920 results on '"Cognitive ageing"'
Search Results
2. Neural ageing and synaptic plasticity: prioritizing brain health in healthy longevity.
- Author
-
Navakkode, Sheeja and Kennedy, Brian K.
- Subjects
BRAIN physiology ,LIFESTYLES ,AUTOPHAGY ,NEUROPLASTICITY ,NEURAL pathways ,NEUROINFLAMMATION ,AGING ,COGNITION disorders ,QUALITY of life ,HIPPOCAMPUS (Brain) ,LONGEVITY ,COGNITIVE aging ,ACTIVE aging - Abstract
Ageing is characterized by a gradual decline in the efficiency of physiological functions and increased vulnerability to diseases. Ageing affects the entire body, including physical, mental, and social well-being, but its impact on the brain and cognition can have a particularly significant effect on an individual's overall quality of life. Therefore, enhancing lifespan and physical health in longevity studies will be incomplete if cognitive ageing is over looked. Promoting successful cognitive ageing encompasses the objectives of mitigating cognitive decline, as well as simultaneously enhancing brain function and cognitive reserve. Studies in both humans and animal models indicate that cognitive decline related to normal ageing and age-associated brain disorders are more likely linked to changes in synaptic connections that form the basis of learning and memory. This activitydependent synaptic plasticity reorganises the structure and function of neurons not only to adapt to new environments, but also to remain robust and stable over time. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms that are responsible for age-related cognitive decline becomes increasingly important. In this review, we explore the multifaceted aspects of healthy brain ageing with emphasis on synaptic plasticity, its adaptive mechanisms and the various factors affecting the decline in cognitive functions during ageing. We will also explore the dynamic brain and neuroplasticity, and the role of lifestyle in shaping neuronal plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Estimating Gender Differences in the Association between Cognitive Resilience and Mild Cognitive Impairment Incidence.
- Author
-
Leung, Yvonne, Eramudugolla, Ranmalee, Cherbuin, Nicolas, Peters, Ruth, Mortby, Moyra E., Kiely, Kim M., and Anstey, Kaarin J.
- Subjects
- *
GENDER differences (Psychology) , *VERBAL ability , *MILD cognitive impairment , *APOLIPOPROTEIN E , *APOLIPOPROTEIN E4 , *COGNITION disorders , *EDUCATIONAL attainment - Abstract
Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that the influence of verbal intelligence and education on the onset of subjective cognitive decline may be modulated by gender, where education contributes less to cognitive resilience (CR) in women than in men. This study aimed to examine gender differences in the association between CR and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) incidence in an Australian population-based cohort. Methods: We included 1,806 participants who had completed at least the first two waves and up to four waves of assessments in the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life study (baseline: 49% female, male = 62.5, SD = 1.5, age range = 60–66 years). CR proxies included measures of educational attainment, occupation skill, verbal intelligence, and leisure activity. Discrete-time survival analyses were conducted to examine gender differences in the association between CR proxies and MCI risk, adjusting for age and apolipoprotein E4 status. Results: Gender differences were only found in the association between occupation and MCI risk, where lower occupation skill was more strongly associated with higher risk in men than in women (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.07, 1.57]). In both genders, after adjusting for education and occupation, one SD increase in leisure activity was associated with lower MCI risk by 32% (OR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.65, 0.89]). Higher scores in verbal intelligence assessment were associated with reduced risk of MCI by 28% (OR = 0.78, 95% CI [0.69, 0.89]). Conclusion: Occupational experience may contribute to CR differently between genders. Life course cognitive engagement and verbal intelligence may be more protective against MCI than education and occupation for both men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Cognitive Profiles Across Normal and Unhealthy Ageing
- Author
-
Ahamed, Fathima Shazna, Chen, Po Ling, Hasmukharay, Kejal, Rattan, Suresh I.S., Editor-in-Chief, Barbagallo, Mario, Editorial Board Member, Çakatay, Ufuk, Editorial Board Member, Fraifeld, Vadim E., Editorial Board Member, Fülöp, Tamàs, Editorial Board Member, Gruber, Jan, Editorial Board Member, Jin, Kunlin, Editorial Board Member, Kaul, Sunil, Editorial Board Member, Kaur, Gurcharan, Editorial Board Member, Le Bourg, Eric, Editorial Board Member, Lopez Lluch, Guillermo, Editorial Board Member, Moskalev, Alexey, Editorial Board Member, Nehlin, Jan, Editorial Board Member, Pawelec, Graham, Editorial Board Member, Rizvi, Syed Ibrahim, Editorial Board Member, Sholl, Jonathan, Editorial Board Member, Stambler, Ilia, Editorial Board Member, Szczerbińska, Katarzyna, Editorial Board Member, Trougakos, Ioannis P., Editorial Board Member, Wadhwa, Renu, Editorial Board Member, Wnuk, Maciej, Editorial Board Member, and Rattan, Suresh I. S., editor
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. The Impact of Psychopathology and Psychological Well-Being on Cognitive Health
- Author
-
Kua, Zaylea, Rattan, Suresh I.S., Editor-in-Chief, Barbagallo, Mario, Editorial Board Member, Çakatay, Ufuk, Editorial Board Member, Fraifeld, Vadim E., Editorial Board Member, Fülöp, Tamàs, Editorial Board Member, Gruber, Jan, Editorial Board Member, Jin, Kunlin, Editorial Board Member, Kaul, Sunil, Editorial Board Member, Kaur, Gurcharan, Editorial Board Member, Le Bourg, Eric, Editorial Board Member, Lopez Lluch, Guillermo, Editorial Board Member, Moskalev, Alexey, Editorial Board Member, Nehlin, Jan, Editorial Board Member, Pawelec, Graham, Editorial Board Member, Rizvi, Syed Ibrahim, Editorial Board Member, Sholl, Jonathan, Editorial Board Member, Stambler, Ilia, Editorial Board Member, Szczerbińska, Katarzyna, Editorial Board Member, Trougakos, Ioannis P., Editorial Board Member, Wadhwa, Renu, Editorial Board Member, Wnuk, Maciej, Editorial Board Member, and Rattan, Suresh I. S., editor
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Outcomes of home design to support healthy cognitive ageing: modified e-Delphi exercise with older people and housing-related professionals
- Author
-
Alison Bowes, Lisa Davison, Alison Dawson, and Catherine Pemble
- Subjects
E-Delphi ,Cognitive ageing ,Dementia ,Healthy ageing ,Home design ,Older people ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background There is emerging agreement that living in a home designed to support healthy cognitive ageing can enable people to live better with dementia and cognitive change. However, existing literature has used a variety of outcome measures that have infrequently been informed by the perspectives of older people or of professional in design and supply of housing. The DesHCA (Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing) study aimed to identify outcomes that were meaningful for these groups and to understand their content and meanings. Methods A presurvey of older people and housing professionals (n = 62) identified potential outcomes. These were then used in three rounds of a modified e-Delphi exercise with a panel of older people and housing professionals (n = 74) to test meanings and identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Descriptive statistics were used to present findings from previous rounds. Results The survey confirmed a wide range of possible outcomes considered important. Through the e-Delphi rounds, panellists prioritised outcomes relating to living at home that could be influenced by design, and clarified their understanding of the meanings of outcomes. In subsequent rounds, they commented on earlier results. The exercise enabled five key outcome areas to be identified – staying independent, feeling safe, living in an adaptable home, enabling physical activity and enabling enjoyed activities- which were then tested for their content and applicability in panellists’ views. Conclusion The five key outcome areas appeared meaningful to panellists, whilst also demonstrating nuanced meanings. They indicate useful outcomes for future research, though will require careful definition in each case to become measures. Importantly, they are informed by the views of those most immediately affected by better or poorer home design.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Outcomes of home design to support healthy cognitive ageing: modified e-Delphi exercise with older people and housing-related professionals.
- Author
-
Bowes, Alison, Davison, Lisa, Dawson, Alison, and Pemble, Catherine
- Subjects
DOMESTIC architecture ,OLDER people ,COGNITIVE aging ,HOMELESS persons ,SENIOR housing ,ABUSE of older people ,PHYSICAL activity - Abstract
Background: There is emerging agreement that living in a home designed to support healthy cognitive ageing can enable people to live better with dementia and cognitive change. However, existing literature has used a variety of outcome measures that have infrequently been informed by the perspectives of older people or of professional in design and supply of housing. The DesHCA (Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing) study aimed to identify outcomes that were meaningful for these groups and to understand their content and meanings. Methods: A presurvey of older people and housing professionals (n = 62) identified potential outcomes. These were then used in three rounds of a modified e-Delphi exercise with a panel of older people and housing professionals (n = 74) to test meanings and identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Descriptive statistics were used to present findings from previous rounds. Results: The survey confirmed a wide range of possible outcomes considered important. Through the e-Delphi rounds, panellists prioritised outcomes relating to living at home that could be influenced by design, and clarified their understanding of the meanings of outcomes. In subsequent rounds, they commented on earlier results. The exercise enabled five key outcome areas to be identified – staying independent, feeling safe, living in an adaptable home, enabling physical activity and enabling enjoyed activities- which were then tested for their content and applicability in panellists' views. Conclusion: The five key outcome areas appeared meaningful to panellists, whilst also demonstrating nuanced meanings. They indicate useful outcomes for future research, though will require careful definition in each case to become measures. Importantly, they are informed by the views of those most immediately affected by better or poorer home design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Healthy ageing has divergent effects on verbal and non-verbal semantic cognition.
- Author
-
Wu, Wei, Lohani, Suchismita, Homan, Taylore, Krieger-Redwood, Katya, and Hoffman, Paul
- Subjects
- *
YOUNG adults , *OLDER people , *KNOWLEDGE representation (Information theory) , *COGNITIVE aging , *AGING , *COGNITION - Abstract
Semantic cognition refers to the storage and appropriate use of knowledge acquired over the lifespan and underpins our everyday verbal and non-verbal behaviours. Successful semantic cognition requires representation of knowledge and control processes which ensure that currently relevant aspects of knowledge are retrieved and selected. Although these abilities have been widely studied in healthy young populations and semantically impaired patients, it is unclear how they change as a function of healthy ageing, especially for non-verbal semantic processing. Here, we addressed this issue by comparing the performance profiles of young and older people on a semantic knowledge task and a semantic control task, across verbal (word) and non-verbal (picture) versions. The results revealed distinct patterns of change during adulthood for semantic knowledge and semantic control. Older people performed better in both verbal and non-verbal knowledge tasks than young people. However, although the older group showed preserved controlled retrieval for verbal semantics, they demonstrated a specific impairment for non-verbal semantic control. These findings indicate that the effects of ageing on semantic cognition are more complex than previously assumed, and that input modality plays an important role in the shifting cognitive architecture of semantics in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Functionally annotated electrophysiological neuromarkers of healthy ageing and memory function.
- Author
-
Auer, Tibor, Goldthorpe, Robin, Peach, Robert, Hebron, Henry, and Violante, Ines R.
- Subjects
- *
AGE factors in memory , *COGNITIVE aging , *ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY , *COGNITIVE ability , *LARGE-scale brain networks - Abstract
The unprecedented increase in life expectancy presents a unique opportunity and the necessity to explore both healthy and pathological aspects of ageing. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used to identify neuromarkers of cognitive ageing due to its affordability and richness in information. However, despite the growing volume of data and methodological advancements, the abundance of contradictory and non‐reproducible findings has hindered clinical translation. To address these challenges, our study introduces a comprehensive workflow expanding on previous EEG studies and investigates various static and dynamic power and connectivity estimates as potential neuromarkers of cognitive ageing in a large dataset. We also assess the robustness of our findings by testing their susceptibility to band specification. Finally, we characterise our findings using functionally annotated brain networks to improve their interpretability and multi‐modal integration. Our analysis demonstrates the effect of methodological choices on findings and that dynamic rather than static neuromarkers are not only more sensitive but also more robust. Consequently, they emerge as strong candidates for cognitive ageing neuromarkers. Moreover, we were able to replicate the most established EEG findings in cognitive ageing, such as alpha oscillation slowing, increased beta power, reduced reactivity across multiple bands, and decreased delta connectivity. Additionally, when considering individual variations in the alpha band, we clarified that alpha power is characteristic of memory performance rather than ageing, highlighting its potential as a neuromarker for cognitive ageing. Finally, our approach using functionally annotated source reconstruction allowed us to provide insights into domain‐specific electrophysiological mechanisms underlying memory performance and ageing. Highlights: We provide an open and reproducible pipeline with a comprehensive workflow to investigate static and dynamic EEG neuromarkers.Neuromarkers related to neural dynamics are sensitive and robust.Individualised alpha power characterises cognitive performance rather than ageing.Functional annotation allows cross‐modal interpretation of EEG findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Neural ageing and synaptic plasticity: prioritizing brain health in healthy longevity
- Author
-
Sheeja Navakkode and Brian K. Kennedy
- Subjects
healthy ageing ,cognitive ageing ,longevity ,synaptic plasticity ,hippocampus ,calcium ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
Ageing is characterized by a gradual decline in the efficiency of physiological functions and increased vulnerability to diseases. Ageing affects the entire body, including physical, mental, and social well-being, but its impact on the brain and cognition can have a particularly significant effect on an individual’s overall quality of life. Therefore, enhancing lifespan and physical health in longevity studies will be incomplete if cognitive ageing is over looked. Promoting successful cognitive ageing encompasses the objectives of mitigating cognitive decline, as well as simultaneously enhancing brain function and cognitive reserve. Studies in both humans and animal models indicate that cognitive decline related to normal ageing and age-associated brain disorders are more likely linked to changes in synaptic connections that form the basis of learning and memory. This activity-dependent synaptic plasticity reorganises the structure and function of neurons not only to adapt to new environments, but also to remain robust and stable over time. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms that are responsible for age-related cognitive decline becomes increasingly important. In this review, we explore the multifaceted aspects of healthy brain ageing with emphasis on synaptic plasticity, its adaptive mechanisms and the various factors affecting the decline in cognitive functions during ageing. We will also explore the dynamic brain and neuroplasticity, and the role of lifestyle in shaping neuronal plasticity.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Systemic inflammation, lifestyle behaviours and dementia: A 10-year follow-up investigation
- Author
-
Leah Hillari, Philipp Frank, and Dorina Cadar
- Subjects
Cognitive ageing ,Dementia ,Lifestyle behaviours ,Prevention ,Modifiable risk factors ,Prospective cohort study ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
Objectives: Lifestyle behaviours have been linked to dementia incidence, but their cumulative impact on dementia and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the association of co-occurring lifestyle behaviours with dementia incidence and the mediating role of systemic inflammation in this association. Methods: The sample comprised 3131 participants (55.2% female) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing aged 52–92 years at baseline (2008/09). Self-reported baseline lifestyle behaviours (alcohol intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking, physical activity, sleep duration, social engagement, and cognitive activity) were summed to derive an index of lifestyle behaviours, ranging from 0 to 7, with higher scores denoting a higher number of health-risk behaviours. Incident dementia cases (n = 130, 4.2%) were identified through doctor-diagnosed dementia, informant interviews, and health records between 2014/15 and 2018/19. Systemic inflammation was measured through fasting plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein in 2012/13. Results: Binary logistic regression models indicated that the odds of subsequent dementia increased by 1.19 for each additional health-risk behaviour (95% confidence intervals: 1.04, 1.37, p = 0.014) after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, wealth, education, marital status, body mass index, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and depression. However, this association was not mediated by C-reactive protein. Conclusions: Co-occurring health-risk behaviours were associated with higher dementia incidence up to 10 years later, underscoring the importance of modifying health-risk behaviours for the prevention of dementia. Systemic inflammation did not explain the association between behaviours and dementia.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Epigenetic signatures of chronic inflammation and their relation to brain structure and function across the lifecourse
- Author
-
Conole, Eleanor Lucy Shepherd, Cox, Simon, Marioni, Riccardo, Miron, Veronica, Whalley, Heather, and Bastin, Mark
- Subjects
DNA methylation ,Inflammation ,neuroimaging ,Cognitive Ageing ,Epigenetics - Abstract
Chronic inflammation is considered a key contributor to individual differences in brain ageing. However, there remains conflicting evidence about the exact brain structural and functional consequences of chronic inflammation. Part of this ambiguity comes from the lack of robust biomarkers used to characterise chronic inflammation, with most studies conflating acute vs chronic inflammation and relying on single time point sampling of highly phasic inflammatory markers from blood. Recent research indicates the potential of epigenetics to circumvent this issue, in particular the use of DNA methylation (DNAm) to provide a biological archive of inflammatory burden. DNAm is an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression and acts as an interface by which lifestyle and environment can influence phenotype; alterations in DNAm are increasingly investigated as proxies for certain exposures, traits, and conditions. This thesis explores chronic inflammation and its relation to brain health using a multi-omic approach, examining associations of proteomic and DNA methylation signatures of inflammation with brain measures from structural and diffusion MRI and cognitive ability at different stages of the lifecourse. Following introductory chapters presenting overviews of epigenetics, inflammation and neuroimaging and cognitive metrics, the empirical work of this thesis examines these interrelationships in three population cohorts covering the human lifespan: from infancy in Theirworld Edinburgh Birth cohort (TEBC; age < 1 year), to mid to late adulthood in Stratifying Longitudinal Resilience & Depression Longitudinally cohort (STRADL; age ~ 60 years, range 28 - 81 years), to older-age in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936; age ~ 73 years). First, neuroimaging and cognitive associations of chronic inflammation in older age are examined. In 521 individuals from the LBC 1936 cohort, associations between a DNA methylation predictor of C-Reactive Protein (DNAm CRP) and brain structure and cognition are shown to be consistently stronger (6.4-fold greater on average) than those with traditional serum CRP measures: with higher DNAm CRP levels significantly associated with global and regional brain atrophy (β range |0.200| to |0.150|), differences in white matter microstructure and white matter hyperintensity burden (β range |0.099| to |0.162|), and poorer global and domain- specific cognitive functioning (β range |0.095| to |0.158|). This paper also demonstrates that the association between inflammation and cognitive ability is partially mediated by brain structure (up to 29.7%), dependent on lifestyle and health factors. The second empirical chapter replicates this association of an epigenetic inflammatory signature with brain and postnatal health outcomes in early life. In a neonatal cohort of 258 infants, the relationship between DNAm CRP with perinatal health and neuroimaging outcomes is investigated. The results support the theory that DNAm may be leveraged to capture a more cumulative impact of inflammatory burden, with DNAm CRP being higher in preterms compared to term infants and higher DNAm CRP levels associating with perinatal inflammatory-related morbidities (such as late onset sepsis and histologic chorioamnionitis) both individually and in aggregate (OR range |2.00 | to |4.71|). The main finding - that elevated DNAm CRP associates with poorer measures of white matter, both globally and regionally (β range |0.206| to |0.371|) - is considered in the context of how early birth associates with an increase in immune-related risks, which coincide with windows of neurodevelopmental plasticity, highlighting the vulnerability of developing white matter to inflammatory insults. Finally, the brain health associations of signatures of inflammation in midlife are considered. In 709 participants from the STRADL cohort, DNAm signatures for CRP alongside a range of other inflammatory-immune mediators are constructed and compared against protein levels in relation to neuroimaging and cognitive metrics. 73 unique DNAm signatures associated with numerous aspects of global brain structure and cognitive ability (β range |0.097| to |0.200|), alongside regional atrophy across the brain's cortex (β range |0.087| to |0.260|) and focal vulnerability of specific white matter tract microstructure (β range |0.103| to |0.185|). Many of these DNAm-brain associations were larger than the analogous proteome-brain associations, broadly independent of immune-cell proportions, clinical risk factors, and had previously been linked to various age-related diseases, reinforcing the central role that inflammation plays in health trajectories. The results of this chapter suggest that associations with chronic inflammation and brain structure are apparent in mid to late adulthood and may precipitate and underlie changes in cognitive functioning seen in older-age. This PhD characterises the global and regional associations of chronic inflammation on brain structure at different stages of life, elucidating new perspectives on how these mechanisms may be contributing to individual differences in cognitive ability. I highlight the potential of the developing field of epigenetics to offer a solution to the traditional limitations of assessing inflammatory burden in human cohorts, and how this may be used to gain a better understanding of how inflammation relates to aberrant neurodevelopment and cognitive decline. These findings provide new insights about the extent of inflammation's impact on brain health, as well as highlighting the utility of DNAm for risk prediction and stratification in relation to brain health outcomes.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Everyday memory failures and strategy use in healthy adults across the lifespan : a mixed methods approach
- Author
-
Brazauskiene, Brigita
- Subjects
Everyday memory failures ,everyday memory strategies ,diary method ,questionnaire method ,stereotypical views on memory and ageing ,cognitive ageing ,prospective memory - Abstract
For several decades, research on cognitive ageing has been using primarily laboratory methods of investigation. However, recent advances in cognitive psychology and related areas have started to emphasise the importance of supplementing laboratory studies with other empirical methods such as experience sampling and diary methods. The development of new tools and combined methodology is necessary for further advancing the understanding of how ageing mind operates both inside and outside the laboratory. For example, results from laboratory research in memory and ageing consistently show fairly large negative age effects, and it is assumed that similar impairments in older adults' memory functioning would be observed in everyday life. However, there is very little research on memory functioning of young and older adults in everyday contexts and several naturalistic studies on participants' ability to remember to carry out simple tasks (e.g., making a phone call) have resulted in the so called age-prospective memory paradox, showing that while younger adults significantly outperform old in the laboratory, older adults often outperform young on remembering to do things in everyday life. Moreover, these counterintuitive findings have been further confirmed by a couple of recent diary studies, which showed that older adults recorded fewer prospective memory failures than younger adults, but no age differences were found in the number of recorded retrospective failures (forgetting past information, for example, people's names, event details, etc.) or more attentionally based absent-minded failures (doing one thing instead another, not completing an action due to distraction, etc.). These initial diary studies cast further doubts on the assumption that laboratory findings will automatically generalise to how memory operates in everyday life and call for more targeted investigation of age-related changes, stability or even benefits in everyday contexts. Unfortunately, the results from a limited number of structured diary studies of everyday memory failures are often met with scepticism and pessimistic suggestions that the absence of age effects or positive age effects are possibly obtained because of older adults' impaired ability to remember to record what they forget, or their increased use of memory strategies, which may result in them having fewer recorded failures in diaries. Similar explanations are often provided whenever no age effects are obtained in self-reported questionnaire studies of everyday memory. Based on these explanations and initial results from diary studies of everyday memory failures, the principal aim of the present thesis was to carry out a first systematic investigation of everyday memory failures and strategy use across the lifespan of healthy adults using a structured diary method and the newly developed questionnaires assessing the frequency of memory failures and strategy use with items empirically validated from structured diary studies of memory failures (Study 1a) and memory strategy use (Study 1b). In addition, questionnaire and laboratory studies to date provide indication that there is a link between memory failures and levels of busyness, mood and procrastination, but no previous diary study has examined this question. Therefore, the second major objective of the present thesis was to investigate the relation between recorded memory failures and these individual difference variables and examine if they moderated the effects of age on the number of recorded prospective memory, retrospective memory and absent-minded failures. Considering growing evidence which shows that older adults' performance in laboratory studies of memory can be impaired by holding negative stereotypical views on memory in old age, a final aim of this thesis was to systematically investigate the magnitude and direction of stereotypical views that people across the adult lifespan may hold towards memory and ageing. Overall, results from two diary studies of everyday memory failures suggest that not only is structured diary a reliable method for studying everyday memory failures (Study 2) but that it is able to produce replicable findings by demonstrating no age effects on the overall number of recorded memory failures (Study 1a and Study 2). These results did not change when accounting for differences in participants' mood and the levels of busyness. In addition, diary studies provided further support for the existence of age-prospective memory benefit (Study 1a), with older adults recording fewer prospective memory failures than younger adults. However, this age benefit disappeared once the levels of procrastination were taken into the account (Study 2), indicating that the age-prospective memory paradox reported in the literature could potentially be explained by younger adults' increased levels of procrastination rather than prospective memory forgetting per se. Importantly, the results also showed that young and older adults did not differ in the number of memory strategies that they recorded in a diary (Study 1b), a finding that was further confirmed in a newly developed questionnaire study (Study 4a). Results from two questionnaire studies also indicate that while participants self-reported strategy use reflects patterns of findings obtained in diary of strategy use (Study 1b), when responding to a questionnaire on everyday memory failures participant's responses were very different from what was found in a diary study of everyday memory failures (Study 3a). Here, only older adults self-reports reflected with some accuracy results from a diary study, but young adults' ratings of how often they experienced everyday memory failures were in complete contrast to what was found in diary studies (Study 1b and Study 2). Finally, the results demonstrate the existence of strong negative age stereotypes in both, judging the frequency of everyday memory failures in others (people aged 20s, 40s, 60s and 80s) and when judging the memory strategy use in these target age groups (Studies 3b and 4b). Interestingly, the stereotypes exist in both directions, with young adults thinking that all types of forgetting increase with age, and older adults thinking that young and middle-aged adults have almost perfect memory in everyday life. Taken together, the results significantly advance existing knowledge on effects of age on everyday memory functioning and provide important methodological tools to launch a more systematic investigation of factors affecting everyday memory functioning and ageing in both healthy and clinical samples (e.g., people with Mild Cognitive Impairment).
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Lifestyle, brain structure and cognitive ageing
- Author
-
Borgeest, Gesa Sophia, Henson, Rik, and Kievit, Rogier
- Subjects
Cognition ,Cognitive Ageing ,Neuroscience ,Morphology ,Lifestyle ,Healthy Ageing ,Brain Structure ,Grey Matter - Abstract
This thesis explores the lifestyle and brain structure correlates of cognitive ageing. Using large datasets and a range of multivariate statistical approaches, it is divided into three empirical sections, which are framed by a General Introduction and Conclusion. The first Chapter, the General Introduction, discusses this thesis within its wider context: ageing populations pose significant issues for individuals and societies, while the rise of Big Data offers promising opportunities to study the effects of brain health and lifestyles on cognitive ageing. Chapter 2 investigates the relationship between lifestyle and cognitive abilities across the adult lifespan. It shows that, in a sample of cognitively healthy participants (Cam-CAN; N=708), higher education, better physical and mental health, more social engagement and a greater degree of intellectual engagement are each correlated with better fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities. Chapter 3 focuses on brain structure. It explores how different aspects of morphology - such as cortical thickness, curvature, sulcal depth or surface area - change with age, and relate to cognitive outcomes, including fluid intelligence. This chapter's main finding is a cross-sectional and longitudinal double dissociation: while cortical thickness declines rapidly with age, it does not relate strongly to cognition, particularly after adjusting cognition for age. Surface area, on the other hand, has only moderate age-effects, but captures cognitive difference and change well. These findings replicated in a second, independent dataset (LCBC; N = 1236), suggesting that they are robust and generalizable across cohorts. It is plausible that this hitherto largely overlooked dissociation reflects two distinct neural features, which I discuss at the end of this section. The final empirical section, Chapter 4, brings together the first two sections by assessing lifestyle, brain structure and cognition simultaneously. Specifically, it investigates whether brain structure mediates the relationship between lifestyle and cognitive abilities. After initial cross-sectional analyses in Cam-CAN using the lifestyle factors created in Chapter 1, it then focuses on the mechanistically more plausible and (because of its longitudinal nature) statistically more robust relationship between cardiovascular health and cognitive performance in the LCBC data. Finally, in the conclusion, I address the wider societal and policy context in which this PhD is, ultimately, embedded. This thesis - and indeed the science of healthy minds and brains in general - finds its urgency not least in the steadily increasing speed at which the older segment of many nations' populations is growing in size and proportion. Understanding (healthy) ageing amidst this demographic shift is of vital importance to individuals, society, and governments alike. I therefore reflect on my experiences at the World Health Organization (where an internship enabled me to contribute to the WHO's report on Ageism) and on the kind and quality of science which should (and, perhaps, should not) inform policies designed to ensure that living a longer life also means living a healthier one.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. The assessment of cognitive function in the German National Cohort (NAKO) -- Associations of demographics and psychiatric symptoms with cognitive test performance.
- Author
-
Kleineidam, Luca, Stark, Melina, Riedel-Heller, Steffi G., Pabst, Alexander, Schmiedek, Florian, Streitg, Fabian, Rietschel, Marcella, Klinger-König, Johanna, Grabe, Hans J., Erhardt, Angelika, Gelbrich, Götz, Schmidt, Börge, Berger, Klaus, and Wagner, Michael
- Subjects
- *
COGNITIVE testing , *COGNITIVE ability , *EXECUTIVE function , *GERMAN language , *COGNITION - Abstract
Objectives: To describe the cognitive test battery of the German National Cohort (NAKO), a population-based mega cohort of 205,000 randomly selected participants, and to examine associations with demographic variables and selected psychiatric and neurological conditions. Methods: Initial data from 96,401 participants providing data on the cognitive performance measured by a brief cognitive test battery (12-word list recall task, semantic fluency, Stroop test, digit span backwards) was examined. Test results were summarised in cognitive domain scores using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Associations with sociodemographic and psychiatric factors were analysed using linear regression and generalised additive models. Results: Cognitive test results were best represented by two domain scores reflecting memory and executive functions. Lower cognitive functions were associated with increasing age and male sex. Higher education and absence of childhood trauma were associated with better cognitive function. Moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression, and a history of stroke, were related to lower cognitive function with a stronger effect on executive function as compared to memory. Some associations with cognition differed by German language proficiency. Conclusions: The NAKO cognitive test battery and the derived cognitive domain scores for memory and executive function are sensitive measures of cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. General cognitive ability assessment in the German National Cohort (NAKO) -- The block-adaptive number series task.
- Author
-
Schmiedek, Florian, Kroehne, Ulf, Goldhammer, Frank, Prindle, John J., Lindenberger, Ulman, Klinger-König, Johanna, Grabe, Hans J., Riedel-Heller, Steffi G., Pabst, Alexander, Streit, Fabian, Zillich, Lea, Kleineidam, Luca, Wagner, Michael, Rietschel, Marcella, Rujescun, Dan, Schmidt, Börge, and Berger, Klaus
- Subjects
- *
COGNITIVE ability , *RASCH models , *LANGUAGE ability , *EXECUTIVE function , *COGNITIVE aging , *TASK performance - Abstract
Objectives. Evaluate the block-adaptive number series task of reasoning, as a time-efficient proxy of general cognitive ability in the Level-2 sample of the German National Cohort (NAKO), a population-based mega cohort. Methods. The number series task consisted of two blocks of three items each, administered as part of the touchscreen-based assessment. Based on performance on the first three items, a second block of appropriate difficulty was automatically administered. Scoring of performance was based on the Rasch model. Relations of performance scores to age, sex, education, study centre, language proficiency, and scores on other cognitive tasks were examined. Results. Except for one very difficult item, the data of the remaining 14 items showed sufficient fit to the Rasch model (Infit: 0.89-1.04; Outfit: 0.80-1.08). The resulting performance scores (N = 21,056) had a distribution that was truncated at very high levels of ability. The reliability of the performance estimates was satisfactory. Relations to age, sex, education, and the executive function factor of the other cognitive tasks in the NAKO supported the validity. Conclusions. The number series task provides a valid proxy of general cognitive ability for the Level-2 sample of the NAKO, based on a highly time-efficient assessment procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Cognitive Development in Midlife and Older Age: From Neuroplasticity to Self-Efficacy and Positive Views on Ageing
- Author
-
Crăciun, Irina Catrinel and Crăciun, Irina Catrinel
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. Sporadic cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive abilities
- Author
-
Hamilton, Olivia Kathryn Leigh, Wardlaw, Joanna, and Deary, Ian
- Subjects
small vessel disease ,cognitive abilities ,cognitive ageing ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,dementia ,stroke - Abstract
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a leading cause of vascular cognitive impairment, contributing to multiple neurological disorders ranging from stroke, to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. However, despite a huge number of studies on the subject, we have a limited understanding of how SVD affects cognitive ability. This thesis aims to address this knowledge gap, by examining domain-specific cognitive abilities in a range of clinical and non-clinical presentations of SVD. In the introductory chapters of this thesis I will discuss what is meant by the term cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), describing key radiological features of SVD and its varied clinical and non-clinical presentations. However, before considering the current consensus on how SVD impacts different domains of cognitive ability, I will first consider what happens to these abilities in the context healthy cognitive ageing. Finally, I will consider the current consensus on the pattern of cognitive changes that occur in SVD and will examine the vast and often conflicting evidence that underpins this. To gain a comprehensive overview of the published literature examining cognitive abilities in SVD, Chapter 4 presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of 69 studies presenting cognitive data for at least one cohort with SVD (n=3679) and one comparison control group without SVD (n=3229). Results indicated that relative to controls, cohorts with SVD performed more poorly on cognitive tests in all of the cognitive domains examined. Meta-regression analyses suggested that fewer years of education in the SVD vs. control groups accounted for a proportion of the differences in their test scores in some cognitive domains. Further meta-regression analyses suggested that cohorts with SVD-related cognitive impairment or dementia performed more poorly on tests in certain cognitive domains than cohorts with stroke or non-clinical presentations of SVD. Overall, however, SVD cohorts performed more poorly than controls on cognitive tests in all domains, regardless of their SVD presentation. Chapters 5 and 6 focus more closely on the key radiological markers of SVD and their associations with cognitive test scores using data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936): a cohort of relatively healthy, community-dwelling, older individuals. To increase the fidelity with which SVD is typically measured, I combined computational volumes and visually-rated MRI markers of SVD to construct a variable representing the total MRI-visible burden of SVD. The study in Chapter 5 presents the results of cross-sectional associations between this latent SVD variable and latent variables of processing speed, verbal memory and visuospatial ability, within a structural equation modelling framework (SEM; n=540; mean age 72.6±0.7 years). Age, sex, vascular risk, depression status, and age-11 IQ were included as covariates. The latent SVD variable was negatively associated with all cognitive factors, in line with the results of the systematic review and meta-analysis. However, after accounting for the shared variance between the different cognitive domains (a construct described as general cognitive ability, which previous studies have not accounted for), only the association between the latent SVD variable and processing speed remained significant. This suggests that SVD's association with slowed processing speed is not driven by, but is independent of its association with poorer general cognitive ability. In Chapter 6 this work is developed further by exploring associations between the latent SVD variable and decline in the same latent cognitive factors over a period of 9 years, from the age of around 73 to 82, again in the LBC1936. This was carried out using latent growth curve modelling within a SEM framework. Age, sex, vascular risk, and age-11 IQ were included as covariates. Results indicated that the latent SVD variable was associated with greater decline in general cognitive ability and processing speed. However, after accounting for the covariance between tests of processing speed and general cognitive ability, only the association between greater SVD burden and decline in general cognitive ability remained significant. Whereas the results of Chapter 5 suggested that SVD burden at age 73 may have specific and independent effects on processing speed measured at the same age, the results of our longitudinal analyses suggest that SVD burden at age 73 associates with declining processing speed due to SVD's overarching association with general cognitive decline. In the final chapter of this thesis, I summarise the findings of these three studies, discuss their limitations, and make recommendations for future research.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Does serum neurofilament light help predict accelerated cognitive ageing in unimpaired older adults?
- Author
-
Collins, Jessica M., Bindoff, Aidan D., Roccati, Eddy, Alty, Jane E., Vickers, James C., and King, Anna E.
- Subjects
COGNITIVE aging ,OLDER people ,COGNITIVE testing ,CYTOPLASMIC filaments ,COGNITION ,EPISODIC memory - Abstract
Introduction: Neurofilament light (NfL) is a blood biomarker of neurodegeneration. While serum NfL levels have been demonstrated to increase with normal ageing, the relationship between serum NfL levels and normal age-related changes in cognitive functions is less well understood. Methods: The current study investigated whether cross-sectional serum NfL levels measured by single molecule array technology (Simoa®) mediated the effect of age on cognition, measured by a battery of neuropsychological tests administered biannually for 8 years, in a cohort of 174 unimpaired older adults (=50 years) from the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project. Mediation analysis was conducted using latent variables representing cognitive test performance on three cognitive domains - episodic memory, executive function, and language (vocabulary, comprehension, naming). Cognitive test scores for the three domains were estimated for each participant, coincident with blood collection in 2018 using linear Bayesian hierarchical models. Results: Higher serum NfL levels were significantly positively associated with age (p < 0.001 for all domains). Cognitive test scores were significantly negatively associated with age across the domains of executive function (p < 0.001), episodic memory (p < 0.001) and language (p < 0.05). However, serum NfL levels did not significantly mediate the relationship between age and cognitive test scores across any of the domains. Discussion: This study adds to the literature on the relationship between serum NfL levels and cognition in unimpaired older adults and suggests that serum NfL is not a pre-clinical biomarker of ensuing cognitive decline in unimpaired older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Does serum neurofilament light help predict accelerated cognitive ageing in unimpaired older adults?
- Author
-
Jessica M. Collins, Aidan D. Bindoff, Eddy Roccati, Jane E. Alty, James C. Vickers, and Anna E. King
- Subjects
biomarkers ,neurofilament light ,cognitive ageing ,cognition ,mediation analysis ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
IntroductionNeurofilament light (NfL) is a blood biomarker of neurodegeneration. While serum NfL levels have been demonstrated to increase with normal ageing, the relationship between serum NfL levels and normal age-related changes in cognitive functions is less well understood.MethodsThe current study investigated whether cross-sectional serum NfL levels measured by single molecule array technology (Simoa®) mediated the effect of age on cognition, measured by a battery of neuropsychological tests administered biannually for 8 years, in a cohort of 174 unimpaired older adults (≥50 years) from the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project. Mediation analysis was conducted using latent variables representing cognitive test performance on three cognitive domains - episodic memory, executive function, and language (vocabulary, comprehension, naming). Cognitive test scores for the three domains were estimated for each participant, coincident with blood collection in 2018 using linear Bayesian hierarchical models.ResultsHigher serum NfL levels were significantly positively associated with age (p < 0.001 for all domains). Cognitive test scores were significantly negatively associated with age across the domains of executive function (p < 0.001), episodic memory (p < 0.001) and language (p < 0.05). However, serum NfL levels did not significantly mediate the relationship between age and cognitive test scores across any of the domains.DiscussionThis study adds to the literature on the relationship between serum NfL levels and cognition in unimpaired older adults and suggests that serum NfL is not a pre-clinical biomarker of ensuing cognitive decline in unimpaired older adults.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Verbal ability in postmenopausal women in relation to age, cognitive and reproductive factors
- Author
-
Ramya Maitreyee, Rosemary Varley, and Patricia E. Cowell
- Subjects
Menopause ,Cognitive ageing ,Word-finding ,Postmenopausal women ,Reproductive factors ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Word-finding difficulties have been associated with age and, in women, lowered sex hormone levels following menopause. However, there is limited understanding of the ways that specific aspects of word-finding are shaped by women's age, reproductive histories, and background factors such as education. The current study investigated the effects of age, cognitive and reproductive factors on word-finding abilities in 53 healthy postmenopausal women aged 48–79. A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and reproductive history. A battery of verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming tasks was designed to assess word-finding across different sensory modalities and cognitive demands. Category and letter fluency were quantified as total number of correct words produced on each task. For continuous series, switch rates and switch costs were computed. For the naming tasks, accuracy and latency measures were used. There were three key findings. Firstly, there was a consistent positive association between education and all word-finding measures, i.e., verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming. Secondly, age-related declines were seen on tasks heavily dependent on working memory such as the continuous series task. Thirdly, reproductive factors across the lifespan such as age at menarche and reproductive years showed subtle effects on naming abilities, but not on verbal fluency or continuous series. The results highlight that word-finding abilities in healthy postmenopausal women are shaped by factors associated with their early years (education, age at menarche) and later adult life (age, reproductive years). The study also distinguished between the more global effects of education, and the more task-specific associations with age and reproductive variables, on verbal task performance after menopause.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Interaction Between Affect and Cognition as a Function of Aging: Testing the Positivity Bias in Indian Population
- Author
-
Nigam, Richa, Kar, Bhoomika R., Tripathi, R.C., editor, Kar, Bhoomika R., editor, and Pande, Namita, editor
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Gendered life courses and cognitive functioning in later life: the role of context-specific gender norms and lifetime employment.
- Author
-
Bertogg, Ariane and Leist, Anja K.
- Abstract
With increasing life expectancy, dementia poses an epidemiological challenge. As a cure has not been developed, the investigation into preventive factors becomes pivotal. Previous research emphasizes the cognitively stimulating and socio-emotional benefits of lifetime employment, but research on heterogeneous patterns across social groups and societal contexts remains sparse. Sociological approaches have a promising potential to provide insights into health inequalities and can contribute to the study of this major societal challenge. We investigate the influence of previous employment biographies on cognitive functioning for men and women aged 50 to 75 in 19 European countries, using longitudinal and retrospective information from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. We link individual information on employment biographies and cognitive functioning to contextual measures of gender norms, using aggregated agreement rates to both men’s and women’s role in employment and family. We find that previous employment affects cognitive functioning men and women differently. Part-time employment is beneficial for women’s cognitive functioning, but not for men’s. Traditional gender norms are associated with lower levels of cognitive functioning for both genders and moderate the linkage between previous employment and cognitive functioning. In contexts with more traditional gender norms, men’s part-time employment is associated with lower and women’s part-time employment with higher cognitive functioning. We conclude that employment and non-employment participation can, depending on characteristics of individuals and contexts, benefit or hinder the life-course accumulation of cognitive reserve, and those with norm-deviating behaviour are disadvantaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Syntactic prediction during self‐paced reading is age invariant.
- Author
-
Cutter, Michael G., Paterson, Kevin B., and Filik, Ruth
- Subjects
- *
AGE distribution , *COMPARATIVE grammar , *RESEARCH funding , *READING - Abstract
Controversy exists as to whether, compared to young adults, older adults are more, equally or less likely to make linguistic predictions while reading. While previous studies have examined age effects on the prediction of upcoming words, the prediction of upcoming syntactic structures has been largely unexplored. We compared the benefit that young and older readers gain when the syntactic structure is made predictable, as well as potential age differences in the costs involved in making predictions. In a self‐paced reading study, 60 young and 60 older adults read sentences in which noun‐phrase coordination (e.g. large pizza or tasty calzone) is made predictable through the inclusion of the word either earlier in the sentence. Results showed a benefit of the presence of either in the second half of the coordination phrase, and a cost of the presence of either in the first half. We observed no age differences in the benefit or costs of making these predictions; Bayes factor analyses offered strong evidence that these effects are age invariant. Together, these findings suggest that both older and younger adults make similar strength syntactic predictions with a similar level of difficulty. We relate this age invariance in syntactic prediction to specific aspects of the ageing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Hearing aid use and gender differences in the auditory-cognitive cascade in the oldest old.
- Author
-
Vella Azzopardi, Roberta, Beyer, Ingo, De Raedemaeker, Kaat, Foulon, Ina, Vermeiren, Sofie, Petrovic, Mirko, Van Den Noortgate, Nele, Bautmans, Ivan, and Gorus, Ellen
- Subjects
AUDITORY perception ,HEARING aids ,FISHER exact test ,SEX distribution ,PEARSON correlation (Statistics) ,COMPARATIVE studies ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,ATTENTION ,COGNITIVE testing ,REACTION time ,LONGITUDINAL method ,OLD age - Abstract
This study analyzed cognitive differences between hearing-aid (HA) and non-HA users. We hypothesized that HA-use attenuates the auditory-cognitive cascade, thereby, the latter is more conspicuous in non-HA users. Since hearing impairment (HI) shows male predominance, we hypothesized gender differences within the auditory-cognitive relationship. Non-frail community-dwellers ≥ 80 years were assessed for HI (pure tone audiogram-PTA; speech reception threshold-SRT) and global and domain-specific cognitive impairments (Mini-Mental State Examination-MMSE; Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MOCA; Reaction Time Test-RT1-4). Pearson and partial correlations (correcting for age and PTA) assessed auditory-cognitive associations within gender and HA subgroups. Fisher's z test compared correlations between HA and non-HA users. 126 participants (age range 80–91 years) were included. HA-use prevalence was 21%. HA-users were older with worse HI (mean PTA 49.5dBHL). HA-users exhibited no significant auditory (PTA, SRT) and cognitive (MMSE, MOCA, RT1- RT4) correlations. Male non-HA users, displayed a significant association between HI and global cognition, processing speed, selective and alternating attention. Significant differences were noted between MMSE and PTA and SRT (z-score 2.28, 3.33, p = 0.02, <0.01, respectively) between HA and non-HA users. Male non-HA users displayed an association between HI and global and domain-specific (processing speed; selective and alternating attention) cognitive decline. Associations between global cognition and HI were significantly different between HA and non-HA users. This may be partially attributable to underlying subgroups sample sizes and statistical power disparity. If larger scale longitudinal or interventional studies confirm these findings, timely HI assessment and management may be the cornerstone for delaying cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Lifetime physical activity and late-life cognitive function: the Rancho Bernardo study
- Author
-
Reas, Emilie T, Laughlin, Gail A, Bergstrom, Jaclyn, Kritz-Silverstein, Donna, Richard, Erin L, Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth, and McEvoy, Linda K
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Public Health ,Health Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Basic Behavioral and Social Science ,Neurosciences ,Behavioral and Social Science ,Aging ,Clinical Research ,Prevention of disease and conditions ,and promotion of well-being ,3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeing ,Aetiology ,Underpinning research ,1.1 Normal biological development and functioning ,2.3 Psychological ,social and economic factors ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adolescent ,Adult ,Aged ,Aged ,80 and over ,California ,Cognition ,Cognitive Aging ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Executive Function ,Exercise ,Female ,Humans ,Male ,Memory ,Episodic ,Mental Status and Dementia Tests ,Middle Aged ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,executive function ,cognitive ageing ,cognitive function ,cognitive reserve ,physical activity ,older people ,Public Health and Health Services ,Psychology ,Geriatrics ,Clinical sciences ,Health services and systems ,Applied and developmental psychology - Abstract
Backgroundphysical activity in older age has been associated with better cognitive function, but the role of earlier life physical activity is less well understood.Objectivedetermine associations between physical activity throughout the lifespan and cognitive function in older age.Designcross-sectional study.Settingthe Rancho Bernardo Study of Healthy Aging in southern California.SubjectsA total of 1,826 community-dwelling men and women (60-99 years) who attended a research visit in 1988-92.Methodsparticipants underwent cognitive testing at older age, and reported physical activity as a teenager, at age 30 years, 50 years and currently. For each time-point, participants were classified as regularly active (3+ times/week) or inactive.Resultsregular physical activity was associated with better cognitive function, with physical activity at older ages showing the strongest associations. Physical activity in older age was associated with better global cognitive function, executive function and episodic memory, regardless of intensity. Intense physical activity in teenage years was associated with better late-life global cognitive function in women. Teenage physical activity interacted with older age physical activity on executive function; those active at both periods performed better than those active at only one period. Similar patterns of associations were observed after excluding individuals with poor health.Conclusionsregular physical activity in older age, regardless of intensity, is associated with better cognitive function. Physical activity in teenage years may enhance cognitive reserve to protect against age-related decline in executive function. Further research is needed to assess the effect of physical activity across the lifespan on healthy brain ageing.
- Published
- 2019
27. Association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
- Author
-
Jinzhao Xie, Xiaoyan Fan, Ping Yin, Jing Gu, and Chengwu Yang
- Subjects
Cognitive ageing ,Childhood friendship ,Multilevel model ,China ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background Childhood experience has been suggested to affect cognitive function in later life. However, the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory in middle-aged and older adults has not been fully assessed. This study examined the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory and identified factors modifying this association. Methods We used four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a national representative longitudinal study of adults aged 45 years or older, 2011–2018. The CHARLS included surveys on childhood friendship and cognitive assessments. Childhood friendship status was categorised as poor, fair, and good. To examine the association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, we applied multilevel linear regression models, and explored potential influences of sociodemographic factors, health status and behaviours, and childhood conditions on this association. Results Of the 4,350 participants, 1,919 (44.1%) were women. The mean age was 56.29 ± 7.80 years. We found childhood friendship was significantly associated with cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, with a dose–response relationship. After adjusting for covariates, comparing to participants with poor childhood friendships, those with better childhood friendships had lower rates of cognitive decline (β = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.22 [interaction term of fair friendship and time]; β = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.28 [interaction term of good friendship and time]) and higher level of cognitive functions (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.58 [fair friendships]; β = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.79 [good friendships]). These associations were stronger for those who were female, less educated, and had experienced more adverse childhood experiences. Conclusions Childhood friendship is associated with cognitive ageing in later life. Enhancing childhood friendships can play an important role to promote healthy ageing in the future.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. The brief case for everyday problems: a proposal of two brief alternate forms of the Everyday Problems Test.
- Author
-
Juras, Luka, Martincević, Marina, Vranić, Andrea, Rebernjak, Blaž, and Hromatko, Ivana
- Subjects
RESEARCH evaluation ,RESEARCH methodology evaluation ,RESEARCH methodology ,ACTIVITIES of daily living ,COGNITIVE aging ,NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL tests ,PSYCHOMETRICS ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,COGNITIVE testing ,OLD age - Abstract
Everyday Problems Test (EPT; Willis and Marsiske, Manual for the everyday problems test, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, 1993) is an 84-item performance-based measure of older adults' everyday cognitive competencies in seven everyday domains (e.g., finance, reading prescription). Its length makes it disadvantageous in the typical time-constrained testing context. Due to the potential practice effects, it is also impractical for longitudinal and intervention studies which require repetitive testing. We have addressed these issues by adapting two brief forms of EPT, with 14 items each. The psychometric evaluation of these two versions was conducted on a sample of 157 cognitively healthy older adults. Both brief forms demonstrated good internal consistency, high inter-correlation, and have shown satisfactory concurrent criterion-related validity based on their correlations with socio-demographic and cognitive variables. Results indicate that the two proposed brief forms can be a valuable tool in assessing the everyday cognitive competence of healthy older adults either as a one-time screening instrument or as a pretest–posttest difference indicator of the intervention efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Exposure to the troubles in Northern Ireland, memory functioning, and social activity engagement: results from NICOLA.
- Author
-
McHugh Power, Joanna E, Feeney, Joanne, Fowler, Elizabeth, McMichael, Alan J., Hyland, Philip, Lawlor, Brian A., Cruise, Sharon, Potter, Claire, Young, Ian, McGuinness, Bernadette, and Kee, Frank
- Subjects
WOUNDS & injuries ,MENTAL health ,DEMENTIA risk factors ,MEMORY ,SOCIAL participation ,STRUCTURAL equation modeling ,VIOLENCE ,COGNITION ,POST-traumatic stress disorder ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,DATA analysis software ,LONGITUDINAL method ,OLD age - Abstract
We investigated the potential impact of a cohort traumatic exposure, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, on memory functioning in later life, and the potential moderating effect of social activity engagement. Using data from 6571 participants aged 60 + in the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) cohort, we used a structural equation modelling framework to explore associations between traumatic exposure during the Troubles and memory functioning. As expected, social activity engagement was positively associated with memory functioning, β =.102. Traumatic exposure was also positively associated with memory functioning, β =.053. This association was stronger at low levels of social activity engagement; among those with higher levels, there was little association, interaction β = − 0.054. The positive association between traumatic exposure during the Troubles and memory functioning was not moderated by the age at which the exposures occurred (based on analysis of a subsample with available data), interaction β = − 0.015. We conclude that superior memory functioning was associated with higher levels of traumatic exposure during the Troubles, particularly among those with lower levels of social activity engagement, and regardless of the age at which the exposures occurred. Future longitudinal analyses are required to build on these results, which potentially have implications for life-course epidemiology, in relation to critical periods for traumatising experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. The effect of sex, age and boldness on inhibitory control.
- Author
-
Vinogradov, Ivan M., Jennions, Michael D., van Veen, Eleanor, Fichtel, Claudia, Kappeler, Peter.M., and Fox, Rebecca J.
- Subjects
- *
RESPONSE inhibition , *REWARD (Psychology) , *COGNITIVE ability , *LEARNING ability , *COGNITIVE aging , *REINFORCEMENT learning - Abstract
Inhibitory control requires an individual to suppress impulsive actions in favour of more appropriate behaviours to gain a delayed reward. It plays an important role in activities such as foraging and initiating mating, but high within-species variation suggests that some individuals have greater inhibitory control than others. A standard index of inhibitory control used in many taxa is measuring how long an animal persists in trying to move itself or an appendage (e.g. its hand) through a transparent barrier to reach a reward. Although recent nonhuman studies have investigated how different factors are associated with variation in inhibitory control, these studies have rarely considered how these factors interact. Here we investigated how sex, age, personality (boldness) and the type of reward stimulus interact to predict the degree of motor inhibitory control in eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki. We measured inhibitory control using a standard detour assay, 'boldness' (time to emergence in a novel environment), and the rate of learning. There were three different reward stimuli: a shoal of females, a shoal of males or a mixed-sex shoal. Individuals were tested in four consecutive trials, always with the same reward type, to quantify short-term learning. These measures were repeated at 7, 14 and 21 weeks after maturation to examine the effect of age. Females had significantly greater inhibitory control than males. Regardless of sex, older fish had significantly greater inhibitory control than younger fish, and boldness predicted learning ability. The type of reward stimuli had no sex-specific effect on inhibitory control. We discuss the biological significance of these sources of variation in inhibitory control, and the importance of accounting for them in studies examining individual differences in cognitive abilities. • Inhibitory control (IC) suppresses impulsive actions in favour of delayed rewards. • Both sex and age, but not their interaction, affected IC in 251 mosquitofish. • Individual's boldness did not affect IC, but bolder fish were faster learners. • Composition of a social reward (males/females/mixed) did not affect IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Gardening and cognitive ageing: Longitudinal findings from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1921.
- Author
-
Corley, Janie, Pattie, Alison, Deary, Ian J., and Cox, Simon R.
- Abstract
Identifying modifiable lifestyle behaviours that facilitate healthy cognitive ageing is of major public interest for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. Gardening is associated with numerous health benefits, yet few studies have explored the significance of gardening activity in relation to cognitive ageing. Here, longitudinal cognitive data from 467 older adults (aged 79 ± 0.6) of the LBC1921 study were used to examine associations of self-reported gardening at age 79 with lifetime cognitive change (age 11 to 79), and cognitive level (age 79) and slope across later life (age 79 to 90). Cognitive function was assessed at age 11 and 79 using the Moray House Test (MHT), and a battery of psychometric tests assessed cognitive function at ages 79, 83, 87 and 90 (MHT, Raven's Matrices, Verbal Fluency, Logical Memory). Models controlled for individual-level socio-demographic, lifestyle and health covariates including overall physical activity. Higher frequency of gardening was significantly associated with greater lifetime cognitive gain from age 11 to 79 on the MHT (std β = 0.112 P = 0.024), higher general cognitive ability (g) level at age 79 (std β = 0.145, P = 0.001), and higher test-specific scores on the MHT (std β = 0.153, P = 0.001) and Raven's Matrices (std β = 0.102, P = 0.040). Gardening was not associated with subsequent cognitive slopes from age 79 to 90. Overall, these findings suggest that engaging in gardening activities may contribute modestly to healthy cognitive functioning up to the eighth decade of life. Although physical activity was higher in gardeners, it did not explain the gardening and cognitive function relationship. • We examined whether gardening activity contributes to healthy cognitive ageing in older adults. • Gardening in later life was associated with greater gain in cognitive change from age 11 to 79. • Higher gardening frequency was associated with better cognitive functioning at age 79. • Associations were independent of physical activity, SES, and health covariates. • Gardening was not related to subsequent cognitive decline from age 79 to 90. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. The Psychology of Ageing
- Author
-
Lunde, Linn-Heidi, Santy-Tomlinson, Julie, Series Editor, Falaschi, Paolo, Series Editor, Hertz, Karen, Series Editor, McSherry, Wilfred, editor, Rykkje, Linda, editor, and Thornton, Susan, editor
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Exploring a possible tonal loop in musicians and non-musicians and the relationship between musical expertise and cognitive ageing
- Author
-
Jordan, Catherine, Logie, Robert, Overy, Katie, and Bak, Thomas
- Subjects
781.1 ,musical expertise ,working memory ,tonal loop ,cognitive ageing - Abstract
This thesis explored two main research questions, firstly investigating whether musical expertise offers a performance advantage in working memory for sequences of tones that vary in pitch, and secondly whether any advantage of musical expertise may be present in older as well as younger individuals. Previous research on working memory for tone sequences has reported that articulatory suppression interferes with temporary storage of verbal but not with tone sequences (Koelsch et al, 2009), suggesting a “tonal loop” within a musician’s working memory (Schulze, Zysset, Mueller, Friederici, & Koelsch, 2011) that complements the phonological loop for verbal material in musicians and non-musicians alike (e.g., Baddeley, 1986; 1992). The five experiments reported here explored detection of a pitch change between pairs of tone sequences with or without concurrent articulatory suppression or singing suppression. In Experiment 1, with pairs of auditory tonal (in a musical key) sequences to be compared, singing suppression impaired non-musicians significantly more than musicians, although both groups showed an impairment, whereas only non-musicians were affected by verbal articulatory suppression. In Experiment 2, conducted only with musicians who could read music, the first sequence of each pair was presented visually and the second sequence for comparison was presented aurally. Musicians were again impaired by singing suppression but not by articulatory suppression. For Experiment 3, for auditory atonal (no musical key) pairs of sequences, non-musicians performed at floor, and musicians were again significantly more impaired by singing suppression than by articulatory suppression. In contrast, for Experiment 4, only with musicians who could read music, for visually presented atonal sequences each followed by an auditory atonal sequence for comparison, musicians were significantly more impaired by articulatory suppression than singing suppression. These results suggest that for tonal sequences, musicians use their musical training and experience, coupled with subvocalised singing, but for atonal sequences, additional strategies involving phonological rehearsal may be used. Non-musicians may also rely on musical experience and subvocal singing for tonal sequences but seem to be unable to do so for atonal sequences. Results are consistent with the use by both musicians and non-musicians of a tonal loop for the rehearsal of tone sequences, which develops with musical training and may be used in addition to subvocal rehearsal. Previous research has suggested musical expertise may offer some protection against cognitive ageing (Hanna-Pladdy & MacKay, 2011; Amer, Kalender, Hasher, Trehub, & Wong, 2013). Experiment 5 in this thesis explored whether a lifetime of musical training and experience may offer the same advantages in old age for retaining tone sequences that had been found in Experiments 1 and 3 for younger musicians. This experiment also considered whether any advantage for older musicians on this task could be explained by the proposed “bilingual advantage” (e.g., Bialystok, Craik, Klein & Viswanathan, 2004), and what other aspects of cognition might be associated with tone sequence memory performance. A test battery was utilised with 74 older adults (60-80 years of age) to assess the influence of musical and language expertise, and cognitive abilities (attention, working memory capacity, self-reported prospective and retrospective memory) on the music-related pitch sequence comparison task from Experiments 1 and 3. Working memory capacity was found to predict individual differences in the ability to detect pitch changes between pairs of tone sequences, regardless of musical experience. Older musicians performed more poorly on the pitch change detection task overall than the younger musicians in the earlier experiments, but their performance on the task was significantly better than for age-matched non-musically trained peers who were close to floor for both tonal and atonal sequences, suggesting some benefit from a lifetime of musical experience.
- Published
- 2018
34. Lifelong interplay between language and cognition : from language learning to perspective-taking : new insights into the ageing mind
- Author
-
Long, Madeleine Rebecca Anne, Sorace, Antonella, Rohde, Hannah, and Bak, Thomas
- Subjects
616.89 ,language and cognition ,lifespan ,later-life language learning ,cognitive ageing ,age-related changes ,language use ,linguistic environment ,brain function - Abstract
A fundamental question in language research is the extent to which linguistic and cognitive systems interact. The aim of this thesis is to explore that relationship across new contexts and over the entire adult lifespan. This work centers on two branches of empirical research: the first is an investigation into the impact of later-life language learning on cognitive ageing (chapters 2-4), and the second examines the cognitive mechanisms underlying communicative perspective-taking from young adulthood into old age (chapter 5). The results of these chapters demonstrate that changes to one's linguistic environment can affect cognitive functions at any age, and similarly age-related changes to cognition can affect linguistic abilities, shedding light on the extent to which language and the brain are intricately connected over the lifespan. In the discussion (chapter 6), I consider how this work contributes new insights to the field, opening the door for future research to explore methods of improving cognitive abilities and linguistic behavior in old age.
- Published
- 2018
35. Risk and resilience in cognitive ageing
- Author
-
O'Donoghue, Melissa Clare, Mackay, Clare, and Zamboni, Giovanna
- Subjects
618.97 ,cognitive ageing ,dementia ,neuroimaging - Abstract
Whilst advancing age is, on average, associated with declining cognitive abilities, the course of cognitive ageing is highly variable at the individual level. The overall aim of this thesis was to improve understanding of risk and protective factors associated with variability in cognitive ageing. I first explored the effect of Alzheimer's risk gene 'APOE' on cognition in healthy adults, and by reviewing the extensive literature, I showed that APOE genotype can have diverse cognitive consequences via multiple neurobiological mechanisms, each with applications to distinct aspects of cognitive ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD). I also investigated subjective memory impairment (SMI), which like APOE is associated with increased AD risk, but is also commonly reported by healthy older adults. By presenting a clinical case of persistent SMI, and reviewing evidence for the long-term relevance of brain characteristics in SMI, I reported that MRI can detect early differences in brain structure that herald subsequent cognitive impairment, valuable in clinical settings to identify the most at-risk SMI cases. I also investigated protective factors that preserve cognitive ability in some older adults, particularly whether the brain supports this superior cognitive ageing in multiple ways, via some older adults maintaining more 'youthful' brains, and others harnessing additional functional resources to 'adapt' to the challenge of brain ageing. Using structural and functional brain metrics alone, I identified multiple patterns of brain ageing predicted to be associated with superior cognitive ageing, and compared cross-sectional and longitudinal cognitive performance, as well as multi-modal MRI metrics acquired at multiple time points between groups. Across these analyses, I found convergent evidence that maintenance of more 'youthful' brain structure and function is associated with prior and continued superior cognitive and brain outcomes, particularly in grey and white matter structure, so promotion of this brain profile should be a goal of interventions. High frontal resting- state connectivity in older adults with poorer brain structure was not associated with the predicted cognitive performance benefit, when compared to those with lower structural and functional brain characteristics. Overall, this thesis provides novel insights into risk and protective factors related to variability in cognitive ageing, upon which further use of sensitive cognitive and imaging measures, and unique populations such as the oldest-old, can expand to inform markers and interventions to maximise cognitive abilities in later life.
- Published
- 2018
36. Motion, Relation, and Passion in Brain Physiological and Cognitive Aging.
- Author
-
Sigmundsson, Hermundur, Dybendal, Benjamin H., and Grassini, Simone
- Subjects
- *
COGNITIVE aging , *AGE , *SCIENTIFIC literature , *CENTRAL nervous system , *OLDER people , *STIMULUS & response (Psychology) - Abstract
The aim of the current paper was to present important factors for keeping the basic structures of a person's brain function, i.e., the grey and white matter, intact. Several lines of evidence have shown that motion, relation, and passion are central factors for preserving the neural system in the grey and white matter during ageing. An active lifestyle has shown to contribute to the development of the central nervous system and to contrast brain ageing. Interpersonal relationships, and interactions, have shown to contribute to complex biological factors that benefit the cognitive resilience to decline. Furthermore, the current scientific literature suggests that passion, strong interest, could be the driving factor motivating individuals to learn new things, thus influencing the development and maintenance of the neural functional network over time. The present theoretical perspective paper aims to convey several key messages: (1) brain development is critically affected by lifestyle; (2) physical training allows one to develop and maintain brain structures during ageing, and may be one of the keys for good quality of life as an older person; (3) diverse stimuli are a key factor in maintaining brain structures; (4) motion, relation, and passion are key elements for contrasting the loss of the grey and white matter of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. What determines cognitive estimation ability? Changing contributions of semantic and executive domains as a function of age.
- Author
-
Hoffman, Paul and MacPherson, Sarah E.
- Subjects
- *
EXECUTIVE function , *COGNITIVE ability , *OLDER people , *AGE groups , *CONTROL (Psychology) , *BILINGUALISM - Abstract
The Cognitive Estimation Test (CET) is commonly used in neuropsychological assessment. It is typically assumed to load on executive functions, although research has shown that CET performance also depends on access to semantic knowledge. It is unknown whether these contributions vary with age. It is important to examine this question as these abilities have divergent life course trajectories: executive functions tend to decline as people age but semantic knowledge continues to accrue. In addition, previous research has not examined potential contributions to CET performance from semantic control abilities, that is cognitive control processes involved specifically in the retrieval and use of semantic information. To address these questions, we investigated cognitive predictors of CET performance in healthy young and older adults. We found that better executive function was associated with more accurate estimation in both age groups. However, the effect of semantic knowledge on CET performance was significantly larger in older people, having no predictive power in the younger group. The ability to detect weak semantic associations, which is thought to index controlled search and retrieval of semantic information, also had divergent effects on CET performance in the two age groups. Our results provide empirical support for the idea that older people are more reliant on semantic knowledge when estimating quantities, which may explain why age‐related decline in CET scores is not typically found. We conclude that deficits on the CET may be indicative either of semantic or executive impairments, particularly in older age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. The association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and dementia: The Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study.
- Author
-
Aubert, Carole E, Bauer, Douglas C, da Costa, Bruno R, Feller, Martin, Rieben, Carole, Simonsick, Eleanor M, Yaffe, Kristine, Rodondi, Nicolas, and Health ABC Study
- Subjects
Health ABC Study ,Thyroid Gland ,Humans ,Dementia ,Hyperthyroidism ,Hypothyroidism ,Thyrotropin ,Prospective Studies ,Aged ,cognitive ageing ,cognitive decline ,dementia ,thyroid dysfunction ,Neurodegenerative ,Prevention ,Aging ,Clinical Research ,Acquired Cognitive Impairment ,Brain Disorders ,Neurological ,Clinical Sciences ,Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine ,Endocrinology & Metabolism - Abstract
ObjectiveData on the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and dementia are limited and conflicting. We aimed to determine whether subclinical thyroid dysfunction was associated with dementia and cognitive decline.DesignPopulation-based prospective cohort study.PatientsAdults aged 70-79 years with measured thyroid function, but no dementia at baseline, and Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) at baseline and follow-up.MeasurementsPrimary outcome was incident-adjudicated dementia, based on 3MS, hospital records and dementia drugs. Secondary outcome was change in 3MS. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, education and baseline 3MS, and then further for cardiovascular risk factors.ResultsAmong 2558 adults, 85% were euthyroid (TSH 0.45-4.49mIU/L), 2% had subclinical hyperthyroidism with mildly decreased TSH (TSH 0.10-0.44 mIU/L), 1% subclinical hyperthyroidism with suppressed TSH (TSH
- Published
- 2017
39. Increased habitual flavonoid intake predicts attenuation of cognitive ageing in twins
- Author
-
Amy Jennings, Claire J. Steves, Alexander Macgregor, Tim Spector, and Aedín Cassidy
- Subjects
Diet ,Flavonoids ,Cognitive ageing ,Brain volume ,Medicine - Abstract
Abstract Background Although the pathophysiology of cognitive decline is multifactorial, and modifiable by lifestyle, the evidence for the role of diet on cognitive function is still accumulating, particularly the potentially preventive role of constituents of plant-based foods. Methods We aimed to determine whether higher habitual intake of dietary flavonoids, key components of plant-based diets, were associated with improved cognition and medial temporal lobe volumes using three complementary approaches (longitudinal, cross-sectional and co-twin analyses). In 1126 female twins (n=224 with a 10-year follow-up of diet and cognition data) aged 18–89 years, habitual intakes of total flavonoids and seven subclasses (flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavones, polymeric flavonoids (and proanthocyanidins separately)) were calculated using validated food frequency questionnaires. Cognition was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery test. Hippocampal volumes were measured in a subset using magnetic resonance imaging (16 monozygotic-twin pairs). Statistical models were adjusted for a range of diet and lifestyle factors. Results Higher intakes of flavanones (tertile (T)3-T1=0.45, 95%CI 0.13,0.77; p=0.01) and anthocyanins (T3-T1=0.45, 95%CI 0.08,0.81; p=0.02) were associated with improvements in age-related cognition score over 10 years. In cross-sectional analysis higher intake of flavanones (T3-T1= 0.12, 95% CI 0.02, 0.21; p=0.02) and proanthocyanidins (T3-T1= 0.13, 95% CI 0.02, 0.24; p=0.02) were associated with improved paired-associates learning. Higher intake of anthocyanins was significantly associated with improved executive function (T3-T1= −0.52, 95% CI 0.19, 0.84; p=0.001) and with faster simple reaction times (T3-T1= −18.1, 95% CI −35.4, −0.7; p=0.04). In co-twin analysis, those with higher anthocyanin (2.0%, p=0.01) and proanthocyanidin (2.0%, p=0.02) intakes at baseline had the largest left hippocampal volumes after 12 years. Conclusion Small increases in habitual intake of flavonoid-rich foods (containing anthocyanins, flavanones and proanthocyanidins; equivalent to approximately two servings of oranges and blueberries per day) over long time periods have the potential to attenuate cognitive ageing.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Grip strength from midlife as an indicator of later-life brain health and cognition: evidence from a British birth cohort
- Author
-
Quentin Dercon, Jennifer M. Nicholas, Sarah-Naomi James, Jonathan M. Schott, and Marcus Richards
- Subjects
Grip strength ,Physical function ,Brain volume ,White matter hyperintensity volume ,Nonverbal reasoning ,Cognitive ageing ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background Grip strength is an indicator of physical function with potential predictive value for health in ageing populations. We assessed whether trends in grip strength from midlife predicted later-life brain health and cognition. Methods 446 participants in an ongoing British birth cohort study, the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), had their maximum grip strength measured at ages 53, 60–64, and 69, and subsequently underwent neuroimaging as part of a neuroscience sub-study, referred to as “Insight 46”, at age 69–71. A group-based trajectory model identified latent groups of individuals in the whole NSHD cohort with below- or above-average grip strength over time, plus a reference group. Group assignment, plus standardised grip strength levels and change from midlife were each related to measures of whole-brain volume (WBV) and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), plus several cognitive tests. Models were adjusted for sex, body size, head size (where appropriate), sociodemographics, and behavioural and vascular risk factors. Results Lower grip strength from midlife was associated with smaller WBV and lower matrix reasoning scores at age 69–71, with findings consistent between analysis of individual time points and analysis of trajectory groups. There was little evidence of an association between grip strength and other cognitive test scores. Although greater declines in grip strength showed a weak association with higher WMHV at age 69–71, trends in the opposite direction were seen at individual time points with higher grip strength at ages 60–64, and 69 associated with higher WMHV. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that maximum grip strength may have value in predicting brain health. Future work should assess to what extent age-related declines in grip strength from midlife reflect concurrent changes in brain structure.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Verbal intelligence is a more robust cross-sectional measure of cognitive reserve than level of education in healthy older adults
- Author
-
R. Boyle, S. P. Knight, C. De Looze, D. Carey, S. Scarlett, Y. Stern, I. H. Robertson, R. A. Kenny, and R. Whelan
- Subjects
Cognitive reserve ,Cognitive ageing ,Cognitive decline ,Neuroimaging ,Structural MRI ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 ,Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system ,RC346-429 - Abstract
Abstract Background Cognitive reserve is most commonly measured using socio-behavioural proxy variables. These variables are easy to collect, have a straightforward interpretation, and are widely associated with reduced risk of dementia and cognitive decline in epidemiological studies. However, the specific proxies vary across studies and have rarely been assessed in complete models of cognitive reserve (i.e. alongside both a measure of cognitive outcome and a measure of brain structure). Complete models can test independent associations between proxies and cognitive function in addition to the moderation effect of proxies on the brain-cognition relationship. Consequently, there is insufficient empirical evidence guiding the choice of proxy measures of cognitive reserve and poor comparability across studies. Method In a cross-sectional study, we assessed the validity of 5 common proxies (education, occupational complexity, verbal intelligence, leisure activities, and exercise) and all possible combinations of these proxies in 2 separate community-dwelling older adult cohorts: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA; N = 313, mean age = 68.9 years, range = 54–88) and the Cognitive Reserve/Reference Ability Neural Network Study (CR/RANN; N = 234, mean age = 64.49 years, range = 50–80). Fifteen models were created with 3 brain structure variables (grey matter volume, hippocampal volume, and mean cortical thickness) and 5 cognitive variables (verbal fluency, processing speed, executive function, episodic memory, and global cognition). Results No moderation effects were observed. There were robust positive associations with cognitive function, independent of brain structure, for 2 individual proxies (verbal intelligence and education) and 16 composites (i.e. combinations of proxies). Verbal intelligence was statistically significant in all models. Education was significant only in models with executive function as the cognitive outcome variable. Three robust composites were observed in more than two-thirds of brain-cognition models: the composites of (1) occupational complexity and verbal intelligence, (2) education and verbal intelligence, and (3) education, occupational complexity, and verbal intelligence. However, no composite had larger average effects nor was more robust than verbal intelligence alone. Conclusion These results support the use of verbal intelligence as a proxy measure of CR in cross-sectional studies of cognitively healthy older adults.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
- Author
-
Xie, Jinzhao, Fan, Xiaoyan, Yin, Ping, Gu, Jing, and Yang, Chengwu
- Subjects
CHILDHOOD friendships ,COGNITIVE aging ,ADVERSE childhood experiences ,OLDER people ,MIDDLE-aged persons - Abstract
Background: Childhood experience has been suggested to affect cognitive function in later life. However, the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory in middle-aged and older adults has not been fully assessed. This study examined the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory and identified factors modifying this association.Methods: We used four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a national representative longitudinal study of adults aged 45 years or older, 2011-2018. The CHARLS included surveys on childhood friendship and cognitive assessments. Childhood friendship status was categorised as poor, fair, and good. To examine the association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, we applied multilevel linear regression models, and explored potential influences of sociodemographic factors, health status and behaviours, and childhood conditions on this association.Results: Of the 4,350 participants, 1,919 (44.1%) were women. The mean age was 56.29 ± 7.80 years. We found childhood friendship was significantly associated with cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, with a dose-response relationship. After adjusting for covariates, comparing to participants with poor childhood friendships, those with better childhood friendships had lower rates of cognitive decline (β = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.22 [interaction term of fair friendship and time]; β = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.28 [interaction term of good friendship and time]) and higher level of cognitive functions (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.58 [fair friendships]; β = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.79 [good friendships]). These associations were stronger for those who were female, less educated, and had experienced more adverse childhood experiences.Conclusions: Childhood friendship is associated with cognitive ageing in later life. Enhancing childhood friendships can play an important role to promote healthy ageing in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Familial factors, depression and cognitive decline: A longitudinal mediation analysis based on latent growth modeling (LGM).
- Author
-
Wang, Haoran, Yang, Chunyan, and Yao, Ye
- Subjects
- *
COGNITION disorders , *COGNITIVE aging , *COGNITIVE ability , *OLDER people , *MARITAL status - Abstract
Background: Cognitive decline of ageing population has become one of the major public health challenges worldwide, and familial factors (such as household income, marital status, etc.) have been identified as risk factors. Currently, we mainly focused on two familial factors: living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing (taking care of grandchildren), exploring their relations with cognitive ageing. We also tested the possible mediating role of depression between the two family factors and cognitive decline. Methods: Data was derived from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, and a total of 8474 participants (3602 females, mean age = 69.64) were included in the current research. Latent growth model (LGM) has been constructed for cognitive functions, with initial level and declining rate being estimated respectively. We further examined: (1) whether living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing could influence the declining trajectory (initial level and declining rate) of elders' cognitive functioning; (2) and if so, whether depression could mediate the effects of living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing on cognitive functioning. Results: First, while living with spouse/child was related to higher initial level of cognitive functions and slower declining rate, intergenerational rearing was associated with neither of them. Second, growth trajectory of depression partly mediated the effects of living with spouse/child on cognitive functioning (Indirect effect = 0.14; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Familial factors (living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing) may be influential on declining trajectories of elders' cognitive functions, and depression may mediate such effects. More research efforts are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the relations between familial factors and cognitive ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. longitudinal association between cognitive impairment and incident visual impairment in a multiethnic Asian population: a prospective cohort study.
- Author
-
Vu, Tai Anh, Gupta, Preeti, Leow, Felicia Z Y, Fenwick, Eva K, Man, Ryan E K, Tham, Yih-Chung, Xu, Xin, Quek, Debra Q Y, Qian, Chaoxu, Sabanayagam, Charumathi, Chen, Christopher L H, Wong, Tien Yin, Cheng, Ching-Yu, and Lamoureux, Ecosse L
- Subjects
- *
COGNITION disorders , *NOSOLOGY , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *PSYCHOLOGICAL vulnerability , *REGRESSION analysis , *DISEASE incidence , *COGNITIVE aging , *PSYCHOLOGICAL tests , *VISION testing , *SEVERITY of illness index , *VISUAL acuity , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *COGNITION disorders in old age , *VISION disorders , *LOGISTIC regression analysis , *STATISTICAL models , *ODDS ratio , *LONGITUDINAL method , *REFRACTIVE errors , *DISEASE risk factors - Abstract
Background The relationship between baseline cognitive impairment (CI) and incident visual impairment (VI) in Asians is unclear. Objective To determine the associations between baseline CI with incident VI and visual acuity (VA) at 6-year follow-up in multiethnic Asians. Design Cohort. Setting Population-based. Subjects Two thousand three hundred and twenty-four adults aged ≥60 years from the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study (response rate 64%). Methods CI was defined using the validated Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT). VA was objectively measured using a LogMAR chart. Any incident VI was defined as having no VI (Snellen's VA better than or equal to 20/40) at baseline but present (VA worse than 20/40) at 6-year follow-up. VI severity was defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision. Associations were assessed using logistic and linear regression models. Results Of the 2,324 participants, 248 had CI at baseline. Presence of baseline CI was associated with more than twice the odds of any incident VI, incident mild and moderate–severe VI (OR [95% confidence interval]: 2.48 [1.55–3.90], 2.07 [1.17–3.55], and 2.61 [1.36–4.93], respectively) and worse VA (β [95% confidence interval]: 0.026 [0.006–0.046]) at 6-year follow-up. The leading causes of incident VI were cataract and under-corrected refractive error. Conclusions Older adults with CI had more than double the odds of VI development and poorer VA than their cognitively intact counterparts, and most causes of incident VI were correctable. Strategies such as targeted vision screening and early intervention for early detection and management of vision loss in patients with cognitive decline are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Detecting impaired language processing in patients with mild cognitive impairment using around‐the‐ear cEEgrid electrodes.
- Author
-
Segaert, K., Poulisse, C., Markiewicz, R., Wheeldon, L., Marchment, D., Adler, Z., Howett, D., Chan, D., and Mazaheri, A.
- Subjects
- *
MILD cognitive impairment , *COMPREHENSION testing , *COGNITION , *EPISODIC memory , *COGNITION disorders - Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the term used to identify those individuals with subjective and objective cognitive decline but with preserved activities of daily living and an absence of dementia. Although MCI can impact functioning in different cognitive domains, most notably episodic memory, relatively little is known about the comprehension of language in MCI. In this study, we used around‐the‐ear electrodes (cEEGrids) to identify impairments during language comprehension in patients with MCI. In a group of 23 patients with MCI and 23 age‐matched controls, language comprehension was tested in a two‐word phrase paradigm. We examined the oscillatory changes following word onset as a function of lexico‐semantic single‐word retrieval (e.g., swrfeq vs. swift) and multiword binding processes (e.g., horse preceded by swift vs. preceded by swrfeq). Electrophysiological signatures (as measured by the cEEGrids) were significantly different between patients with MCI and controls. In controls, lexical retrieval was associated with a rebound in the alpha/beta range, and binding was associated with a post‐word alpha/beta suppression. In contrast, both the single‐word retrieval and multiword binding signatures were absent in the MCI group. The signatures observed using cEEGrids in controls were comparable with those signatures obtained with a full‐cap EEG setup. Importantly, our findings suggest that patients with MCI have impaired electrophysiological signatures for comprehending single words and multiword phrases. Moreover, cEEGrid setups provide a noninvasive and sensitive clinical tool for detecting early impairments in language comprehension in MCI. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) impacts functioning in different cognitive domains, although less is known about the comprehension of language. By examining oscillatory activity, we find evidence of deficits during language processing in MCI (compared with age‐matched controls) in the absence of overt behavioral performance decline. The deficits are at the level of retrieval for single words, as well as binding the meaning for multiple words. Our findings suggest that cognitive systems other than memory are impacted by MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Ageing Together: Interdependence in the Memory Compensation Strategies of Long-Married Older Couples.
- Author
-
Harris, Celia B., Sutton, John, Keil, Paul G., McIlwain, Nina, Harris, Sophia A., Barnier, Amanda J., Savage, Greg, and Dixon, Roger A.
- Subjects
COLLECTIVE memory ,SOCIAL groups ,OLDER people ,COGNITIVE aging ,COUPLES - Abstract
People live and age together in social groups. Across a range of outcomes, research has identified interdependence in the cognitive and health trajectories of ageing couples. Various types of memory decline with age and people report using a range of internal and external, social, and material strategies to compensate for these declines. While memory compensation strategies have been widely studied, research so far has focused only on single individuals. We examined interdependence in the memory compensation strategies reported by spouses within 58 older couples. Couples completed the Memory Compensation Questionnaire, as well as an open-ended interview about their memory compensation practices. We found that internal, intra-individual memory compensation strategies were not associated within couples, but external, extra-individual strategies showed interdependence. Individuals' scores on material/technological compensation strategies were positively correlated with their partners'. Reported reliance on a spouse was higher for men and increased with age. Our open-ended interviews yielded rich insights into the complex and diverse resources that couples use to support memory in day-to-day life. Particularly evident was the extent of interaction and coordination between social and material compensation, such that couples jointly used external compensation resources. Our results suggest that individuals' reports of their compensation strategies do not tell the whole story. Rather, we propose that older couples show interdependence in their memory compensation strategies, and adopt complex systems of integrated material and social memory compensation in their day-to-day lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Contribution of IQ in young adulthood to the associations of education and occupation with cognitive ability in older age
- Author
-
Insa Feinkohl, Petra Kozma, Friedrich Borchers, Simone J. T. van Montfort, Jochen Kruppa, Georg Winterer, Claudia Spies, and Tobias Pischon
- Subjects
Cognitive epidemiology ,Cognitive ageing ,Education ,Occupation ,Pre-morbid IQ ,Geriatrics ,RC952-954.6 - Abstract
Abstract Background Studies suggest that a higher education and occupation are each associated with a higher late-life cognitive ability, but their inter-relationships in their association with cognitive ability and the contribution of peak IQ in young adulthood (‘pre-morbid IQ’) often remain unclear. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of 623 participants aged ≥65 years of the BioCog study. Education was coded according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED; range 1 to 6). Occupation was coded as ‘semi/unskilled’, ‘skilled manual’, ‘skilled non-manual’, ‘managerial’, ‘professional’. A summary score of global ability (‘g’) was constructed from six cognitive tests. Pre-morbid IQ was estimated from vocabulary. The Geriatric Depression Scale assessed symptoms of depression. Age- and sex-adjusted analyses of covariance were performed. Results Education (partial eta2 0.076; p
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Familial factors, depression and cognitive decline: A longitudinal mediation analysis based on latent growth modeling (LGM)
- Author
-
Haoran Wang, Chunyan Yang, and Ye Yao
- Subjects
cognitive ageing ,cognitive decline ,family status ,intergenerational rearing ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
Abstract Background Cognitive decline of ageing population has become one of the major public health challenges worldwide, and familial factors (such as household income, marital status, etc.) have been identified as risk factors. Currently, we mainly focused on two familial factors: living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing (taking care of grandchildren), exploring their relations with cognitive ageing. We also tested the possible mediating role of depression between the two family factors and cognitive decline. Methods Data was derived from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, and a total of 8474 participants (3602 females, mean age = 69.64) were included in the current research. Latent growth model (LGM) has been constructed for cognitive functions, with initial level and declining rate being estimated respectively. We further examined: (1) whether living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing could influence the declining trajectory (initial level and declining rate) of elders’ cognitive functioning; (2) and if so, whether depression could mediate the effects of living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing on cognitive functioning. Results First, while living with spouse/child was related to higher initial level of cognitive functions and slower declining rate, intergenerational rearing was associated with neither of them. Second, growth trajectory of depression partly mediated the effects of living with spouse/child on cognitive functioning (Indirect effect = 0.14; p < 0.01). Conclusions Familial factors (living with spouse/child and intergenerational rearing) may be influential on declining trajectories of elders’ cognitive functions, and depression may mediate such effects. More research efforts are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the relations between familial factors and cognitive ageing.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Ageing Together: Interdependence in the Memory Compensation Strategies of Long-Married Older Couples
- Author
-
Celia B. Harris, John Sutton, Paul G. Keil, Nina McIlwain, Sophia A. Harris, Amanda J. Barnier, Greg Savage, and Roger A. Dixon
- Subjects
memory compensation ,couples ,cognitive ageing ,memory compensation questionnaire ,interdependence ,transactive memory ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
People live and age together in social groups. Across a range of outcomes, research has identified interdependence in the cognitive and health trajectories of ageing couples. Various types of memory decline with age and people report using a range of internal and external, social, and material strategies to compensate for these declines. While memory compensation strategies have been widely studied, research so far has focused only on single individuals. We examined interdependence in the memory compensation strategies reported by spouses within 58 older couples. Couples completed the Memory Compensation Questionnaire, as well as an open-ended interview about their memory compensation practices. We found that internal, intra-individual memory compensation strategies were not associated within couples, but external, extra-individual strategies showed interdependence. Individuals’ scores on material/technological compensation strategies were positively correlated with their partners’. Reported reliance on a spouse was higher for men and increased with age. Our open-ended interviews yielded rich insights into the complex and diverse resources that couples use to support memory in day-to-day life. Particularly evident was the extent of interaction and coordination between social and material compensation, such that couples jointly used external compensation resources. Our results suggest that individuals’ reports of their compensation strategies do not tell the whole story. Rather, we propose that older couples show interdependence in their memory compensation strategies, and adopt complex systems of integrated material and social memory compensation in their day-to-day lives.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Healthy ageing and binding features in working memory : measurement issues and potential boundary conditions
- Author
-
Rhodes, Stephen, Logie, Robert, Parra Rodriguez, Mario, and Cowan, Nelson
- Subjects
153.1 ,cognitive ageing ,feature binding ,working memory ,change detection ,measurement - Abstract
Accurate memory for an object or event requires that multiple diverse features are bound together and retained as an integrated representation. There is overwhelming evidence that healthy ageing is accompanied by an associative deficit in that older adults struggle to remember relations between items above any deficit exhibited in remembering the items themselves. However, the effect of age on the ability to bind features within novel objects (for example, their colour and shape) and retain correct conjunctions over brief intervals is less clear. The relatively small body of work that exists on this topic to-date has suggested no additional working memory impairment for conjunctions of features beyond a general age-related impairment in the ability to temporarily retain features. This is in stark contrast to the feature binding deficit observed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, there have been reports of age-related feature binding deficits in working memory under specific circumstances. Thus a major focus of the present work was to assess these potential boundary conditions. The change detection paradigm was used throughout this work to examine age-differences in visual working memory. Despite the popularity of this task important issues regarding the way in which working memory is probed have been left unaddressed. Chapter 2 reports three experiments with younger adults comparing two methods of testing recognition memory for features or conjunctions. Contrary to an influential study in the field, it appears that processing multiple items at test does not differentially impact on participants’ ability to detect binding changes. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 report a series of experiments motivated by previous findings of specific age-related feature binding deficits. These experiments, improving on previous methodology where possible, demonstrate that increasing the amount of time for which items can be studied (Chapter 3) or mixing feature-conjunction changes in trial-blocks with more salient changes to individual features (Chapters 4 and 5) does not differentially impact on healthy older adults’ ability to detect binding changes. Rather, the argument is made that specific procedural aspects of previous work led to the appearance of deficits that do not generalise. Chapter 5 also addresses the suggestion that healthy ageing specifically affects the retention of item-location conjunctions. The existing evidence for this claim is reviewed, and found wanting, and new data are presented providing evidence against it. To follow-up on the absence of a deficit for simple feature conjunctions, Chapter 6 contrasts two theoretically distinct binding mechanisms: one for features intrinsic to an object and another for extrinsic, contextual features. Preliminary evidence is reported that the cost associated with retaining pairings of features is specifically pronounced for older adults when the features are extrinsic to each other. In an attempt to separate out the contribution of working memory capacity and lapses of attention to age-differences in overall task performance, Chapter 7 reports the results of an exploratory analysis using processing models developed in Chapter 2. Analysis of two data sets from Chapters 4 and 5 demonstrates that lapses of attention make an important contribution to differences in change detection performance. Chapter 8 returns to the issue of measurement in assessing the evidence for specific age-related deficits. Simulations demonstrate that the choice of outcome measure can greatly affect conclusions regarding age-group by condition interactions, suggesting that some previous findings of such interactions in the literature may have been more apparent than real. In closing the General Discussion relates the present work to current theory regarding feature binding in visual working memory and to the wider literature on binding deficits in healthy and pathological ageing.
- Published
- 2016
Catalog
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.