Sensory-cognitive associations are only weakly mediated or moderated by social factors in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

AbstractSensory and cognitive function both tend to decline with increasing age. Sensory impairments are risk factors for age-related cognitive decline and dementia. One hypothesis about sensory-cognitive associations is that sensory loss results in social isolation which, in turn, is a risk factor for cognitive decline. We tested whether social factors are associated with cognitive and sensory function, and whether sensory-cognitive associations are mediated or moderated by social factors. We used cross-sectional data from 30,029 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, aged 45–85 years, who had no reported cognitive impairment or diagnosis of dementia. We found strong independent associations of self-reported social variables with hearing (pure-tone audiometry), vision (pinhole-corrected visual acuity), and executive function and weaker associations with memory. The moderating and mediating effects of social variables on sensory-cognitive associations were weak and mostly non-significant, but social factors could be slightly more important for females and older people. Partial retirement (relative to full retirement or not being retired) may have protective effects on cognition in the presence of hearing loss. These findings confirm the association between social factors and sensory and cognitive measures. However, support is weak for the hypothesis that social factors shape sensory-cognitive associations.

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Do social factors mediate or moderate the sensory-cognitive associations in older adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging?

10.31234/osf.io/y8mh9 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anni Hämäläinen ◽

Natalie Phillips ◽

Walter Wittich ◽

Paul Mick ◽

M Kathleen Pichora-Fuller

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Social Factors ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Sensory Function ◽

Sensory Loss ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Social Variables ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related

Sensory and cognitive function both tend to decline with increasing age. Sensory impairments are risk factors for age-related cognitive decline and dementia. One hypothesis about sensory-cognitive associations is that sensory loss results in social isolation which, in turn, is a risk factor for cognitive decline. We tested whether social factors are associated with cognitive and sensory function, and whether sensory-cognitive associations are mediated or moderated by social factors. We used cross-sectional data from 30,029 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, aged 45-85 years, who had no reported cognitive impairment or diagnosis of dementia. We found strong independent associations of self-reported social variables with hearing (pure-tone audiometry), vision (pinhole-corrected visual acuity), and executive function and weaker associations with memory. The moderating and mediating effects of social variables on sensory-cognitive associations were weak and mostly non-significant, but social factors could be slightly more important for females and older people. Partial retirement (relative to full retirement or not being retired) may have protective effects on cognition in the presence of hearing loss. These findings confirm the association between social factors and sensory and cognitive measures. However, support is weak for the hypothesis that social factors shape sensory-cognitive associations.

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Gene Expression Profile in Different Age Groups and Its Association with Cognitive Function in Healthy Malay Adults in Malaysia

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10071611 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1611

Author(s):

Nur Fathiah Abdul Abdul Sani ◽

Ahmad Imran Zaydi Amir Amir Hamzah ◽

Zulzikry Hafiz Abu Abu Bakar ◽

Yasmin Anum Mohd Mohd Yusof ◽

Suzana Makpol ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Age Groups ◽

Genetic Network ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Cognitive Decline

The mechanism of cognitive aging at the molecular level is complex and not well understood. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive differences might also be caused by ethnicity. Thus, this study aims to determine the gene expression changes associated with age-related cognitive decline among Malay adults in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 healthy Malay subjects, aged between 28 and 79, and recruited around Selangor and Klang Valley, Malaysia. Gene expression analysis was performed using a HumanHT-12v4.0 Expression BeadChip microarray kit. The top 20 differentially expressed genes at p < 0.05 and fold change (FC) = 1.2 showed that PAFAH1B3, HIST1H1E, KCNA3, TM7SF2, RGS1, and TGFBRAP1 were regulated with increased age. The gene set analysis suggests that the Malay adult’s susceptibility to developing age-related cognitive decline might be due to the changes in gene expression patterns associated with inflammation, signal transduction, and metabolic pathway in the genetic network. It may, perhaps, have important implications for finding a biomarker for cognitive decline and offer molecular targets to achieve successful aging, mainly in the Malay population in Malaysia.

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Multimodal measurement approach to identify individuals with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a cross-sectional trial

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046879 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e046879

Author(s):

Bernhard Grässler ◽

Fabian Herold ◽

Milos Dordevic ◽

Tariq Ali Gujar ◽

Sabine Darius ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Classification Accuracy ◽

Multimodal Approach ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Cognitive Decline

IntroductionThe diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), that is, the transitory phase between normal age-related cognitive decline and dementia, remains a challenging task. It was observed that a multimodal approach (simultaneous analysis of several complementary modalities) can improve the classification accuracy. We will combine three noninvasive measurement modalities: functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electroencephalography and heart rate variability via ECG. Our aim is to explore neurophysiological correlates of cognitive performance and whether our multimodal approach can aid in early identification of individuals with MCI.Methods and analysisThis study will be a cross-sectional with patients with MCI and healthy controls (HC). The neurophysiological signals will be measured during rest and while performing cognitive tasks: (1) Stroop, (2) N-back and (3) verbal fluency test (VFT). Main aims of statistical analysis are to (1) determine the differences in neurophysiological responses of HC and MCI, (2) investigate relationships between measures of cognitive performance and neurophysiological responses and (3) investigate whether the classification accuracy can be improved by using our multimodal approach. To meet these targets, statistical analysis will include machine learning approaches.This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study that applies simultaneously these three modalities in MCI and HC. We hypothesise that the multimodal approach improves the classification accuracy between HC and MCI as compared with a unimodal approach. If our hypothesis is verified, this study paves the way for additional research on multimodal approaches for dementia research and fosters the exploration of new biomarkers for an early detection of nonphysiological age-related cognitive decline.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the local Ethics Committee (reference: 83/19). Data will be shared with the scientific community no more than 1 year following completion of study and data assembly.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04427436, registered on 10 June 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04427436.

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IC-P-100: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study of Age-Related Shrinkage in the Superior,Middle and Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Old and Very Old Age

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1016/j.jalz.2010.05.114 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. S40-S40

Author(s):

Olof E. Lindberg ◽

Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona ◽

Linnea Engström ◽

Leif A. Svensson ◽

Eva Öhrndahl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Old Age ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Very Old ◽

Age Related ◽

Very Old Age

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Bidirectional Association Between Depression and Hearing Loss: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/07334648211042370 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 073346482110423

Author(s):

Chao Wu

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Age Related ◽

Bidirectional Association ◽

Health Related ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Using Data ◽

Bidirectional Associations ◽

Age Related Hearing Loss

The relationship between depression and age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is not fully understood. This study tested the bidirectional associations between clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDSs) and ARHL in middle-aged and older adults using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Among 3,418 participants free of baseline ARHL, baseline CSDS was associated with an increased odds of incident ARHL (odds ratio [OR]: 1.51). Cognitive decline, BMI, and arthritis partially mediated the longitudinal CSDS–ARHL association and explained 24% of the variance in the total effect. Among 4,921 participants without baseline CSDS, baseline ARHL was associated with an increased odds of incident CSDS (OR: 1.37). The bidirectional associations remained significant after adjustments for baseline demographic factors, comorbidities, and other health-related covariates. Depression may contribute to the development of ARHL, and vice versa. Interventions in depression, cognitive decline, and arthritis may delay the onset of ARHL and break the vicious circle between them.

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Behavioral interventions to benefit cognition (Intervenciones cognitivas para beneficiar la cognición)

Retos ◽

10.47197/retos.v0i27.34377 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 197-202

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Etnier ◽

Chia-Hao Shih ◽

Aaron Piepmeier

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Animal Studies ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Future Research ◽

Dietary Interventions ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related

With the growing population of older adults, the identification of treatment strategies to prevent or ameliorate age-related cognitive decline has been an important topic in recent years. After reviewing cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimentally designed studies, as well as evidence from narrative and meta-analytic reviews, the authors concluded that behavioral approaches such as physical activity, cognitive training, and dietary interventions show promising results. In addition, given the likelihood that multiple underlying mechanisms support cognitive function, research is currently focusing on how to combine lifestyle factors into multi-component interventions to generate greater and more meaningful effects. Though evidence for these enhanced benefits exists from animal studies, few multi-component studies have been performed with humans. However, the findings from these studies are promising and a continued pursuit of multi-component behavioral interventions to benefit cognitive performance is warranted. Given the world’s aging population and accompanying age-related health issues such as cognitive decline and dementia, future research should focus on understanding the biological mechanisms responsible for these effects in order to allow for the development of behavioral lifestyle prescriptions to benefit cognitive performance.Keywords. aging, cognitive function, exercise intervention, oxidative stress, cognitive engagement.Resumen. Con la creciente población de adultos mayores, la identificación de las estrategias de tratamiento para prevenir o mejorar el deterioro cognitivo relacionado con la edad ha sido un tema importante en los últimos años. Después de revisar estudios con diseños transversales, longitudinales y experimentales, así como la evidencia de revisiones de literatura narrativa y meta-analítica, los autores concluyen que los enfoques conductuales como la actividad física, el entrenamiento cognitivo y las intervenciones dietéticas muestran resultados prometedores. Además, dada la probabilidad de que múltiples mecanismos subyacentes apoyan la función cognitiva, las investigaciones se enfocan actualmente en la manera de cómo combinar factores del estilo de vida en las intervenciones con múltiples componentes para generar efectos mayores y más significativos. Aunque existe evidencia de estos beneficios a partir de estudios en animales, se han realizado pocos estudios de componentes múltiples en humanos. Sin embargo, los resultados de estos estudios son prometedores y se garantiza un seguimiento continuo de las intervenciones conductuales de componentes múltiples para beneficiar el rendimiento cognitivo. Teniendo en cuenta el envejecimiento de la población mundial y los problemas de salud relacionados con la edad que la acompañan, tales como el deterioro cognitivo y la demencia, la investigación futura debería centrarse en la comprensión de los mecanismos biológicos responsables de estos efectos con el fin de permitir el desarrollo de las prescripciones de comportamiento de estilo de vida para beneficiar el rendimiento cognitivo.Palabras claves. envejecimiento, funcionamiento cognitivo, intervención con ejercicio, estrés oxidativo, participación cognitiva.

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Contributing Determinants to Hearing Loss in Elderly Men and Women: Results from the Population-Based Rotterdam Study

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000448348 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (Suppl. 1) ◽

pp. 10-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Stephanie C. Rigters ◽

Mick Metselaar ◽

Marjan H. Wieringa ◽

Robert J. Baatenburg de Jong ◽

Albert Hofman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

High Frequency ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Inverse Correlation ◽

Population Based ◽

Rotterdam Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Men And Women ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Hearing Loss

To contribute to a better understanding of the etiology in age-related hearing loss, we carried out a cross-sectional study of 3,315 participants (aged 52-99 years) in the Rotterdam Study, to analyze both low- and high-frequency hearing loss in men and women. Hearing thresholds with pure-tone audiometry were obtained, and other detailed information on a large number of possible determinants was collected. Hearing loss was associated with age, education, systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption (inverse correlation). Remarkably, different associations were found for low- and high-frequency loss, as well as between men and women, suggesting that different mechanisms are involved in the etiology of age-related hearing loss.

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Positive Psychosocial Factors and Cognitive Decline in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617720000648 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Laura B. Zahodne ◽

Neika Sharifian ◽

Ann Zarina Kraal ◽

Ketlyne Sol ◽

Afsara B. Zaheed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Late Life ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Standard Deviation Increase

Abstract Objectives: Previous cross-sectional studies have documented associations between positive psychosocial factors, such as self-efficacy and emotional support, and late-life cognition. Further, the magnitudes of concurrent associations may differ across racial and ethnic groups that differ in Alzheimer’s disease risk. The goals of this longitudinal study were to characterize prospective associations between positive psychosocial factors and cognitive decline and explicitly test for differential impact across race and ethnicity. Methods: 578 older adults (42% non-Hispanic Black, 31% non-Hispanic White, and 28% Hispanic) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project completed cognitive and psychosocial measures from the NIH Toolbox and standard neuropsychological tests over 2.4 years. Latent difference scores were used to model associations between positive psychosocial factors and cognitive decline controlling for baseline cognition, sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, physical health, and other positive psychosocial factors. Multiple-group modeling was used to test interactions between the positive psychosocial factors and race/ethnicity. Results: Higher NIH Toolbox Friendship scores predicted less episodic memory decline. One standard deviation increase in friendship corresponded to 6 fewer years of memory aging. This association did not significantly differ across racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions: This longitudinal study provides support for the potential importance of friendships for subsequent episodic memory trajectories among older adults from three ethnic groups. Further study into culturally informed interventions is needed to investigate whether and how friend networks may be targeted to promote cognitive health in late life.

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Association of Plasma Phospholipids with Age-Related Cognitive Impairment: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13072185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 2185

Author(s):

Ting-Ting Liu ◽

Shao-Jie Pang ◽

Shan-Shan Jia ◽

Qing-Qing Man ◽

Yu-Qian Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Molecular Species ◽

Plasma Phospholipid ◽

Peripheral Circulation ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Plasma Phospholipids ◽

Age Related ◽

Moca Score

Decreased concentration of phospholipids were observed in brain tissue from individuals with dementia compared with controls, indicating phospholipids might be a key variable in development of age-related cognitive impairment. The reflection of these phospholipid changes in blood might provide both reference for diagnosis/monitoring and potential targets for intervention through peripheral circulation. Using a full-scale targeted phospholipidomic approach, 229 molecular species of plasma phospholipid were identified and quantified among 626 senile residents; the association of plasma phospholipids with MoCA score was also comprehensively discussed. Significant association was confirmed between phospholipid matrix and MoCA score by a distance-based linear model. Additionally, the network analysis further observed that two modules containing PEs were positively associated with MoCA score, and one module containing LPLs had a trend of negative correlation with MoCA score. Furthermore, 23 phospholipid molecular species were found to be significantly associated with MoCA score independent of fasting glucose, lipidemia, lipoproteins, inflammatory variables and homocysteine. Thus, the decreased levels of pPEs containing LC-PUFA and the augmented levels of LPLs were the most prominent plasma phospholipid changes correlated with the cognitive decline, while alterations in plasma PC, PS and SM levels accompanying cognitive decline might be due to variation of lipidemia and inflammatory levels.

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