scholarly journals Complex Walking Tasks and Risk for Cognitive Decline in High Functioning Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (s1) ◽  
pp. S65-S73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Rosso ◽  
Andrea L. Metti ◽  
Kimberly Faulkner ◽  
Mark Redfern ◽  
Kristine Yaffe ◽  
...  
2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. e177-e184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen-Maria Vasiliadis ◽  
Marie-Christine Payette ◽  
Djamal Berbiche ◽  
Sébastien Grenier ◽  
Carol Hudon

AbstractBackgroundThe effect of alcohol consumption on cognitive decline is not clear. We aimed to study the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive functioning controlling for functional heath status.MethodsA total of 1610 older adults with a score ≥26 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were followed to assess the change in scores at the 3-year follow-up. Information on alcohol consumption as well as socio-demographic, lifestyle, psychosocial and clinical factors, as well as health service use were assessed at baseline and 3-year follow-up interviews. Linear mixed models with repeated measures were used stratifying by functional status.ResultsClose to 73% reported consuming alcohol in the past 6 months, of which 11% were heavy drinkers (≥11 and ≥16 drinks for women and men). A significant decrease in MMSE scores was observed in low functioning non-drinkers (−1.48; 95% CI: −2.06, −0.89) and light to moderate drinkers (−0.99; 95% CI: −1.54, −0.44) and high functioning non-drinkers (−0.51; 95% CI: −0.91, −0.10).ConclusionsAlcohol consumption did not contribute to cognitive decline. Cognitive decline was greater in individuals reporting low functional status. Research should focus on the interaction between changing patterns of alcohol consumption and social participation in individuals with low and high functioning status.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail A Laughlin ◽  
Linda K McEvoy ◽  
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor ◽  
Lori B Daniels ◽  
Joachim H Ix

Objectives: The contribution of vascular disease to neurocognitive decline is now widely recognized. Fetuin-A is an abundant plasma protein known to predict vascular disease. Prior studies have shown that fetuin-A levels are lower in patients with Alzheimer’s disease in direct proportion to the severity of cognitive impairment; however, their association with normal cognitive aging is unknown. We evaluated the association of serum fetuin-A levels with cognitive function in relatively high-functioning, community-dwelling older adults from the Rancho Bernardo Study. Methods: This is a population-based study of 1382 older adults (median age 75) who had plasma fetuin-A levels and cognitive function evaluated in 1992-96; 855 had repeat cognitive function assessment a median of 4 years later. Results: Adjusting for age, sex, education, and depression, higher levels of fetuin-A were associated with better baseline performance on the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) (P=0.012) and a tendency for better Trails Making B scores (P=0.066). In longitudinal analyses, the likelihood of a major decline (highest decile of change) in Trails B was 29% lower (P=0.010) for each SD higher baseline fetuin-A level; odds of major decline in MMSE was 42% lower (P=0.005) per SD higher fetuin-A for individuals with no known CVD, but were not related to fetuin-A in those with CVD (P=0.33). Fetuin-A was not related to Category Fluency performance. Results did not vary by sex and were not explained by numerous vascular risk factors and comorbidities. Conclusions: Higher plasma fetuin-A concentrations are associated with better performance on tests of global cognitive function and executive function and with reduced likelihood of major decline in these cognitive abilities over a 4-year period. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that higher fetuin-A protects against cognitive decline in relatively high functioning older adults, although this may be less apparent in those with established vascular disease. Fetuin-A may serve as a biological link between vascular disease and normal age-related cognitive decline.


2000 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Brenna A. Cholerton ◽  
Laura D. Baker ◽  
Carey E. Gleason ◽  
G.Stennis Watson ◽  
Shiraz S. Ahmed ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Tuokko ◽  
D.D. Garrett ◽  
I. McDowell ◽  
N. Silverberg ◽  
B. Kristjansson

Author(s):  
Yvonne Rogalski ◽  
Muriel Quintana

The population of older adults is rapidly increasing, as is the number and type of products and interventions proposed to prevent or reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Advocacy and prevention are part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) scope of practice documents, and speech-language pathologists must have basic awareness of the evidence contributing to healthy cognitive aging. In this article, we provide a brief overview outlining the evidence on activity engagement and its effects on cognition in older adults. We explore the current evidence around the activities of eating and drinking with a discussion on the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, alcohol, and coffee. We investigate the evidence on the hypothesized neuroprotective effects of social activity, the evidence on computerized cognitive training, and the emerging behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on physical activity. We conclude that actively aging using a combination of several strategies may be our best line of defense against cognitive decline.


2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay R. Clark ◽  
Eric M. Fine ◽  
Gali H. Weissberger ◽  
David P. Salmon ◽  
Dean C. Delis ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bin Yu ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Yongjie Chen ◽  
Xiaohua Jia

Abstract Background Social isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Results Loneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables. Conclusions Social isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 559-559
Author(s):  
W Quin Yow ◽  
Hui-Ching Chen ◽  
Tharshini Lokanathan ◽  
Attila Achenbach ◽  
Lucienne Blessing

Abstract Although cognitive training in healthy older adults (OA) has been controversial, specific and isolated cognitive skills such as semantic memory can be improved with appropriate designs. Semantic memory has been considered as a clinical marker for cognitive decline in dementia. The current study, as part of a larger touch-screen dual-language intervention program with cognitive training tools, aims to slow down the rate of cognitive decline in OA with dementia (OwD). A set of neuropsychological tests was conducted before and after the training program. After 24 training sessions over 8-12 weeks, OwD (11 females, 1 male, mean=85.8yo) improved significantly in their verbal working memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; RAVLT) while performance of the cognitive-healthy OA (5 females, 3 males, mean=76.3yo) remained the same post-intervention. Our findings suggest that touch-screen technology can help OwD improve their semantic memory. The strengths and limitations of our game design and intervention will be discussed. Part of a symposium sponsored by Technology and Aging Interest Group.


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