scholarly journals Distinct Cognitive Trajectories in Late Life and Associated Predictors and Outcomes: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 459-478
Author(s):  
Zimu Wu ◽  
Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo ◽  
Tagrid Al-harbi ◽  
Robyn L. Woods ◽  
Joanne Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Significant Heterogeneity ◽  
High Cognitive Function ◽  
Over Time

Background: Cognitive aging is a dynamic process in late life with significant heterogeneity across individuals. Objective: To review the evidence for latent classes of cognitive trajectories and to identify the associated predictors and outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE for articles that identified two or more cognitive trajectories in adults. The study was conducted following the PRISMA statement. Results: Thirty-seven studies were included, ranging from 219 to 9,704 participants, with a mean age of 60 to 93.4 years. Most studies (n = 30) identified distinct cognitive trajectories using latent class growth analysis. The trajectory profile commonly consisted of three to four classes with progressively decreasing baseline and increasing rate of decline—a ‘stable-high’ class characterized as maintenance of cognitive function at high level, a ‘minor-decline’ class or ‘stable-medium’ class that declines gradually over time, and a ‘rapid-decline’ class with the steepest downward slope. Generally, membership of better classes was predicted by younger age, being female, more years of education, better health, healthier lifestyle, higher social engagement and lack of genetic risk variants. Some factors (e.g., education) were found to be associated with cognitive function over time only within individual classes. Conclusion: Cognitive aging in late life is a dynamic process with significant inter-individual variability. However, it remains unclear whether similar patterns of cognitive aging are observed across all cognitive domains. Further research into unique factors which promote the maintenance of high-cognitive function is needed to help inform public policy.

scholarly journals Global Sensory Impairment Independently Predicts Decreased Social Function Over Time

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 414-414
Author(s):  
Anna Huang ◽  
Kristen Wroblewski ◽  
Ashwin Kotwal ◽  
Linda Waite ◽  
Martha McClintock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression ◽  
Sensory Function ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The classical senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) play a key role in social function by allowing interaction and communication. We assessed whether sensory impairment across all 5 modalities (global sensory impairment [GSI]) was associated with social function in older adults. Sensory function was measured in 3,005 home-dwelling older U.S. adults at baseline in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project and GSI, a validated measure, was calculated. Social network size and kin composition, number of close friends, and social engagement were assessed at baseline and 5- and 10-year follow-up. Ordinal logistic regression and mixed effects ordinal logistic regression analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships respectively, controlling for demographics, physical/mental health, disability, and cognitive function (at baseline). Adults with worse GSI had smaller networks (β=-0.159, p=0.021), fewer close friends (β=-0.262, p=0.003) and lower engagement (β=-0.252, p=0.006) at baseline, relationships that persisted at 5 and 10 year follow-up. Men, older people, African-Americans, and those with less education, fewer assets, poor mental health, worse cognitive function, and more disability had worse GSI. Men and those with fewer assets, worse cognitive function, and less education had smaller networks and lower engagement. African-American and Hispanic individuals had smaller networks and fewer close friends, but more engagement. Older respondents also had more engagement. In summary, GSI independently predicts smaller social networks, fewer close friends, and lower social engagement over time, suggesting that sensory decline results in decreased social function. Thus, rehabilitating multisensory impairment may be a strategy to enhance social function as people age.

scholarly journals Life-Course Exposure to Early Socioeconomic Environment, Education in Relation to Late-Life Cognitive Function Among Older Mexicans and Mexican Americans

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1027-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri ◽  
Mary N. Haan ◽  
Sandro Galea ◽  
Allison E. Aiello
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Late Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multivariate Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Z Scores

Objectives: To examine the associations between life-course education and late-life cognitive function along with the modifying role of migration history. Method: The combined sample includes 1,789 participants from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging and 5,253 participants from the Mexican Health and Aging Study. Aged 60+ at baseline, participants were classified as Mexican residents, Mexicans–return migrants, Mexicans–immigrants to the United States, and Mexicans–U.S. born. Cognitive function was measured using standardized z scores of a short-term verbal recall test. Multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted. Results: Participants’ z scores were higher among those whose mother had more than elementary education (β = 0.28, p < .05). Participant’s education mediated this association. For 5-year difference in education, the cognitive z score increased by 0.3 points for a U.S. born. Results were similar with father’s education. Discussion: Adult educational attainment mediates the effect of childhood socioeconomic status on late-life cognition. Migration plays a role in shaping cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Education and Cognitive Functioning Across the Life Span

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lövdén ◽  
Laura Fratiglioni ◽  
M. Maria Glymour ◽  
Ulman Lindenberger ◽  
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Positive Effects

Cognitive abilities are important predictors of educational and occupational performance, socioeconomic attainment, health, and longevity. Declines in cognitive abilities are linked to impairments in older adults’ everyday functions, but people differ from one another in their rates of cognitive decline over the course of adulthood and old age. Hence, identifying factors that protect against compromised late-life cognition is of great societal interest. The number of years of formal education completed by individuals is positively correlated with their cognitive function throughout adulthood and predicts lower risk of dementia late in life. These observations have led to the propositions that prolonging education might (a) affect cognitive ability and (b) attenuate aging-associated declines in cognition. We evaluate these propositions by reviewing the literature on educational attainment and cognitive aging, including recent analyses of data harmonized across multiple longitudinal cohort studies and related meta-analyses. In line with the first proposition, the evidence indicates that educational attainment has positive effects on cognitive function. We also find evidence that cognitive abilities are associated with selection into longer durations of education and that there are common factors (e.g., parental socioeconomic resources) that affect both educational attainment and cognitive development. There is likely reciprocal interplay among these factors, and among cognitive abilities, during development. Education–cognitive ability associations are apparent across the entire adult life span and across the full range of education levels, including (to some degree) tertiary education. However, contrary to the second proposition, we find that associations between education and aging-associated cognitive declines are negligible and that a threshold model of dementia can account for the association between educational attainment and late-life dementia risk. We conclude that educational attainment exerts its influences on late-life cognitive function primarily by contributing to individual differences in cognitive skills that emerge in early adulthood but persist into older age. We also note that the widespread absence of educational influences on rates of cognitive decline puts constraints on theoretical notions of cognitive aging, such as the concepts of cognitive reserve and brain maintenance. Improving the conditions that shape development during the first decades of life carries great potential for improving cognitive ability in early adulthood and for reducing public-health burdens related to cognitive aging and dementia.

scholarly journals ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BLOOD PRESSURE AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDEST OLD IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S643-S643
Author(s):  
Yukihiro Namihira ◽  
Takashi Tokashiki ◽  
Akio Ishida ◽  
Yusuke Ohya ◽  
Hiroko H Dodge
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Arterial Stiffness ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Pulse Pressure ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Vascular Stiffness ◽  
High Cognitive Function

Abstract Background: Adults 80 years and older are the fastest-growing segment of the Japanese population and face a high risk of cognitive decline. There are some evidences connecting hypertension to cognitive decline. In mid-life hypertension is known to have influence the cognitive decline in older age. However, a few study have examined the association between hypertension or vascular stiffness and cognitive function among elderly over 80 years old. We analyzed the associations between vascular stiffness and cognitive function among relatively healthy community-dwelling non-demented oldest old. Method: Data came from the Keys to Optimal Cognitive Aging (KOCOA) study; an ongoing cohort of relatively healthy volunteers aged over 80 years old, living in Okinawa, Japan. In 2017, 105 non-demented (Clinical Dementia Rating &lt; 1) subjects completed three kinds of examination for vascular function (75 % female, mean age (SD) 84.0 (3.0)). We categorized subjects into low and high cognitive function groups using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (25/26 as a cutpoint). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between cognitive and vascular functions. Results: Narrower pulse pressure, an indicator of lower arterial stiffness, was associated with better cognitive function among subjects, after adjusting for gender, age, and education (p≦0.05), although systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that narrower pulse pressure is related with cognitive preservation. The present study supports the hypothesis that lower arterial stiffness is related with better cognitive function even among the oldest old.

scholarly journals Longitudinal relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning in old age

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Lin ◽  
Ding-Geng Chen ◽  
David E. Vance ◽  
Karlene K. Ball ◽  
Mark Mapstone
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Growth Mixture Modeling ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Subjective Fatigue ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground: The present study examined the prospective relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning.Methods: A cohort study with secondary data analysis was conducted using data from 2,781 community-dwelling older adults without dementia who were enrolled to participate in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) randomized intervention trial. Measures included demographic and health information at baseline, and annual assessments of subjective fatigue, cognitive function (i.e. speed of processing, memory, and reasoning), and everyday functioning (i.e. everyday speed and everyday problem-solving) over five years.Results: Four distinct classes of subjective fatigue were identified using growth mixture modeling: one group complaining fatigue “some of the time” at baseline but “most of the time” at five-year follow-up (increased fatigue), one complaining fatigue “a good bit of the time” constantly over time (persistent fatigue), one complaining fatigue “most of the time” at baseline but “some of the time” at five-year follow-up (decreased fatigue), and the fourth complaining fatigue “some of the time” constantly over time (persistent energy). All domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning declined significantly over five years; and the decline rates, but not the baseline levels, differed by the latent class of subjective fatigue. Except for the decreased fatigue class, there were different degrees of significant associations between the decline rates of subjective fatigue and all domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning in other classes of subjective fatigue.Conclusion: Future interventions should address subjective fatigue when managing cognitive and functional abilities in community-dwelling older adults.

scholarly journals Evaluations of a Previous Day as a Pathway Between Personality and Healthy Cognitive Aging

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 642-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelina R. Sutin ◽  
Yannick Stephan ◽  
Damaris Aschwanden ◽  
Martina Luchetti ◽  
Jason E. Strickhouser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Objective: To examine the association between Five-Factor Model personality traits and how individuals evaluate a recent day in their lives (yesterday) and whether these evaluations mediate personality and cognitive function over time. Methods: Participants were a subsample from the Health and Retirement Study who completed personality measures in 2008/2010, the day evaluation in 2011, and cognitive tasks in 2012 ( N = 3,454). Results: Lower Neuroticism and Higher Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were associated with a more engaging day, fewer negative feelings, better subjective health, and less time spent alone. Active engagement and subjective health were associated with cognitive function and mediated the prospective associations between Neuroticism, Openness, and Conscientiousness and cognitive function. Discussion: Personality is associated with how individuals evaluated their previous day, which contributes to cognition over time. The present research contributes to a mechanistic model that aims to identify pathways through which personality contributes to cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Cognitive Aging and Dementia: A Life-Span Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Dementia Research ◽  
Diagnosis And Classification ◽  
Diagnostic Approaches ◽  
Child Cognitive Development

This review summarizes empirical findings and theoretical concepts in cognitive aging and late-life dementia research, with emphases on ( a) person-to-person heterogeneity in trajectories of cognitive change over time, ( b) how trajectories of child cognitive development determine peak levels of adult cognitive function from which aging-related cognitive declines occur, and ( c) how lifelong trajectories of cognitive function relate to the timing of severe cognitive impairments characteristic of dementia. I consider conceptual issues surrounding categorical versus dimensional models of late-life dementia and discuss how current diagnostic approaches affect inferences in the empirical study of disease progression. Together, the incomplete current understanding of the biological foundations of aging-related cognitive declines and the continuous nature of many biomarkers commonly used in dementia diagnosis and classification pose both opportunities and challenges in the current research landscape. Future research will benefit from accurately measuring and analyzing continuous variation in longitudinal trajectories of cognitive function.

Global Cognitive Function in Late-Life Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analytic Review

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzin Irani ◽  
Solomon Kalkstein ◽  
Emily A. Moberg ◽  
Paul J. Moberg
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Global Cognitive Function ◽  
Analytic Review

Physical activity and cognitive function in older persons

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Critical Challenge

Strategies to improve cognitive aging are highly needed. Among those, promotion of exercise and physical activity appears as one of the most attractive and beneficial intervention. Indeed, results from basic and clinical studies suggest that exercise and physical activity have positive effects on cognition in older persons without cognitive impairment, as well as in those with dementia. Despite inconsistent results, aerobic exercise appears to have the strongest potential to enhance cognition. However, even limited periods of walking (45 minutes, three times a week, over a 6-month period) have also been shown to enhance cognition, particularly executive functions. Changing long-term lifestyle habits in these older persons remains a critical challenge and attractive programs susceptible to gain adherence are needed to succeed in achieving improved cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Vascular risk factors and incident late-life depression in a Korean population

2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Min Kim ◽  
Robert Stewart ◽  
Sung-Wan Kim ◽  
Su-Jin Yang ◽  
Il-Seon Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Lower Baseline ◽  
Vascular Status

BackgroundCausal relationships between vascular factors and late-life depression are controversial.AimsTo investigate prospective associations between risk factors for vascular disease and incidence of late-life depression.MethodOf 661 community participants aged 65 years or over, without depression at baseline, 521 (79%) were re-evaluated 2 years later. At baseline and follow-up, a diagnostic interview for depression was carried out and information on vascular status, disability and cognitive function was gathered.ResultsPre-existing heart disease, incident stroke and lower baseline high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were significantly associated with incidence of late-life depression, independently of disability and cognitive function.ConclusionsThese results provide some support for a vascular aetiology of late-life depression. However, important risk factors for cerebrovascular disease such as hypertension and diabetes were not implicated, and the associations with lipid levels might still be explained by affective states earlier in life.

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