scholarly journals Sex-Based Memory Advantages and Cognitive Aging: A Challenge to the Cognitive Reserve Construct?

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Caselli ◽  
Amylou C. Dueck ◽  
Dona E.C. Locke ◽  
Leslie C. Baxter ◽  
Bryan K. Woodruff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Apoe Genotype ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Logical Memory ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Learning Test ◽  
Selective Reminding Test

AbstractEducation and related proxies for cognitive reserve (CR) are confounded by associations with environmental factors that correlate with cerebrovascular disease possibly explaining discrepancies between studies examining their relationships to cognitive aging and dementia. In contrast, sex-related memory differences may be a better proxy. Since they arise developmentally, they are less likely to reflect environmental confounds. Women outperform men on verbal and men generally outperform women on visuospatial memory tasks. Furthermore, memory declines during the preclinical stage of AD, when it is clinically indistinguishable from normal aging. To determine whether CR mitigates age-related memory decline, we examined the effects of gender and APOE genotype on longitudinal memory performances. Memory decline was assessed in a cohort of healthy men and women enriched for APOE ɛ4 who completed two verbal [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT)] and two visuospatial [Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Benton Visual Retention Test (VRT)] memory tests, as well as in a separate larger and older cohort [National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC)] who completed a verbal memory test (Logical Memory). Age-related memory decline was accelerated in APOE ɛ4 carriers on all verbal memory measures (AVLT, p=.03; SRT p<.001; logical memory p<.001) and on the VRT p=.006. Baseline sex associated differences were retained over time, but no sex differences in rate of decline were found for any measure in either cohort. Sex-based memory advantage does not mitigate age-related memory decline in either APOE ɛ4 carriers or non-carriers. (JINS, 2015, 21, 95–104)

scholarly journals Effect of Worry Level on Recall Memory for Odors in ApoE-ε4 Carriers and Non-Carriers

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (05) ◽  
pp. 546-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily S. Bower ◽  
Jacquelyn Szajer ◽  
Claire Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Apoe Genotype ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Significant Interaction Effect ◽  
Apoe Ε4 ◽  
Preclinical Ad ◽  
Odor Memory ◽  
Odor Learning ◽  
Learning Test

AbstractObjective: Increased levels of worry, age, and presence of the apolipoprotein-E (ApoE)-ε4 allele are associated with the risk of developing cognitive declines and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Odor memory performance has been shown to vary as a function of age and ApoE genotype, and odor memory tests are sensitive to preclinical AD. Worry is known to influence verbal memory; however, its effects on odor memory are unknown. This study aimed to assess the relationships between worry, age, and ε4 status on odor memory. Method: Worry was evaluated for young (n = 53) and older (n = 45) adults using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Odor memory was assessed using the California Odor Learning Test, an olfactory analogue to the California Verbal Learning Test. Results: A significant main effect of worry on long-delay free recall was found, such that increasing worry was associated with better recall across age and ε4 status. A significant interaction effect between ε4 status and worry on both short-and long-delay cued recall was found, such that across age, higher worry was associated with increased cued recall scores among ε4-negative adults, and decreased scores among ε4-positive adults. Conclusions: Findings demonstrated that worry influences odor memory and exerts a particular effect on cued recall among ε4 carriers who are at a greater risk of developing AD. Worry is a modifiable predictor of cognitive decline and risk of dementia in aging. Future studies on the effects of treatments aimed at reducing worry (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapies for anxiety) on changes in cognitive functioning are warranted.

Impact of Personality on Cognitive Aging: A Prospective Cohort Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 765-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Caselli ◽  
Amylou C. Dueck ◽  
Dona E.C. Locke ◽  
Bruce R. Henslin ◽  
Travis A. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Executive Skills ◽  
Visuospatial Skills ◽  
Visuospatial Perception

AbstractObjectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between personality factors and age-related longitudinal cognitive performance, and explore interactions of stress-proneness with apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4, a prevalent risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: A total of 510 neuropsychiatrically healthy residents of Maricopa County recruited through media ads (mean age 57.6±10.6 years; 70% women; mean education 15.8±2.4 years; 213 APOE ɛ4 carriers) had neuropsychological testing every 2 years (mean duration follow-up 9.1±4.4 years), and the complete Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Personality Inventory-Revised. Several tests were administered within each of the following cognitive domains: memory, executive skills, language, visuospatial skills, and general cognition. Primary effects on cognitive trajectories and APOE ɛ4 interactions were ascertained with quadratic models. Results: With personality factors treated as continuous variables, Neuroticism was associated with greater decline, and Conscientiousness associated with reduced decline consistently across tests in memory and executive domains. With personality factors trichotomized, the associations of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were again highly consistent across tests within memory and to a lesser degree executive domains. While age-related memory decline was greater in APOE ɛ4 carriers as a group than ɛ4 noncarriers, verbal memory decline was mitigated in ɛ4 carriers with higher Conscientiousness, and visuospatial perception and memory decline was mitigated in ɛ4 carriers with higher Openness. Conclusions: Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were associated with changes in longitudinal performances on tests sensitive to memory and executive skills. APOE interactions were less consistent. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that have suggested that personality factors, particularly Neuroticism and Conscientiousness are associated with cognitive aging patterns. (JINS, 2016, 22, 765–776)

Age-Related Trajectories of Memory Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with and without Hearing Impairment

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shang-Te Wu ◽  
Ching-Ju Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning ◽  
Learning Test ◽  
Relationship Of

Background: To examine age-related trajectories of memory function associated with hearing status and to explore potential confounding by sociodemographic, physiological, and behavioral factors in that link. Methods: A national representative sample of Taiwanese adults ≥50 years with and without hearing impairment in 1996 (n = 4,707) were interviewed every 3-4 years until 2007. Cross-sectional and prospective associations between hearing impairment and memory function were determined using multilevel modeling. Results: In bivariate analyses, hearing impairment was associated not only with poor memory function but also with sociodemographic, behavioral and self-rated health status and chronic conditions. These factors, however, did not confound the relationship of hearing impairment with the level or rate of change in the modified Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (m-RAVLT) score - hearing impairment increased the age-related differences in the intercept of the memory function by 25.6%, and that the association was significantly greater in older people than in younger people, but hearing impairment was not associated with the slope of the cognitive trajectory over time. Conclusion: Hearing impairment and the m-RAVLT score at any point in time may have partially combined pathologic mechanisms with age. The vascular risk covariates we considered might also share the etiological pathways and be part of important prevention strategies for guarding against age-related memory decline in the future.

scholarly journals Women can bear a bigger burden: ante- and post-mortem evidence for reserve in the face of tau

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardino A Digma ◽  
John R Madsen ◽  
Robert A Rissman ◽  
Diane M Jacobs ◽  
James B Brewer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning Test ◽  
Logical Memory ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning ◽  
Learning Test

Abstract In this study, we aimed to assess whether women are able to withstand more tau before exhibiting verbal memory impairment. Using data from 121 amyloid-β-positive Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative participants, we fit a linear model with Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test score as the response variable and tau-PET standard uptake value ratio as the predictor and took the residuals as an estimate of verbal memory reserve for each subject. Women demonstrated higher reserve (i.e. residuals), whether the Learning (t = 2.78, P = 0.006) or Delay (t = 2.14, P = 0.03) score from the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test was used as a measure of verbal memory ability. To validate these findings, we examined 662 National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center participants with a C2/C3 score (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease) at autopsy. We stratified our National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center sample into Braak 1/2, Braak 3/4 and Braak 5/6 subgroups. Within each subgroup, we compared Logical Memory scores between men and women. Men had worse verbal memory scores within the Braak 1/2 (Logical Memory Immediate: β = −5.960 ± 1.517, P &lt; 0.001, Logical Memory Delay: β = −5.703 ± 1.677, P = 0.002) and Braak 3/4 (Logical Memory Immediate: β = −2.900 ± 0.938, P = 0.002, Logical Memory Delay: β = −2.672 ± 0.955, P = 0.006) subgroups. There were no sex differences in Logical Memory performance within the Braak 5/6 subgroup (Logical Memory Immediate: β = −0.314 ± 0.328, P = 0.34, Logical Memory Delay: β = −0.195 ± 0.287, P = 0.50). Taken together, our results point to a sex-related verbal memory reserve.

scholarly journals The influence of childhood intelligence, social class, education and social mobility on memory and memory decline in late life

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 847-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
R T Staff ◽  
M J Hogan ◽  
L J Whalley
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Learning Test

Abstract In an observational longitudinal study of a sub-sample of the Aberdeen 1936 birth cohort, from age 62 to 77 years, we investigated childhood intelligence, social class, education, life-course social mobility, memory test performance and memory decline in late life. We examined 388 local residents who had attended school in Aberdeen in 1947 and measured Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) at recruitment age about 64 years and up to five times until age about 77 years. Better performance at age about 64 on AVLT was predicted by early socioeconomic status (SES), social mobility and childhood intelligence. The trajectory of AVLT decline was steeper in those who had received less education. This relationship was independent of childhood ability, sex, SES in childhood and social mobility. The protection of memory by education suggests that education supports resilience to age-related cognitive impairment. Upward social mobility does not enhance this effect, suggesting that resilience to age-related decline may be established in early life.

Error Analysis in Neuropsychological Assessment of Verbal Memory and Learning

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietmar Heubrock
Keyword(s):  
Error Analysis ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Memory And Learning ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning Test ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Auditory Verbal Learning ◽  
Accurate Picture ◽  
Learning Test

Performance on a German version of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) was investigated for 64 juvenile patients who were subdivided in 6 clinical groups. In addition to standard evaluation of AVLT protocols which is usually confined to items recalled correctly, an error analysis was performed. Differentiating between total errors (TE), repetition errors (RE), and misnamings (ME), substantial differences between clinical groups could be demonstrated. It is argued that error analysis of verbal memory and learning enriches the understanding of neuropsychological syndromes, and provides additional information for diagnostic and clinical use. Thus, it is possible to gain a more accurate picture so that patients can be appropriately retrained, and research into the functional causes of memory and learning disorders can be intensified.

Verbal Recall After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Sensitivity of the Rapid Screen of Concussion

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karleigh Jayne Kwapil ◽  
Gina Geffen ◽  
Ken McFarland ◽  
Veronica Eileen DeMonte
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Classification Rate ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Learning Test

AbstractThe present study aimed to determine whether including a sensitive test of immediate and delayed recall would improve the diagnostic validity of the Rapid Screen of Concussion (RSC) in mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) versus orthopaedic clinical samples. Two studies were undertaken. In Study 1, the performance of 156 mTBI and 145 orthopaedic participants was analysed to identify the number of individuals who performed at ceiling on the verbal memory subtest of the RSC, as this test required immediate and delayed recall of only five words. A second aim was to determine the sensitivity and specificity levels of the RSC. Study 2 aimed to examine whether replacement of the verbal memory subtest with the 12-word Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) could improve the sensitivity of the RSC in a new sample of 26 mTBI and 30 orthopaedic participants. Both studies showed that orthopaedic participants outperformed mTBI participants on each of the selected measures. Study 1 showed that 14% of mTBI participants performed at ceiling on the immediate and 21.2% on delayed recall test. Performance on the original battery yielded a sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 80% and overall correct classification of 81.5% participants. In Study 2, inclusion of the HVLT improved sensitivity to a level of 88.5%, decreased specificity to a level of 70% and resulted in an overall classification rate of 80%. It was concluded that although inclusion of the five-word subtest in the RSC can successfully distinguish concussed from non-concussed individuals, use of the HVLT in this protocol yields a more sensitive measure of subtle cognitive deficits following mTBI.

scholarly journals Decline in verbal memory during preclinical Alzheimer's disease: Examination of the effect of APOE genotype

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 943-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
KELLY L. LANGE ◽  
MARK W. BONDI ◽  
DAVID P. SALMON ◽  
DOUGLAS GALASKO ◽  
DEAN C. DELIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Apoe Genotype ◽  
Apoe Ε4 ◽  
Dementia Syndrome ◽  
Ε4 Allele

A subtle decline in episodic memory often occurs prior to the emergence of the full dementia syndrome in nondemented older adults who develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). The APOE-ε4 genotype may engender a more virulent form of AD that hastens this decline. To examine this possibility, we compared the rate of decline in episodic memory during the preclinical phase of AD in individuals with or without at least one APOE ε4 allele. Nondemented normal control (NC; n = 84) participants, nondemented older adults who subsequently developed dementia within 1 or 2 years (i.e., preclinical AD; n = 20), and patients with mild AD (n = 53) were examined with 2 commonly employed tests of episodic memory, the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised and the California Verbal Learning Test. Results revealed a precipitous decline in verbal memory abilities 1 to 2 years prior to the onset of the dementia syndrome, but there was little effect of APOE genotype on the rate of this memory decline. The presence of an APOE-ε4 allele, however, did have a differential effect on the sensitivity of the 2 types of memory tests for tracking progression and made an independent contribution to the prediction of conversion to AD. (JINS, 2002, 8, 943–955.)

scholarly journals Remote assessment of verbal memory in MS patients using the California Verbal Learning Test

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa F Barcellos ◽  
Kalliope H Bellesis ◽  
Ling Shen ◽  
Xiaorong Shao ◽  
Terrence Chinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
California Verbal Learning Test ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Remote Assessment ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Learning Test

We used the California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition (CVLT-II), one component of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS), to determine feasibility of a remote assessment protocol. We compared telephone-administered CVLT-II data from MS patients to data acquired in person from an independent sample of patients and healthy controls. Mixed factor analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed no significant differences between patient groups, but between-group effects comparing patients and healthy controls were significant. In this study, CVLT-II assessment by conventional in-person and remote telephone assessment yielded indistinguishable results. The findings indicate that telephone-administered CVLT-II is feasible. Further validation studies are underway.

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