Assessing Gender Differences and Norm Data on a Cognitive Performance Measure

Examining whether human cognitive performance is affected by environmental conditions requires stable performance measures prior to stressor exposure. This study evaluated the stability and reliability of six computer-based cognitive performance tasks. A Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro program, the Stability and Reliability Analysis System (SRAS), was developed to evaluate performance of the cognitive tests using three approaches for identifying stability: Graphical Analysis, Learning Curve Fitting, and Statistical Analysis. The results of the comparative evaluation indicated that the SRAS macro program was effective in determining differential stability for the various tasks and measures. Across all tasks, the use of a compound graphical analysis approach was better than a single graph method in terms of providing a more reliable estimation of task stability. Learning curves were fit to each performance measure. For most tasks, the best-fit models were power and logarithmic models. The statistical analysis methods provided conservative estimates of task stability.

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Genetic and environmental influences on pupil performances

Twin Research ◽

10.1375/twin.2.3.183 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 183-195 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Siv Fischbein ◽

Ruth Guttman ◽

Michael Nathan

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Comparative Study ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Performance Measures ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Educational Setting ◽

Time Points ◽

A Current ◽

Israeli Kibbutz

AbstractThe results presented in this paper are part of a current comparative study of genetic and environmental influences in three educational settings: Stockholm, Jerusalem and the Israeli kibbutz. We specifically wanted to investigate whether a more restrictive educational setting would decrease genetic influences. Here we report on comparisons of cognitive performance measures at several time points for twins/controls, boys/girls and within-pair similarity in MZ, DZ and controls. The tests used were the Raven Progressive Matrices, verbal, reading comprehension and arithmetic. The results show no differences between twins and controls, whilst gender differences seem to be smallest in the Stockholm sample and largest in Jerusalem. A pattern of genetic influences on cognitive performance was also clearly visible in Jerusalem. In Stockholm shared environmental influences at home and at school seemed even stronger than in the kibbutz. No consistent differences were found between tests or occasions.

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Cerebral blood flow MRI in the nondemented elderly is not predictive of post-operative delirium but is correlated with cognitive performance

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism ◽

10.1177/0271678x16656014 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 1386-1397 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Tammy T Hshieh ◽

Weiying Dai ◽

Michele Cavallari ◽

Charles RG Guttmann ◽

Dominik S Meier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Elective Surgery ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Performance Measure ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related

Three-dimensional Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI was performed before surgery in a cohort of 146 prospectively enrolled subjects ≥ 70 years old scheduled to undergo elective surgery. We investigated the prospective association between ASL-derived measures of cerebral blood flow (CBF) before surgery with postoperative delirium incidence and severity using whole-brain and globally normalized voxel-wise analysis. We also investigated the cross-sectional association of CBF with patients’ baseline performance on specific neuropsychological tests, and with a composite general cognitive performance measure (GCP). Out of 146 subjects, 32 (22%) developed delirium. We found no significant association between global and voxel-wise CBF with delirium incidence or severity. We found the most significant positive associations between CBF of the posterior cingulate and precuneus and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised total score, Visual Search and Attention Test (VSAT) score and the GCP composite. VSAT score was also strongly associated with right parietal lobe CBF. ASL can be employed in a large, well-characterized older cohort to examine associations between CBF and age-related cognitive performance. Although ASL CBF measures in regions previously associated with preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease were correlated with cognition, they were not found to be indicators of baseline pathology that may increase risk for delirium.

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Gender Differences in Cognitive Performance in Old Age

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000111 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 129-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marcus Praetorius ◽

Valgeir Thorvaldsson ◽

Boo Johansson ◽

Linda B. Hassing

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Old Age ◽

Twin Study ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Cognitive Differences ◽

Men And Women ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Very Old Age ◽

Rate Of Decline

Objective: To examine gender differences in level and change of cognitive performance in the oldest old while accounting for gender differences in longevity. Method: 574 individuals, aged 80 years and older, from the OCTO Twin Study. Five cognitive domains were administered at five occasions at 2-year intervals. Results: There were no cognitive differences between men and women, with the exception that men showed a steeper rate of decline in semantic memory. This effect was driven by men who had developed dementia and declined at a faster rate than women. Conclusion: Our results support previous findings showing minor to nonexisting gender differences in cognition among nondemented individuals in very old age when taking gender differences in longevity into account.

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Gender differences in premorbid cognitive performance in a national cohort of schizophrenic patients

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/s0920-9964(99)00190-5 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 185-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Mark Weiser ◽

Abraham Reichenberg ◽

Jonathan Rabinowitz ◽

Zeev Kaplan ◽

Mordechai Mark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

National Cohort ◽

Schizophrenic Patients

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Influence of a targeted performance measure for brief intervention on gender differences in receipt of brief intervention among patients with unhealthy alcohol use in the Veterans Health Administration

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment ◽

10.1016/j.jsat.2017.07.009 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 81 ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Emily C. Williams ◽

Gwen T. Lapham ◽

Anna D. Rubinsky ◽

Laura J. Chavez ◽

Douglas Berger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Brief Intervention ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

Performance Measure ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Unhealthy Alcohol Use ◽

Unhealthy Alcohol

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Cognitive Differences in the Older Adults Living in the General Community: Gender and Mental Occupational State Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18063106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3106

Author(s):

Estela Calatayud ◽

Carlos Salavera ◽

Isabel Gómez-Soria

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Cognitive Capacity ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Cognitive Differences ◽

The Difference ◽

General Community

Older adults are particularly vulnerable to cognitive impairment with age, and gender differences are remarkable. However, there is very little evidence to identify both baseline cognitive and occupational gender differences prior to older adults’ retirement to design more efficient personalized cognitive interventions. This descriptive observational study examined gender differences in initial cognitive performance in 367 older adults with subjective memory complaints from a primary healthcare center in Zaragoza (Spain). To evaluate initial cognitive performance, the Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MEC-35) and the set test were used to measure verbal fluency. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated, and cognitive and occupational differences were analyzed per gender. Men had higher educational and occupational levels, were older and more of them were married (p < 0.001) than women. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes and cerebrovascular accidents were more frequent in women, while hypercholesterolemia and obesity were more frequent in men (p < 0.001). High blood pressure was more frequent in women, but not significantly so (p = 0.639). Global cognition was higher in men (p < 0.001) for attention, calculation, and language (p < 0.001). Verbal fluency was higher in women, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.105). These results could be generalized to other health centers in the province and other Spanish autonomous communities as their sociodemographic variables are similar. Individualized interventions that adapt to gender, cognitive and initial occupational performance should be developed and adapted to elderly populations living in the general community to maintain their cognitive capacity and prevent their cognitive impairment and the social health costs this would imply.

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Using Optical Coherence Tomography to Screen for Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210328 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

James E. Galvin ◽

Michael J. Kleiman ◽

Marcia Walker

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Performance Measure ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Hippocampal Atrophy ◽

Inner Plexiform Layer ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Patient Reported

Background: Screening for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could increase case identification, enhance clinical trial enrollment, and enable early intervention. MCI and ADRD screening would be most beneficial if detection measures reflect neurodegenerative changes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) could be a marker of neurodegeneration (part of the amyloid-tau-neurodegeneration (ATN) framework). Objective: To determine whether OCT measurements can be used as a screening measure to detect individuals with MCI and ADRD. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 136 participants with comprehensive clinical, cognitive, functional, and behavioral evaluations including OCT with a subset (n = 76) completing volumetric MRI. Pearson correlation coefficients tested strength of association between OCT and outcome measures. Receiver operator characteristic curves assessed the ability of OCT, patient-reported outcomes, and cognitive performance measures to discriminate between individuals with and without cognitive impairment. Results: After controlling for age, of the 6 OCT measurements collected, granular cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL) thickness best correlated with memory, global cognitive performance, Clinical Dementia Rating, and hippocampal atrophy. GCL + IPL thickness provided good discrimination in cognitive status with a cut-off score of 75μm. Combining GCL + IPL thickness as a proxy marker for hippocampal atrophy with a brief patient-reported outcome and performance measure correctly classified 87%of MCI and ADRD participants. Conclusion: Multimodal approaches may improve recognition of MCI and ADRD. OCT has the potential to be a practical, non-invasive biomarker for ADRD providing a screening platform to quickly identify at-risk individuals for further clinical evaluation or research enrollment.

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