

Aging, even when healthy, involves changes in cognitive functioning that can gradually affect the everyday activities and well-being of older people. Reading, which requires the integrity of several functions and their integration, is important to maintaining high cognitive and emotional stimulation over time. Our study aimed to investigate whether reading ability declines with aging. To explore also why reading would decline, we explored the changes in the performance of visual and attention tasks. A group of 58 neurologically healthy older people aged from 65 to 75 underwent neuropsychological assessment to investigate their global cognitive functioning, reading skills, crowding, and attention components. We found a decline in reading abilities as a function of aging (β = 0.34, p < 0.05). We did not find an increase in crowding or difficulties in visual acuity. Furthermore, we found no decline with age in tasks of simple reaction times, visuospatial attention, and other single components of attention. Interestingly, we instead found a worsening with age in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (β = −0.26, p < 0.05), involving attention, working memory, and processing speed, which explains part of the reading decline. Our results suggest that task complexity is a fundamental aspect to account for aging changes.