Effect of cumulative exposure to psychosocial stressors at work on global cognitive function: A 25‐year longitudinal study

ObjectivesPsychosocial stressors at work have been proposed as modifiable risk factors for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cumulative exposure to psychosocial stressors at work on cognitive function.MethodsThis study was conducted among 9188 white-collar workers recruited in 1991–1993 (T1), with follow-ups 8 (T2) and 24 years later (T3). After excluding death, losses to follow-up and retirees at T2, 5728 participants were included. Psychosocial stressors at work were measured according to the Karasek’s questionnaire. Global cognitive function was measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Cumulative exposures to low psychological demand, low job control, passive job and high strain job were evaluated using marginal structural models including multiple imputation and inverse probability of censoring weighting.ResultsIn men, cumulative exposures (T1 and T2) to low psychological demand, low job control or passive job were associated with higher prevalences of more severe presentation of MCI (MSMCI) at T3 (Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% CIs of 1.50 (1.16 to 1.94); 1.38 (1.07 to 1.79) and 1.55 (1.20 to 2.00), respectively), but not with milder presentation of MCI. In women, only exposure to low psychological demand or passive job at T2 was associated with higher prevalences of MSMCI at T3 (PRs and 95% CI of 1.39 (0.97 to 1.99) and 1.29 (0.94 to 1.76), respectively).ConclusionsThese results support the deleterious effect of a low stimulating job on cognitive function and the cognitive reserve theory. Psychosocial stressors at work could be part of the effort for the primary prevention of cognitive decline.

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Impact of secondhand smoke exposure on cognitive function among middle-aged and older women in China: findings from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039824 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e039824

Author(s):

Anying Bai ◽

Yinzi Jin ◽

Yangmu Huang

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Secondhand Smoke ◽

Chinese Women ◽

Memory Function ◽

Pooled Analysis ◽

Visuospatial Ability ◽

Global Cognitive Function ◽

Normal Cognitive Function

ObjectivesTo examine the association between secondhand smoke (SSH) and women’s global cognitive function and cognitive subdomains.DesignCohort study.ParticipantsData for this study were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2013-2015), and pooled analysis was applied to wave 1 and wave 2 (2011–2013), wave 2 and wave 3 (2013–2015) and wave 1 and wave 3 (2011–2015). Data from a total of 6875 Chinese women with normal cognitive function at baseline were selected for analysis, including 2981 who were interviewed in 2011, 2471 in 2013, and 1894 in 2015.Main outcome measures and methodsSHS was classified based on the number of exposed years (<25 years, ≥25 years to <30 years, ≥30 years to <40 years, ≥40 years). Global cognitive function, visuospatial ability, orientation and attention, and episodic memory function were used as measures of cognitive function. Three waves of data were pooled using a dummy variable to differentiate between 2-year and 4-year groups. LDV models were used to examine independent associations between SHS and cognitive function. Demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, baseline cognitive functioning and health conditions were controlled for in our models.ResultsSSH was found to be inversely and significantly associated with cognitive function. Compared with those who had not been exposed to household SSH, women who had lived with a smoking husband had a significantly faster cognition decline, especially in global cognitive function (β=−0.33, 95% CI=−0.66 to −0.01, p<0.01), visuospatial ability (β=−0.04, 95% CI=−0.08 to −0.01, p<0.05) and episodic memory function (β=−0.16, 95% CI=−0.31 to −0.01, p=0.031).ConclusionsHousehold SSH exposure for more than 40 years was associated with a more significant decline in global cognitive function, visuospatial ability and episodic memory function, but not in orientation and attention function among older Chinese women.

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Plasma concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate and global cognitive function in an older population: cross-sectional findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114520001427 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 124 (6) ◽

pp. 602-610 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Deirdre M. A. O’Connor ◽

Eamon J. Laird ◽

Daniel Carey ◽

Aisling M. O’Halloran ◽

Robert Clarke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Folic Acid ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Plasma Vitamin ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Folate Status ◽

Global Cognitive Function

AbstractThe uncertainty surrounding high intakes of folic acid and associations with cognitive decline in older adults with low vitamin B12 status has been an obstacle to mandatory folic acid fortification for many years. We estimated the prevalence of combinations of low/normal/high vitamin B12 and folate status and compared associations with global cognitive function using two approaches, of individuals in a population-based study of those aged ≥50 years in the Republic of Ireland. Cross-sectional data from 3781 men and women from Wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing were analysed. Global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Prevalence estimates for combinations of vitamin B12 (plasma vitamin B12 < or ≥258 pmol/l) and folate (plasma folate ≤ or >45·3 nmol/l) concentrations were generated. Negative binomial regression models were used to investigate the associations of vitamin B12 and folate status with global cognitive function. Of the participants, 1·5 % (n 51) had low vitamin B12 (<258 pmol/l) and high folate (>45·3 nmol/l) status. Global cognitive performance was not significantly reduced in these individuals when compared with those with normal status for both B-vitamins (n 2433). Those with normal vitamin B12/high folate status (7·6 %) had better cognitive performance (MMSE: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0·82, 95 % CI 0·68, 0·99; P = 0·043, MoCA: IRR 0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·99; P = 0·025). We demonstrated that high folate status was not associated with lower cognitive scores in older adults with low vitamin B12 status. These findings provide important safety information that could guide fortification policy recommendations in Europe.

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Association between anemia and cognitive decline among Chinese middle-aged and elderly: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-019-1308-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tingting Qin ◽

Mingming Yan ◽

Zhen Fu ◽

Yating Song ◽

Wanrong Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Cognitive Function

Abstract Background Our objective was to characterize the relationship of anemia and hemoglobin concentrations with cross-sectional cognitive functions and changes in cognitive functions over 2 years in a large sample of Chinese middle aged and elderly. Methods Ten thousand nine hundred eighteen adults aged 45 years or older participating in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were used for cross-sectional analyses and 9324 were used for longitudinal analysis. Cognitive functions were assessed by memory recall (episodic memory), mental status (TICS), and global cognitive function at baseline survey (Visit 1) and first follow-up survey (Visit 2). The lower the cognitive test score, the worse the cognitive function. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentrations lower than 13 g/dl for men and lower than 12 g/dl for women. Adjusted multivariate regression analyses were used to explore the relationships of different cognitive domains with anemia and hemoglobin concentration. Results Overall, the prevalence of anemia was 12.86% and the mean hemoglobin concentration was 14.37 ± 2.20 g/dl. After adjusting for socio-demographic and health-related covariates, the cross-sectional association between anemia and global cognitive function [β (95%CI) = − 0.49(− 0.69~ − 0.29)], episodic memory [β (95%CI) = − 0.14(− 0.23~ − 0.05)], and TICS [β (95%CI) = − 0.23(− 0.38~ − 0.08)] were significant and did not differ by gender. The hemoglobin concentration was also associated with global cognitive function among the whole sample (P < 0.05 for all). The longitudinal analyses showed global cognitive function and episodic memory were associated with anemia independent of covariates (P < 0.05 for all). Sensitivity analyses further provided significant results showing the association between anemia and cognition decline (P < 0.05). Conclusion There was a cross-sectional and longitudinal association between anemia and accelerated decline in cognitive functions in Chinese middle-aged and elderly. This suggests that anemia and low hemoglobin concentrations are independent risk factors of cognitive decline.

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Cognitive function trajectories and their determinants in older people: 8 years of follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2017-210116 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 (8) ◽

pp. 685-694 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Paola Zaninotto ◽

G David Batty ◽

Michael Allerhand ◽

Ian J Deary

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Older People ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Physical Function ◽

Global Cognitive Function ◽

Growth Curve Modelling ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

English Longitudinal Study

BackgroundMaintaining cognitive function is an important aspect of healthy ageing. In this study, we examined age trajectories of cognitive decline in a large nationally representative sample of older people in England. We explored the factors that influence such decline and whether these differed by gender.MethodsLatent growth curve modelling was used to explore age-specific changes, and influences on them, in an 8-year period in memory, executive function, processing speed and global cognitive function among 10 626 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We run gender-specific models with the following exposures: age, education, wealth, childhood socioeconomic status, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical function, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, depression and dementia.ResultsAfter adjustment, women had significantly less decline than men in memory (0.011, SE 0.006), executive function (0.012, SE 0.006) and global cognitive function (0.016, SE 0.004). Increasing age and dementia predicted faster rates of decline in all cognitive function domains. Depression and alcohol consumption predicted decline in some cognitive function domains in men only. Poor physical function, physical inactivity and smoking were associated with faster rates of decline in specific cognitive domains in both men and women. For example, relative to study members who were physically active, the sedentary experienced greater declines in memory (women −0.018, SE 0.009) and global cognitive function (men −0.015, SE 0.007 and women −0.016, SE 0.007).ConclusionsThe potential determinants of cognitive decline identified in this study, in particular modifiable risk factors, should be tested in the context of randomised controlled trials.

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

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e631052009-001 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Farzin Irani ◽

Solomon Kalkstein ◽

Emily A. Moberg ◽

Paul J. Moberg

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Late Life ◽

Global Cognitive Function ◽

Analytic Review

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Social isolation, rather than loneliness, is associated with cognitive decline in older adults: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720001026 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Bin Yu ◽

Andrew Steptoe ◽

Yongjie Chen ◽

Xiaohua Jia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Mental Status ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Confounding Variables

Abstract Background Social isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Results Loneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables. Conclusions Social isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.

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Effects of physical activity on cognitive function among patients with diabetes in China: a nationally longitudinal study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10537-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anying Bai ◽

Liyuan Tao ◽

Jia Huang ◽

Jing Tao ◽

Jue Liu

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Executive Function ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Age Groups ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Patients With Diabetes ◽

Lagged Dependent Variable

Abstract Background We aimed to examine the effect of physical activity on different cognitive domains among patients with diabetes. Methods We used two waves of data from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2013–2015), a nationally representative dataset of Chinese population aged over 45. Total physical activity scores were calculated based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Executive function and episodic memory were used as measures of cognitive function. We conducted lagged dependent variable models to explore the association between physical activity and cognitive function in full sample as well as two different age groups (45–65, ≥65). Results: 862 diabetic patients were included. We found that diabetic participants who had greater level of physical activity at baseline were associated with better episodic memory function in 2 years (p < 0.05). Moreover, physical activity was significantly associated with less decline in episodic memory in fully adjusted models, and the associations were stronger among patients aged 45–65 years (p < 0.05). No statistically significant association was found between physical activity and executive function in all age groups. Conclusions Physical activity may prevent some of the potential decline in episodic memory in diabetic patients. Clinicians and public health departments should strengthen the promotion of physical activity and develop early screening tools among diabetic participants to prevent the progression of cognitive impairment.

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Predicting cognitive function based on physical performance: findings from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Aging Clinical and Experimental Research ◽

10.1007/s40520-021-01810-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yong Liu ◽

Nannan Gu ◽

Lijuan Jiang ◽

Xinyi Cao ◽

Chunbo Li

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Physical Performance

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Fine or Gross Motor Index as a Simple Tool for Predicting Cognitive Impairment in Elderly People: Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210704 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Xiao Liu ◽

Ayiguli Abudukeremu ◽

Yuan Jiang ◽

Zhengyu Cao ◽

Maoxiong Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Simple Tool

Background: Several kinds of motor dysfunction can predict future cognitive impairment in elderly individuals. However, the ability of the fine motor index (FINEA) and gross motor index (GROSSA) to predict the risk of cognitive impairment has not been assessed. Objective: We investigated the associations between FINEA/GROSSA and cognitive impairment. Methods: The data of 4,745 participants from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were analyzed. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We first assessed the correlation between the FINEA GROSSA and MMSE in a cross-sectional study. Then, we further investigated the predictive role of the incidence of cognitive impairment in a prospective cohort study. Results: We found that both FINEA and GROSSA were negatively correlated with MMSE in both the unadjusted (FINEA: B = –1.00, 95%confidence intervals (CI): –1.17, –0.83, t = –11.53, p < 0.001; GROSSA: B = –0.85, 95%CI: –0.94, –0.76, t = –18.29, p < 0.001) and adjusted (FINEA: B = –0.63, 95%CI: –0.79, –0.47, t = –7.77, p < 0.001; GROSSA: B = –0.57, 95%CI: –0.66, –0.48, t = –12.61, p < 0.001) analyses in a cross-sectional study. In a prospective cohort study, both high FINEA and high GROSSA were associated with an increased incidence of cognitive function impairment (FINEA: adjusted odds ratios (OR) = 2.35, 95%CI: 1.05, 5.23, p = 0.036; GROSSA adjusted OR = 3.00, 95%CI: 1.49, 6.03, p = 0.002) after 2 years of follow-up. Conclusion: Higher FINEA and GROSSA scores were both associated with an increased incidence of cognitive impairment. FINEA or GROSSA might be a simple tool for identifying patients with cognitive impairment.

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