scholarly journals Socioeconomic Determinants of Cognitive Aging: A Cross-Country Comparison Between England and China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 121-121
Author(s):  
Dorina Cadar ◽  
Yaohui Zhao ◽  
Li Yan ◽  
Laura Brocklebank ◽  
Andrew Steptoe
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Cognitive Ageing ◽  
Socioeconomic Gaps ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract Lower educational attainment is associated with a higher risk of dementia and a steeper cognitive decline in older adults. However, less clear is how other socioeconomic markers contribute to cognitive ageing and if these socioeconomic influences on cognitive ageing differ between England and China. We examined the relationship of education, household wealth, and urbanicity with cognitive performance and rate of change over 7-8 years follow up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, national representative samples of England and China. We found that the rate of cognitive change appears to be socioeconomically patterned, primarily by education and area-based characteristics (urban vs rural), with a stronger impact of inequalities seen in rural China. Public health strategies for preventing cognitive decline and dementia should target socioeconomic gaps to reduce health disparities and protect those particularly disadvantaged in England and China.

Is Occupational Complexity Associated with Cognitive Performance or Decline? Results from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 550-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna P. Lane ◽  
Tim D. Windsor ◽  
Ross Andel ◽  
Mary A. Luszcz
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Mental Status ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study ◽  
Occupational Complexity

Background: Long-term protective associations proposed between previous complex occupational tasks and cognitive functioning in later life point to work roles contributing to cognitive reserve. Objective: To examine occupational complexity involving data, people, and things in relation to the level of, and rate of change in, cognitive functioning. Methods: Participants were 1,290 members of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing and initially aged 65-102 years (mean = 79). Information about main lifetime occupation was collected retrospectively. Cognition was assessed 4 times over a 13-year interval. Results: In multilevel models adjusted for demographics, medical conditions, and depressive symptoms, higher complexity involving data was associated with faster speed (β = 0.73, p < 0.001), better memory (β = 0.32, p < 0.05), and mental status (β = 0.40, p < 0.001) at baseline. These associations remained statistically reliable after adjusting for complexity with people and things, sedentary and heavy physical work, retirement age, and leisure activity. Complexity with things was associated with slower speed (β = -0.50, p < 0.001) and poorer mental status (β = -0.26, p < 0.01) and was not explained by other variables. There were no associations of occupational complexity with rates of cognitive decline over time. Conclusion: Older individuals retired from occupations characterized by higher complexity with data maintain their cognitive advantage over those with lower complexity into older adulthood, although without additional moderation of this advantage in terms of less postretirement cognitive decline. Complexity of work with things confers a negative relation to cognition whilst also not affecting postretirement cognitive change. Although the relative contributions of occupation or other early life influences for cognition remain to be established, it nevertheless may be beneficial to promote workplace design strategies and interventions that incorporate complex activities, particularly tasks involving data.

scholarly journals PARASYMPATHETIC INFLUENCE ON COGNITIVE AGING IS MODERATED BY SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, ESPECIALLY IN EARLY MIDLIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S94-S94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik L Knight ◽  
Ryan Giuliano ◽  
Sean Shank ◽  
Megan Clarke ◽  
David M Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Parasympathetic Nervous System ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have been individually linked to age-related changes in cognitive functioning: The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is thought to support healthy cognitive aging, whereas the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has been linked to heightened cognitive decline. Despite these separate findings and despite the integrative nature of the ANS, little work has examined the two branches simultaneously to better understand their interactive effects on age-related cognitive changes. We examined cognitive change in two waves of the MIDUS cognitive project and indexed PNS and SNS activity from heart rate variability and epinephrine levels (respectively) from the MIDUS biomarker project (n = 764, 56% female, mean age = 54.1 years). Our findings indicate that higher PNS levels attenuate cognitive decline, but only among individuals with low SNS levels; at higher SNS levels, the beneficial effects of the PNS are blocked. Further, lower PNS levels can be somewhat compensated for by increased SNS levels. This pattern was most robust among individuals transitioning to mid-life (i.e., 35-40 years old at the initial cognitive test). These results suggest that interventions targeting the ANS as a modifiable factor in cognitive aging should consider both ANS branch’s effects simultaneously, particularly in the early stages of midlife.

Do cognitive complaints either predict future cognitive decline or reflect past cognitive decline? A longitudinal study of an elderly community sample

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. JORM ◽  
H. CHRISTENSEN ◽  
A. E. KORTEN ◽  
A. S. HENDERSON ◽  
P. A. JACOMB ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Mini Mental State Examination ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Disorder ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cognitive Complaints ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
State Examination

Data from a two-wave longitudinal study of an elderly community sample were used to assess whether cognitive complaints either predict subsequent cognitive decline or reflect past cognitive decline. Cognitive complaints and cognitive functioning were assessed on two occasions three and a half years apart. Cognitive complaints at Wave 1 were found not to predict future cognitive change on the Mini-Mental State Examination, an episodic memory test or a test of mental speed. Similarly, cognitive complaints at Wave 2 were unrelated to past cognitive changes on these tests after statistically controlling for the effects of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, cognitive complaints did not predict either mortality (after controlling for anxiety and depression) or future dementia. These results are evidence against the inclusion of cognitive complaints in diagnostic criteria for proposed disorders such as age-associated memory impairment, mild cognitive disorder and ageing-associated cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Mentally Challenging Occupations Are Associated With More Rapid Cognitive Decline at Later Stages of Cognitive Aging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinshil Hyun ◽  
Mindy J Katz ◽  
Richard B Lipton ◽  
Martin J Sliwinski
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Baseline Model ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Occupational Complexity ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Rapid Cognitive Decline

Abstract Objectives Engaging in mentally challenging activities is associated with reduced risk for cognitive impairment and dementia; however, its association with rates of cognitive decline has been inconsistent. The aim of this study is to test whether working in mentally challenging occupations is related to rates of cognitive change at later older adulthood. Method The sample consisted of 1,520 individuals (baseline mean age = 78.6 ± 5.1, range = 64–100) from the Einstein Aging Study. Occupation information of each participant was collected retrospectively and linked with the substantive complexity of work score from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Cognitive changes in memory, speed, and executive function (EF) domains were represented using two time metrics (i.e., time from retirement, time from study enrollment). Results Results from mixed models showed that occupational complexity was associated with significantly faster rates of cognitive decline in speed and EF in the “time from retirement” model but not in the “time from baseline” model. Despite faster cognitive loss, the protective effect of occupational complexity persisted for decades after retirement due to higher initial levels of cognition. Discussion The result suggests that protective factors for cognitive health may be associated with delayed onset but more rapid cognitive decline afterwards at later stages of cognitive aging.

Age is no kinder to the better educated: absence of an association investigated using latent growth techniques in a community sample

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. CHRISTENSEN ◽  
S. M. HOFER ◽  
A. J. MACKINNON ◽  
A. E. KORTEN ◽  
A. F. JORM ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Latent Growth Models ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Regression Techniques ◽  
Rate Of Decline

Background. Higher education has been posited to protect against cognitive decline, either because the rate of decline is slower in the more highly educated or the start of decline is delayed. Latent growth models provide improved methodology to examine this issue.Methods. The sample consisted of 887 participants aged 70–93 years in 1991 and followed up in 1994 and 1998. Latent growth models and standard regression techniques were used to examine the rate of cognitive decline in four cognitive measures while controlling for health status and sex. A delayed start model was examined by incorporating interaction effects in a regression model.Results. Neither the latent growth models nor the regression techniques revealed a slower rate of decline for the more highly educated. The proportion of the highly educated showing no change was no larger than the proportion of the less well educated. There were no significant age by education interaction effects, no chronologically later accelerations in the rate of change as a function of education, and no differences in rate of decline between the first measurement interval and the second.Conclusions. Education may not protect against cognitive decline although it is associated with long-term individual differences in level of functioning. The discrepancy between our study and others may be attributable to attrition effects, follow-up length, sample age, scaling artefacts and negative publication bias. Most importantly, practice effects may favour the better educated and hence account for the supposed protective effect in many longitudinal studies of cognitive change.

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) as a biomarker of cognitive decline at the end of life: contrasting age and time to death trajectories

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 981-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Praetorius Björk ◽  
Boo Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Gamma Glutamyltransferase ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

ABSTRACTBackground:A recently published study suggests that Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) in midlife is related to an increased risk of dementia. In the present longitudinal study, we explore the effects of serum GGT on cognitive decline and dementia also in more advanced ages.Methods:We analyzed GGT in a sample of 452 individuals, aged 80 years and older at baseline, with the purpose to explore subsequent effects on cognitive performance. We specifically modeled GGT to cognitive change, time to death, and dementia.Results:Our main finding is that a higher level of GGT is associated with cognitive decline prior to death and vascular dementia in late life. These findings were evident across cognitive domains.Conclusions:This is the first longitudinal study to report on significant associations in late life between GGT, cognitive performance and dementia. Further research is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms of GGT as a marker of age-related cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Is there a bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive ability in older people? A prospective study using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 2057-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Gale ◽  
M. Allerhand ◽  
I. J. Deary
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Bidirectional Relationship ◽  
English Longitudinal Study

BackgroundCross-sectional surveys of older people commonly find associations between higher levels of depressive symptoms and poorer cognitive performance, but the direction of effect is unclear. We examined whether there was a bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and general cognitive ability in non-demented older people, and explored the role of physical health, smoking, exercise, social class and education as potential confounders of this association and as possible determinants of the rate of change of cognitive decline and depressive symptoms.MethodThe English Longitudinal Study of Ageing consists of people aged 50 years and over. Cognitive function and self-reported depressive symptoms were measured in 2002–2003, 2004–2005, 2006–2007 and 2008–2009. We fitted linear piecewise models with fixed knot positions to allow different slopes for different age groups. Analyses are based on 8611 people.ResultsMean cognitive function declined with age; there was no trend in the trajectory of depressive symptoms. Better cognitive function was associated with less depression up to the age of 80 years. Greater depression was associated with a slightly faster rate of cognitive decline but only in people aged 60–80 years. There were no consistent associations across age groups between sex, smoking, education, social class, exercise or number of chronic physical illnesses and the rate of change of cognitive decline or depressive symptoms.ConclusionsIn this longitudinal study of older people, there was no consistent evidence that being more depressed led to an acceleration in cognitive decline and no support for the hypothesis that there might be reciprocal dynamic influences between cognitive ability and depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals Sleep Quality and Cognitive Decline: A Cross-Country Comparison Between England and China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 120-120
Author(s):  
Laura Brocklebank ◽  
Dorina Cadar ◽  
Li Yan ◽  
Yaohui Zhao ◽  
Andrew Steptoe
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Too little or too much sleep is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults. However, sleep duration does not capture other sleep problems prevalent in older adults, such as difficulties with falling or staying asleep. Less is known about the impact of sleep quality on cognitive ageing, and if this relationship differs between England and China. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship of self-reported sleep quality with cognitive performance and rate of change over 6-7 years follow-up in two nationally-representative samples of English and Chinese older adults. The primary outcome was a memory score (range 0-20), which was assessed using immediate and delayed 10-word recall tests in both cohorts. The results of bivariate descriptive analyses at baseline suggest there may be an inverted U-shaped association between sleep quality and memory in English older adults, and a positive dose-response association in Chinese older adults.

scholarly journals PERSONALITY AND COGNITIVE AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S777-S777
Author(s):  
Eileen K Graham ◽  
Stacey B Scott ◽  
Avron Spiro
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Longitudinal Measurement ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Aging Adults

Abstract Understanding when, how, and for who, cognitive decline occurs is essential to understanding how to optimize quality of life among aging adults. It is well known that there is large variation in cognitive change: the pace and direction of change differs greatly across individuals. Personality traits are one key factor that account for some of these individual differences. Individuals with high levels of certain characteristics are more or less likely to engage in lifestyle behaviors that may put them at greater or less risk of decline over time. The goal of our symposium is to present novel research in this area and discuss the implications for understanding personality and cognitive decline. First, Scott and colleagues will demonstrate a novel approach to personality measurement, and the extent to which there is longitudinal measurement invariance in these measures. This is an important first step in the study of change processes. Second, Terracciano and Sutin will test associations between personality traits and verbal fluency in aging adults, and whether these associations replicate across multiple large panel studies. Third, Graham and colleagues will investigate trajectories of cognitive decline, specifically whether personality is associated with decline both before and after a diagnosis of dementia. Fourth, James and colleagues will discuss the extent to which personality is associated with discordances between dementia diagnosis and neuropathology. All talks will focus on open science, reproducibility, replicability, and generalizability, consistent with GSA’s efforts toward these goals. Discussant Avron Spiro will contextualize these new findings and propose next steps.

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