THE VALUE AND EXTENT OF ENGAGED LIFESTYLE ACTIVITY AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN LATER LIFE

Abstract It is unclear how coronary heart disease (CHD) risk across the adult life span affects late-life cognition. We estimated associations of midlife and late-life elevated CHD risk with cognitive trajectories (general cognitive performance, processing speed/executive function, memory) in later life (after age 55 years or age 70 years) among 2,892 Framingham Offspring Study participants who had completed CHD risk assessments approximately every 4 years since 1971 and had undergone neuropsychological testing between 1999 and 2014. We stratified analyses by apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) Ɛ4 allele carrier status. Using linear mixed-effects models, elevated CHD risk in midlife (age 55 years) was associated with lower levels of general cognitive performance (β = −0.560 standard deviation (SD) units, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.874, −0.246), executive function (β = −0.624 SD units, 95% CI: −0.916, −0.332), and memory (β = −0.560 SD units, 95% CI: −0.907, −0.213) at age 70 years but not with rates of cognitive change. Late-life (age 70 years) elevated CHD risk, however, was associated with somewhat better levels of general cognitive performance and memory. There were associations between duration of elevated CHD risk during midlife and levels (but not trajectories) of later-life cognitive outcomes. Associations were not modified by APOE-ɛ4 status. These findings suggest that midlife elevated CHD risk is associated with lower cognition, independently of APOE-ɛ4 status, suggesting that risk of vascular disease may not contribute a “second hit” to AD risk.

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Investment Trait, Activity Engagement, and Age: Independent Effects on Cognitive Ability

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.1155/2012/949837 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sophie von Stumm

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Ability ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Age Differences ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Cognitive Activity ◽

Need For Cognition ◽

Later Life ◽

Aging Research ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Investment Theory

In cognitive aging research, the “engagement hypothesis” suggests that the participation in cognitively demanding activities helps maintain better cognitive performance in later life. In differential psychology, the “investment” theory proclaims that age differences in cognition are influenced by personality traits that determine when, where, and how people invest their ability. Although both models follow similar theoretical rationales, they differ in their emphasis of behavior (i.e., activity engagement) versus predisposition (i.e., investment trait). The current study compared a cognitive activity engagement scale (i.e., frequency of participation) with an investment trait scale (i.e., need for cognition) and tested their relationship with age differences in cognition in 200 British adults. Age was negatively associated with fluid and positively with crystallized ability but had no relationship with need for cognition and activity engagement. Need for cognition was positively related to activity engagement and cognitive performance; activity engagement, however, was not associated with cognitive ability. Thus, age differences in cognitive ability were largely independent of engagement and investment.

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Abstract 13: Relations of Midlife Exercise Blood Pressure, Heart Rate and Fitness to Late Life Brain Structure and Function

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.131.suppl_1.13 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Nicole L Spartano ◽

Jayandra J Himali ◽

Alexa S Beiser ◽

Charles DeCarli ◽

Ramachandran S Vasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Brain Aging ◽

Later Life ◽

Older Age ◽

Vascular Stiffness ◽

Response To Exercise ◽

The Brain

Background: Exaggerated blood pressure (BP) and vascular stiffness have been associated with lower cognitive performance and brain atrophy in older age. The brain is a high-flow, low impedance organ that is susceptible to fluctuation in BP. Poor cardiovascular (CV) fitness is also emerging as a factor associated with cognitive decline in older age. The BP and heart rate (HR) response to exercise are impacted by CV fitness; and exercise BP is also highly determined by vascular stiffness. The objective of this investigation was to examine whether poor fitness and exaggerated BP and HR response to exercise in midlife are associated with worse brain morphology in later life. Methods: A subset of Framingham Offspring Study participants (n=1340, 54.5% F) free from dementia and CV disease underwent an exercise treadmill test (the modified Bruce protocol) in midlife [mean age of 41±9 y] and continued until exhaustion or until 85% HR maximum (age- and sex- predicted) was reached. Exercise test duration was used to estimate VO2max. BP and HR were measured during stage 2. MRI scans of the brain and neurocognitive tests (Trail Making Tests [Trails] B-A) were administered in later life [mean age of 59±9 y]. Results: A greater exercise systolic (S)BP and HR response at midlife was associated with smaller total cerebral brain volume (TCBV) in later life (β=-0.09 ±0.04, p=0.042; β=-0.10 ±0.05, p=0.033) after adjustment models including resting SBP and HR; an effect equal to approximately 0.5 y brain aging for every 11.1 mm Hg increase in SBP or 10 beats per min increase in HR. Higher estimated VO2max at midlife was associated with larger TCBV in later life (β=0.03 ±0.01, p=0.014). Additionally, greater exercise HR response at midlife was associated with smaller frontal lobe volume in later life (β=-0.012 ±0.05, p=0.002). Exercise diastolic (D)BP at midlife was associated with poorer performance on Trails B-A in later life (β=-0.009 ±0.004, p=0.017) and the achievement of target HR during exercise was associated with better performance on Trails B-A in later life (β=0.03 ±0.01, p=0.044). Resting SBP at midlife was associated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume in later life (β=0.05 ±0.02, p=0.031); and resting SBP and DBP at midlife were also associated with smaller frontal lobe volume in later life (β=-0.17 ±0.07, p=0.011; β=-0.21 ±0.10, p=0.030). Conclusion: Our investigation provides new evidence that lower midlife fitness and worse exercise BP and HR responses are associated with smaller brain volumes and poorer cognitive performance nearly two decades later. Promotion of midlife physical fitness may be an important step towards ensuring healthy brain aging in the population.

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Anxiety symptoms and cognitive performance in later life: Results from the longitudinal aging study Amsterdam

Aging & Mental Health ◽

10.1080/13607860802224276 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 517-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Ellis J.M. Bierman ◽

Hannie C. Comijs ◽

Frank Rijmen ◽

Cees Jonker ◽

Aartjan T.F. Beekman

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Later Life ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam ◽

Aging Study ◽

Longitudinal Aging Study

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Effects of Karate Training Versus Mindfulness Training on Emotional Well-Being and Cognitive Performance in Later Life

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027516669987 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (10) ◽

pp. 1118-1144 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Petra Jansen ◽

Katharina Dahmen-Zimmer ◽

Brigitte M. Kudielka ◽

Anja Schulz

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Mindfulness Training

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Role of sex in the association between childhood socioeconomic position and cognitive ageing in later life

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84022-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katrin Wolfova ◽

Zsofia Csajbok ◽

Anna Kagstrom ◽

Ingemar Kåreholt ◽

Pavla Cermakova

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Socioeconomic Position ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Later Life ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Immediate Recall ◽

Rate Of Decline ◽

Multilevel Linear Regression

AbstractWe aimed to explore sex differences in the association of childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) with the level of cognitive performance and the rate of cognitive decline. We studied 84,059 individuals (55% women; mean age 64 years) from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Sex differences in the association of childhood SEP (household characteristics at age 10) with the level of cognitive performance (verbal fluency, immediate recall, delayed recall) were analysed using multilevel linear regression. Structural equation modelling tested education, depressive symptoms and physical state as mediators. The relationship between childhood socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage and the rate of cognitive decline was assessed using linear mixed-effects models. Higher childhood SEP was associated with a higher level of cognitive performance to a greater extent in women (B = 0.122; 95% CI 0.092–0.151) than in men (B = 0.109; 95% CI 0.084–0.135). The strongest mediator was education. Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage was related to a higher rate of decline in delayed recall in both sexes, with a greater association in women. Strategies to prevent impaired late-life cognitive functioning, such as reducing childhood socioeconomic disadvantages and improving education, might have a greater benefit for women.

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The Mediating Role of SES on the Relationship between Pregnancy History and Later Life Cognition

10.1101/2021.09.29.21264303 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Averi J. Giudicessi ◽

Ursula G. Saelzler ◽

Aladdin H. Shadyab ◽

Alexander Ivan B. Posis ◽

Erin Sundermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Large Population ◽

Later Life ◽

Learning Task ◽

Education Level ◽

Digit Symbol Substitution Test ◽

Menopausal Women ◽

Post Menopausal ◽

The Relationship

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe association of pregnancy with later life cognition is not well understood. Few studies address the potential confounding role of socioeconomic factors on this relationship. We examined whether pregnancy was associated with cognitive function in a large, population-based sample of post-menopausal women and the potential mediating effects of education level and federal income-to-poverty ratio (PIR) on this relationship.MethodsParticipants were 1,016 post-menopausal women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We utilized data from two study waves between years 2011-2014. Cognitive functioning was evaluated by: Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Animal Fluency (AF), Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease CERAD word learning task (CERAD-WL) and CERAD delayed recall (CERAD-DR). Lifetime education level and federal income-to-poverty ratio (PIR) were examined as mediating factors. Regression models were used to examine the relationship between number of term pregnancies and incomplete pregnancies and cognitive performance.ResultsA greater number of term pregnancies was related to worse performance on the DSST (p < .001), CERAD-DR (p < .007), and AF (p < .03). Conversely, greater incomplete pregnancies related to better CERAD-DR performance (p < .03). Significant associations between term pregnancies and cognitive scores were mediated by PIR but not education level.ConclusionsHigher number of term pregnancies was associated with worse cognitive performance, whereas higher number of incomplete pregnancies was associated with better cognitive performance. Results indicate the necessity to consider SES factors when studying the relationship between pregnancy and cognition.

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Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Cognitive Aging: An Intersectional Life Course Perspective

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1994 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 519-519

Author(s):

Addam Reynolds ◽

Emily Greenfield ◽

Sara Moorman ◽

Laurent Reyes

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Life Course ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Later Life ◽

The South ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Black Adults ◽

Childhood Socioeconomic Status

Abstract Greater childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is associated with better later life cognition. Largely absent from this literature is how structural racism potentially influences this relationship. Guided by intersectional life course theory, we examined if the influence of cSES and region of schooling on later life cognitive outcomes differs among non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Black older adults. We used data from the 2010-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study for participants ages 65 and older in 2010. Using growth mixture modeling, we estimated the associations between race, cSES (parental education, social, and financial capital), and region of schooling at age 10 (southern versus not) on cognitive performance. Consistent with prior research, there was a main effect of race on cognitive performance levels (but not with decline over time), with lower scores among older Black adults, on average. Among NHWs, higher cSES was protective for later life cognition, especially for NHW participants from the South. Although Black older adults who attended school outside of the South had higher levels of cognitive performance than their counterparts who attended school at age 10 in the South, Black older adults who attended school outside of the South--regardless of cSES--still had lower average scores on cognition at baseline than the most disadvantaged NHW participants. This paper implicates the effects of structural racism on cognitive performance among older Black adults, indicating the need for heightened attention to structural racism within interventions for optimizing brain health and promoting equitable cognitive aging across the life course.

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Nutrition and neurodevelopment: mechanisms of developmental dysfunction and disease in later life

Nutrition Research Reviews ◽

10.1079/095442299108728947 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 231-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

M. J. Dauncey ◽

R. J. Bicknell

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Later Life ◽

Future Research ◽

Early Nutrition ◽

Brain Structure And Function ◽

Randomized Intervention ◽

And Function

AbstractNutrition plays a central role in linking the fields of developmental neurobiology and cognitive neuroscience. It has a profound impact on the development of brain structure and function and malnutrition can result in developmental dysfunction and disease in later life. A number of diseases, including schizophrenia, may be related to neurodevelopmental insults such as malnutrition, hypoxia, viruses or in utero drug exposure. Some of the most significant findings on nutrition and neurodevelopment during the last three decades, and especially during the last few years, are discussed in this review. Attention is focused on the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms by which diet exerts its effects. Randomized intervention studies have revealed important effects of early nutrition on later cognitive development, and recent epidemiological findings show that both genetics and environment are risk factors for schizophrenia. Particularly important is the effect of early nutrition on development of the hippocampus, a brain structure important in establishing learning and memory, and hence for cognitive performance. A major aim of future research should be to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying nutritionally-induced impairment of neurodevelopment and specifically to determine the mechanisms by which early nutritional experience affects later cognitive performance. Key research objectives should include: (1) increased understanding of mechanisms underlying the normal processes of ageing and neurodegenerative disorders; (2) assessment of the role of susceptibility genes in modulating the effects of early nutrition on neurodevelopment; and (3) development of nutritional and pharmaceutical strategies for preventing and/or ameliorating the adverse effects of early malnutrition on long-term programming.

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