Longitudinal Associations Between Contact Frequency with Friends and with Family, Activity Engagement, and Cognitive Functioning

AbstractObjectives:Social engagement may be an important protective resource for cognitive aging. Some evidence suggests that time spent with friends may be more beneficial for cognition than time spent with family. Because maintaining friendships has been demonstrated to require more active maintenance and engagement in shared activities, activity engagement may be one underlying pathway that explains the distinct associations between contact frequency with friends versus family and cognition.Methods:Using two waves of data from the national survey of Midlife in the United States (n = 3707, Mage = 55.80, 51% female at baseline), we examined longitudinal associations between contact frequency with friends and family, activity engagement (cognitive and physical activities), and cognition (episodic memory and executive functioning) to determine whether activity engagement mediates the relationship between contact frequency and cognition.Results:The longitudinal mediation model revealed that more frequent contact with friends, but not family, was associated with greater concurrent engagement in physical and cognitive activities, which were both associated with better episodic memory and executive functioning.Conclusion:These findings suggest that time spent with friends may promote both cognitively and physically stimulating activities that could help to preserve not only these social relationships but also cognitive functioning.

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Social Engagement and Episodic Memory in Non-Hispanic Black and White Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 343-343

Author(s):

Abbey Hamlin ◽

A Zarina Kraal ◽

Laura Zahodne

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Activities ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Social engagement may confer cognitive benefits in older adulthood, but studies have typically been restricted to largely non-Hispanic White (NHW) samples. Levels of social engagement vary across race such that NHW report larger social networks, more frequent participation in social activities, and greater social support than non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB). Associations between social engagement and cognition may also vary by race, but research is sparse. The current cross-sectional study examined associations between different aspects of social engagement and episodic memory performance, as well as interactions between social engagement and race among NHB and NHW participants in the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (N = 247; 48.4% NHB; age = 64.19 ± 2.92). Social engagement (network size, activities, support) was self-reported. Episodic memory was a z-score composite of immediate, delayed, and recognition trials of a list-learning task. Separate hierarchical linear regression models quantified interactions between race and each of the three social engagement variables on episodic memory, controlling for sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, and health conditions. Results showed a main effect of more frequent social activity on better episodic memory, as well as an interaction between race and social support indicating a significant positive association in NHB but not NHW. These preliminary findings suggest that participating in social activities may be equally beneficial for episodic memory across NHB and NHW older adults and that social support may be particularly beneficial for NHB. Future research is needed to determine the potential applications of these results in reducing cognitive inequalities through the development of culturally-relevant interventions.

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Social stress and risk of declining cognition: a longitudinal study of men and women in the United States

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-021-02089-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jutta Lindert ◽

Kimberley C. Paul ◽

E. Lachman Margie ◽

Beate Ritz ◽

Teresa Seeman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Social Status ◽

Social Stress ◽

The United States ◽

Subjective Social Status ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Men And Women

AbstractLimited research is available on the relationship between social stress and risk of declining cognition. We sought to examine whether social stress has adverse effects on risk of declining episodic memory and executive functioning in aging individuals. We used data from the MIDUS study, a national probability sample of non-institutionalized, English speaking respondents aged 25–74 living in the 48 contiguous states of the United States. The initial wave (1995) included 4963 non-institutionalized adults aged 32–84 (M = 55, SD = 12.4). We used an analytic sample from MIDUS-II (1996/1997) and MIDUS-III (2013) (n = 1821). The dependent variables are episodic memory and executive functioning, which were assessed with the Brief Test for Cognition (BTACT). The independent variables were social stress variables (subjective social status, family and marital stress, work stress and discrimination). To evaluate episodic memory and executive functioning changes over a time period of 10 years, we estimated adjusted linear regression models. Women report significantly lower subjective social status and more discrimination stress than men across all age groups. Controlling for education and income, age, and baseline episodic memory and executive functioning, lower subjective social status had additional adverse effects on declines in episodic memory in men and women. Marital risk had adverse effects on episodic memory in men but not in women. Daily discrimination had adverse effects on executive functioning on all individuals. Public health strategies should focus on reducing social stress in a socio-ecological perspective. Especially, subjective social status and discrimination stress might be a target for prevention efforts.

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The impact of social stress and strain on cognitive function in older people

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.490 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

J Lindert ◽

K C Paul ◽

M Lachman ◽

B Ritz ◽

T Seeman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Social Stress ◽

Age Groups ◽

The United States ◽

Stress And Strain ◽

Men And Women ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Social stress and strain, especially discrimination and inequality might have an impact on memory and cognitive function. This is a major concern for older individuals, their families, communities and societies. We sought to assess changes in episodic memory (EM) and executive functioning (EF) among men and women in the 'Midlife in the United States' (MIDUS) cohort study, to delineate variations in EM and EF by gender, and to determine the impact of social stress/strain at three levels (family, work, society) on longitudinal changes in EM and EF in men and women. Methods We used data from the MIDUS study - a national probability sample of non-institutionalized, English speaking respondents aged 25-74 living in the 48 contiguous states of the United States. The initial wave in our study (1995) included 4963 non-institutionalized adults aged 32 to 84 (M = 55, SD = 12.4). The dependent variables are EM and EF, which were assessed with the Brief Test for Cognition. The independent variables were social stress and discrimination variables at the family/partner level, the work level and the society level, assessed with validated discrimination measures. To assess cognition changes we estimated adjusted linear regression models. Results Women report more perceived inequality for their family and more family strain than men across all age groups. After controlling for other explanatory variables, the main effect on cognition for all age groups was found for perceived inequality of one's family opportunities. Conclusions Reducing social stress and providing opportunities might be an important measure to support episodic memory and executive functioning in aging populations.

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Positive Effects of Education on Cognitive Functioning Depend on Clinical Status and Neuropathological Severity

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.723728 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Michelle G. Jansen ◽

Linda Geerligs ◽

Jurgen A. H. R. Claassen ◽

Eduard J. Overdorp ◽

Inti A. Brazil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Positive Effects

Background: Variability in cognitive functions in healthy and pathological aging is often explained by educational attainment. However, it remains unclear to which extent different disease states alter protective effects of education. We aimed to investigate whether protective effects of education on cognition depend on (1) clinical diagnosis severity, and (2) the neuropathological burden within a diagnosis in a memory clinic setting.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 108 patients with subjective cognitive decline [SCD, median age 71, IQR (66–78), 43% men], 190 with mild cognitive impairment [MCI, median age 78, IQR (73–82), 44% men], and 245 with Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD) [median age 80, IQR (76–84), 35% men]. We combined visual ratings of hippocampal atrophy, global atrophy, and white matter hyperintensities on MRI into a single neuropathology score. To investigate whether the contribution of education to cognitive performance differed across SCD, MCI, and AD, we employed several multiple linear regression models, stratified by diagnosis and adjusted for age, sex, and neurodegeneration. We re-ran each model with an additional interaction term to investigate whether these effects were influenced by neuropathological burden for each diagnostic group separately. False discovery rate (FDR) corrections for multiple comparisons were applied.Results: We observed significant positive associations between education and performance for global cognition and executive functions (all adjusted p-values < 0.05). As diagnosis became more severe, however, the strength of these associations decreased (all adjusted p-values < 0.05). Education related to episodic memory only at relatively lower levels of neuropathology in SCD (β = −0.23, uncorrected p = 0.02), whereas education related to episodic memory in those with higher levels of neuropathology in MCI (β = 0.15, uncorrected p = 0.04). However, these interaction effects did not survive FDR-corrections.Conclusions: Altogether, our results demonstrated that positive effects of education on cognitive functioning reduce with diagnosis severity, but the role of neuropathological burden within a particular diagnosis was small and warrants further investigation. Future studies may further unravel the extent to which different dimensions of an individual’s disease severity contribute to the waxing and waning of protective effects in cognitive aging.

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ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FAMILY TYPOLOGY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE US? FINDINGS FROM THE PINE STUDY

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1384 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S377-S377

Author(s):

Mengting Li ◽

Man Guo ◽

Meredith Stensland ◽

XinQi Dong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Family Relationship ◽

The United States ◽

Older Immigrants ◽

The Impact

Abstract A broad literature has explored racial and ethnic disadvantages in cognitive aging. Migration and acculturation created additional challenges on cognitive aging of minority older immigrants. Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. Chinese Americans constitute the largest segment of Asian Americans. Family is a core social value in Chinese culture. Less is known regarding the impact of family relationship on cognitive function for US Chinese older immigrants. Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE), a community-engaged, population-based epidemiological study of 3,157 US Chinese older adults aged 60 and above in the greater Chicago area from 2011-2013. A typology approach is a useful tool to operationalize multifaceted family relationships. Our prior study used Latent Class Analysis to cluster family typologies, evaluating structural, associational, affectual, functional and normative aspects of family relationship. Cognitive function was evaluated by global cognition, episodic memory, executive function, working memory, and Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination (C-MMSE). Linear regression and quantile regression were used. The findings showed detached and commanding conflicted typologies were associated with lower global cognitive function compared with unobligated ambivalent typology. Wish respect to cognitive domains, detached, commanding conflicted, and tight-knit typologies were associated with lower episodic memory, working memory, and C-MMSE than unobligated ambivalent typology, respectively. Commanding conflicted typology, featured by high intergenerational conflicts, was associated with lowest cognitive function among all typologies. Health care professionals and social service providers should focus on older adults with commanding conflicted typology and prevent them from cognitive impairment.

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Life-Course Religious Attendance and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027520917059 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (7-8) ◽

pp. 217-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Terrence D. Hill ◽

Dawn C. Carr ◽

Amy M. Burdette ◽

Benjamin Dowd-Arrow

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Course ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Life Histories ◽

Religious Life ◽

Later Life ◽

Religious Attendance ◽

Retirement Study

Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life-course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a subsample of 516 adults aged 65 and older. Our key findings demonstrate that older adults who attended religious services for more of their life course tend to exhibit poorer working memory and mental status and better self-rated memory than older adults who attended less often. We contribute to previous research by reconceptualizing religious attendance as a cumulative life-course exposure, exploring the effects of religious attendance net of secular social engagement, and examining a wider range of cognitive functioning outcomes.

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Self-reported depression in an older population: Effects on cognitive functioning

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72378-1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 672-672

Author(s):

A. Pantzar ◽

E. Jonsson Laukka ◽

S. Karlsson ◽

L. Bäckman ◽

A.R. Atti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Interaction Effect ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

National Study ◽

Older Population ◽

Significant Interaction Effect ◽

Remitted Depression

IntroductionThe cognitive profile of the older depressed person includes impairments in executive functioning, episodic memory and processing speed. When in remission, executive functioning impairment may still remain. It is not known whether these impairments also exist in self-reported depression and if so, whether there are any performance differences between currently and remitted depression.ObjectivesTo examine differences in cognitive functioning between self-reported nondepressed, depressed, and remitted persons in young and older old.MethodsData were collected using interviews and cognitive testing (executive functioning, episodic memory, and processing speed) in the Swedish National study of Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). All non-demented participants (n = 2727) were categorized according to age (60–77 years, n = 1626, and +78 years, n = 1101), and depression status, 1) never depressed (n = 2200), 2) current depression (n = 214), and 3) remitted depression (n = 313).ResultsA 2 (age) × 3 (depression) MANOVA showed significant main effects of age, depression and a significant interaction effect. Younger outperformed older on all tests. Depression showed an effect on Trail Making Test B, where nondepressed outperformed currently depressed, and the remitted outperformed the currently depressed on free recall. Furthermore, an interaction effect was found for recognition, suggesting that decline in episodic memory is more pronounced in persons with self-reported depression when aging.ConclusionsSelf-reported depression in an older population affects executive functioning and episodic memory, but not processing speed. For persons in remission, we found remaining deficits in episodic memory, rather than executive functioning.

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p-tau/Aβ42 Ratio Associates with Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults

10.1101/2020.10.13.20211375 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ruchika Shaurya Prakash ◽

Michael R. McKenna ◽

Oyetunde Gbadeyan ◽

Rebecca Andridge ◽

Douglas W. Scharre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Older Adults ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

The Impact

AbstractINTRODUCTIONThe most well-studied biomarkers in AD are CSF amyloid beta-42 (Aβ42), tau, p-tau, and the ratio p-tau/Aβ42. The ratiometric measure of p-tau/Aβ42 shows the best diagnostic accuracy, and correlates reliably with metrics of cognition in unimpaired participants. However, no study has examined the impact of the CSF p-tau/Aβ42 ratio in predicting cognitive decline in both healthy and AD individuals in one sample. The goal of this study was to examine whether CSF-based p-tau/Aβ42 predicts changes in global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, and executive functioning over a two-year period in cognitively impaired older adults (CU), and in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).METHODSThis study involves secondary analysis of data from 1215 older adults available in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Neuropsychological variables, collected at baseline, 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month follow-ups, included the Preclinical Alzheimer’s Cognitive Composite (PACC) to assess global cognitive functioning, ADNI-MEM to assess episodic memory functioning, and ADNI-EF to assess executive functioning. Linear mixed models were constructed to examine the effect of CSF p-tau/Aβ42, diagnostic group, and change over time (baseline, 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month) on cognitive scores.RESULTSCSF p-tau/Aβ42 ratios predicted worsening cognitive impairment, both on global cognition and episodic memory in individuals with MCI and AD, but not in CU older adults and predicted decline in executive functioning for all three diagnostic groups.DISCUSSIONOur study, including CU, MCI, and AD individuals, provides evidence for differential cognitive consequences of accumulated AD pathology based on diagnostic groups.

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Consequential Impacts of Tobacco Use on Cognitive Performance

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1006-1006

Author(s):

Shandell Pahlen ◽

Michael Stallings ◽

Robin Corley ◽

Sally Wadsworth ◽

Chandra Reynolds

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Spatial Reasoning ◽

Smoking History ◽

Lifestyle Factor ◽

Speed Performance

Abstract Tobacco use represents a pernicious lifestyle factor that may influence processes of aging, including cognitive functioning. As individuals tend to start smoking before adulthood, it may serve as an important factor in cognitive development and maintenance. We explored smoking history-cognition associations in a sample approaching midlife. Study data was derived from the Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging (CATSLife 1; N = 1195 [53% F]; x̄age = 33.2 years, SD = 5.0). All cognitive measures were t-scored covering working memory, spatial reasoning, processing speed (WAIS-III Digit Span, Block Design, and Digit Symbol, and Colorado Perceptual Speed) and episodic memory domains (Picture Memory, immediate and delayed). Tobacco use measures included ever-smokers, current-smokers, and log-transformed packyears. Mixed-effects regression models were applied, accounting for sex, age, race, ethnicity, and clustering among siblings. Tobacco use was associated with worse episodic memory, spatial and speed performance, but not working memory. When educational attainment was included, patterns remained consistent though attenuated. Results suggested current-smokers scored 0.27 to 0.36 SD lower than non-smokers on speed and spatial reasoning tasks. Episodic memory performance was reduced by approximately 0.07 to 0.1 SD per log packyear. In a sample approaching midlife, the harmful impacts of tobacco use on cognitive performance may be already apparent with cumulative impacts of packyears on episodic memory and current smoking associated with spatial and speed performance. This work helps to elucidate the temporal associations of an important lifestyle factor that may influence cognitive functioning prior to midlife.

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Change in Cognitive Performance From Midlife Into Old Age: Findings from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617718000425 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 805-820 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Matthew L. Hughes ◽

Stefan Agrigoroaei ◽

Minjeong Jeon ◽

Molly Bruzzese ◽

Margie E. Lachman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Old Age ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Digit Span ◽

The United States ◽

Cognitive Domains

AbstractObjectives: A substantial body of research has documented age-related declines in cognitive abilities among adults over 60, yet there is much less known about changes in cognitive abilities during midlife. The goal was to examine longitudinal changes in multiple cognitive domains from early midlife through old age in a large national sample, the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Methods: The Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) was administered on two occasions (MIDUS 2, MIDUS 3), an average of 9 years apart. At MIDUS 3, those with the cognitive assessment (N=2518) ranged in age from 42 to 92 years (M=64.30; SD=11.20) and had a mean education of 14.68 years (SD=2.63). The BTACT includes assessment of key aging-sensitive cognitive domains: immediate and delayed free recall, number series, category fluency, backward digit span, processing speed, and reaction time for attention switching and inhibitory control, which comprise two factors: episodic memory and executive functioning. Results: As predicted, all cognitive subtests and factors showed very small but significant declines over 9 years, with differences in the timing and extent of change. Processing speed showed the earliest and steepest decrements. Those with higher educational attainment scored better on all tests except reaction time. Men had better executive functioning and women performed better on episodic memory. Conclusions: Examining cognitive changes in midlife provides opportunities for early detection of cognitive impairments and possibilities for preventative interventions. (JINS, 2018, 24, 805–820)

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