Cognitive Functions Buffer Age Differences in Technology Ownership

Recent research on the role of general mental ability (GMA) and specific abilities in work-related outcomes has shown that the results differ depending on the theoretical and conceptual approach that researchers use. While earlier research has typically assumed that GMA causes the specific abilities and has thus used incremental validity analysis, more recent research has explored the implications of treating GMA and specific abilities as equals (differing only in breadth and not subordination) and has used relative importance analysis. In this article, we extend this work to the prediction of extrinsic career success operationalized as pay, income, and the attainment of jobs with high prestige. Results, based on a large national sample, revealed that GMA and specific abilities measured in school were good predictors of job prestige measured after 11 years, pay measured after 11 years, and income 51 years later toward the end of the participants' work lives. With 1 exception, GMA was a dominant predictor in incremental validity analyses. However, in relative importance analyses, the majority of the explained variance was explained by specific abilities, and GMA was not more important than single specific abilities in relative importance analyses. Visuospatial, verbal, and mathematical abilities all had substantial variance shares and were also more important than GMA in some of the analyses. Implications for the interpretation of cognitive ability data and facilitating people's success in their careers are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Study ObjectivesWe examined and compared cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep disturbances and various cognitive domains in five separate Nordic European longitudinal aging studies (baseline N = 5631, mean age = 77.7, mean follow-up = 4.16 years).MethodsComparable sleep parameters across studies included reduced sleep duration/quality, insomnia symptoms (sleep latency, waking up at night, and early awakenings), short and long sleep duration, and daytime napping. The cognitive domains were episodic memory, verbal fluency, perceptual speed, executive functioning, and global cognition (aggregated measure). A series of mixed linear models were run separately in each study and then compared to assess the level and rate of change in cognitive functioning across each sleep disturbance parameter. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, hypnotic usage, depressive symptoms, lifestyle factors, cardiovascular, and metabolic conditions. By using a coordinated analytic approach, comparable construct-level measurements were generated, and results from identical statistical models were qualitatively compared across studies.ResultsWhile the pattern of statistically significant results varied across studies, subjective sleep disturbances were consistently associated with worse cognition and steeper cognitive decline. Insomnia symptoms were associated with poorer episodic memory and participants sleeping less or more than 7–8 hours had a steeper decline in perceptual speed. In addition, daytime napping (>2 hours) was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with all examined cognitive domains. Most observed associations were study-specific (except for daytime napping), and a majority of association estimates remained significant after adjusting for covariates.ConclusionThis rigorous multicenter investigation further supports the importance of sleep disturbance, including insomnia, long and short sleep duration, and daytime napping on baseline cognitive functioning and rate of change among older adults. These sleep factors may be targeted in future lifestyle interventions to reduce cognitive decline.

The current article notes that the standard application of relative importance analyses is not appropriate when examining the relative importance of interactive or other higher order effects (e.g., quadratic, cubic). Although there is a growing demand for strategies that could be used to decompose the predicted variance in regression models containing such effects, there has been no formal, systematic discussion of whether it is appropriate to use relative importance statistics in such decompositions, and if it is appropriate, how to go about doing so. The purpose of this article is to address this gap in the literature by describing three different yet related strategies for decomposing variance in higher-order multiple regression models—hierarchical F tests (a between-sets test), constrained relative importance analysis (a within-sets test), and residualized relative importance analysis (a between- and within-sets test). Using a previously published data set, we illustrate the different types of inferences these three strategies permit researchers to draw. We conclude with recommendations for researchers seeking to decompose the predicted variance in regression models testing higher order effects.

Objectives: Loneliness is a pervasive public health problem, especially among individuals with problematic substance use (PSU). To date, however, scarce research has examined the prevalence and correlates of loneliness in vulnerable segments of the population, such as US military veterans. Methods: Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of US veterans. The Three-Item Loneliness Scale was used to assess clinically significant loneliness (≥6). Multivariable logistic regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify correlates of loneliness in 593 veterans with PSU. Results: Nearly half of US veterans with PSU (47.4%) reported clinically significant loneliness. In a multivariable analysis, loneliness was independently associated with being unmarried/unpartnered, greater current psychological distress (depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms), lifetime suicide attempt, and physical disability, smaller social network size, and lower levels of purpose in life and optimism. In a relative importance analysis, major depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms (35.4%), smaller social network size (16.7%), and lower purpose in life (15.0%) and optimism (13.6%) explained the majority of the variance in loneliness. Purpose in life also moderated the link between depressive symptoms and loneliness: among veterans with depressive symptoms, those with higher purpose in life had a lower likelihood of loneliness. Conclusions: Nearly half of US veterans with PSU report significant loneliness. Prevention and treatment strategies that address psychological distress, foster meaningful social connections, and enhance veterans’ sense of purpose may help mitigate the burden of loneliness in this population.

The Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) comprises four content-specific items widely used to assess the history of suicide-related thoughts, plans or attempts, frequency of suicidal ideation, communication of intent to die by suicide and self-reported likelihood of a suicide attempt. Each item focuses on a specific parameter of the suicide-related thoughts and behaviors construct. Past research has primarily focused on the total score. This study used Bayesian network modeling and relative importance analyses on SBQ-R data from 1160 U.S. and 1141 Chinese undergraduate students. The Bayesian network analysis results showed that Item 1 is suitable for identifying other parameters of the suicide-related thoughts and behaviors construct. The results of the relative importance analysis further highlighted the relevancy of each SBQ-R item score when examining evidence for suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. These findings provided empirical support for using the SBQ-R item scores to understand the performances of different suicide-related behavior parameters. Further, they demonstrated the potential value of examining individual item-level responses to offer clinically meaningful insights. To conclude, the SBQ-R allows for the evaluation of each critical suicide-related thought and behavior parameter and the overall suicide risk.

Neurocognitive Function Surrounding the Resection of Frontal WHO Grade I Meningiomas: A Prospective Matched-Control Study

This study compared the longer-term effects of a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet with a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet on cognitive performance in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In total, 115 obese adults with T2D (sixty-six males, BMI: 34·6 (sd 4·3) kg/m2, age: 58 (sd 7) years, HbA1c: 7·3 (sd 1·1) %, diabetes duration: 8 (sd 6) years) were randomised to consume either an energy-restricted, very low-carbohydrate, low-saturated-fat (LC) diet or an energy-matched high unrefined carbohydrate, low-fat (HC) diet with supervised aerobic/resistance exercise (60 min, 3 d/week) for 52 weeks. Body weight, HbA1c and cognitive performance assessing perceptual speed, reasoning speed, reasoning ability, working memory, verbal fluency, processing speed, short-term memory, inhibition and memory scanning speed were assessed before and after intervention. No differences in the changes in cognitive test performance scores between the diet groups were observed for any of the cognitive function outcomes assessed (P≥0·24 time×diet). Percentage reduction in body weight correlated with improvements with perceptual speed performance. In obese adults with T2D, both LC and HC weight-loss diets combined with exercise training had similar effects on cognitive performance. This suggests that an LC diet integrated within a lifestyle modification programme can be used as a strategy for weight and diabetes management without the concern of negatively affecting cognitive function.

Individuals aged 70 and older frequently experience an increased risk of deficits in both physical and cognitive functions. However, the natural progression and interrelationship of these deficits, as well as their neurologic correlates, remain unclear. We aimed to classify the data-driven physical-cognitive phenotypes and then investigate their associations with neuroimaging markers. This cross-sectional study included 70-year-old participants from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort (2014-2016). Based on physical performance (grip strength, balance, walking speed, and chair stand) and cognitive measures (episodic memory, perceptual speed, executive function, verbal fluency, and visuospatial abilities), we applied latent class analysis to identify physical-cognitive phenotypes. Based on the brain MRI measurements, 3 groups of neuroimaging markers were involved-neurodegeneration, cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), and microstructural white matter (WM) integrity. We performed multinomial logistic regressions to examine the differences between the physical-cognitive phenotypes. In total, 1,140 participants (female: 53.3%) without dementia and disability were included in the study, with 721 (female: 52.2%) undergoing MRI scans. Three physical-cognitive phenotypes were identified: an "optimal" group characterized by high performance in both physical and cognitive functions, an "intermediate" group showing a slight reduction in both domains, and a "physical deficit" group marked by a significant reduction in physical performance. Compared with the optimal group, the other 2 groups were more likely to present with vascular risk factors. The physical deficit group had higher odds of experiencing depression compared with the intermediate group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.9, 95% CI 1.4-5.9). Compared with the optimal group, the odds of presenting all 3 severe neuroimaging markers were higher in both the intermediate (aOR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5-7.9) and physical deficit (aOR 10.3, 95% CI 2.4-45.0) groups. This study highlights the variability in physical and cognitive performance among older adults and suggests that neuroimaging markers of neurodegeneration, cSVD, and microstructural WM integrity may account for these variations. Our findings indicate the potential for developing group-based strategies to prevent and manage age-related functional decline. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to deepen our understanding of physical-cognitive decline patterns.

Association between olfactory function and cognitive impairment in dementia‐free older adults in Taiwan: A longitudinal cohort study

Tests of the generalized slowing hypothesis have demonstrated the strong predictive power of tests of perceptual comparison speed in accounting for age differences across a range of cognitive domains. The goals of this study were to determine whether short-term memory (STM) and perceptual demands contribute to age differences on two commonly used tests of perceptual comparison speed, the letter and pattern comparison tests, and to test whether these task components account for unique variance in predicting age differences in working memory and reasoning. Results showed that, after controlling for visual contrast sensitivity and a general slowing factor, age differences increased with increases in both STM load and perceptual degradation. Only STM load, however, accounted for a significant portion of the relationship of age with higher level cognition. We concluded that perceptual comparison tests are dependent on multiple age-sensitive abilities, not all of which are related to age differences in higher level cognition.

the xanthophylls lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) exist in relatively high concentration in multiple central nervous tissues (e.g. cortex and neural retina). L + Z in macula (i.e. macular pigment, MP) are thought to serve multiple functions, including protection and improvement of visual performance. Also, L + Z in the macula are related to L + Z in the cortex. to determine whether macular pigment optical density (MPOD, L + Z in the macula) is related to cognitive function in older adults. participants were older adults (n = 108, 77.6 ± 2.7 years) sampled from the age-related maculopathy ancillary study of the Health Aging and Body Composition Study (Memphis, TN, USA). Serum carotenoids were measured using high performance liquid chromatography. MPOD was assessed using heterochromatic flicker photometry. Eight cognitive tests designed to evaluate several cognitive domains including memory and processing speed were administered. Partial correlation coefficients were computed to determine whether cognitive measures were related to serum L + Z and MPOD. MPOD levels were significantly associated with better global cognition, verbal learning and fluency, recall, processing speed and perceptual speed, whereas serum L + Z was significantly related to only verbal fluency. MPOD is related to cognitive function in older people. Its role as a potential biomarker of cognitive function deserves further study.

To examine whether higher levels of perceived stress are associated with lower levels of cognitive function and faster cognitive decline in older Chinese-American adults. Longitudinal. Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). PINE is the largest population-based epidemiological study of Chinese Americans aged 60 and older in the greater Chicago area. Wave 1 data were collected from 3,159 older adults during 2011 to 2013. Wave 2 data were collected from 2,713 older adults during 2013 to 2015. In addition to sociodemographic and health-related variables, participants completed the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale and multiple cognitive tasks. Episodic memory was assessed using the East Boston Memory Tests, perceptual speed was assessed using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and working memory was assessed using the Digit Span Backwards. Controlling for sociodemographic and health-related variables, mixed-effects regression models showed that higher levels of perceived stress were associated with poorer episodic memory, perceptual speed, and working memory in older Chinese-American adults but not with faster cognitive decline over an average 2-year interval. The present study is the first population-based, longitudinal study to examine the relationships between perceived stress and cognitive decline in older Chinese-American adults. It suggests the importance of researchers, social workers, and policy makers developing programs to reduce stress and improve cognitive function in older Chinese-American adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S519-S524, 2019.

BackgroundSlow gait speed and poor cognitions share numerous risk factors, including age, physical activities, chronic inflammation, education, metabolic abnormality, and the presence of multimorbidity. However, the causal relationship between gait and cognitions remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the reciprocal relationship of gait speed with global and domain‐specific cognition in non‐demented older adults.MethodThis study used data from four waves of Taiwan Initiative for Geriatric Epidemiological Research (TIGER, 2013‐2021) with biennial assessments of casual walking speed and cognitions. Global cognition, memory, executive function, verbal fluency, and attention were assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment‐Taiwanese version (MoCA‐T), immediate and delayed recall, trail making test part‐A and part‐B (TMTA and TMTB), categorical naming task, and forward and backward digit span test, respectively. A cross‐lagged panel model (CLPM) and a linear mixed model were both used to investigate the bidirectional association between gait speed and cognitive function. Covariates included baseline age, sex, body mass index physical activities, higher education, physical activities, multimorbidity, smoking, Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ϵ4 status, family income, and marital status.ResultA total of 459 adults with a mean age of 74.5 (standard deviation 5.2) were included, and 239 participants (52%) were female. After adjustments for potential confounders, faster earlier gait speed was associated with better subsequent global cognition (MoCA‐T: β=.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.014‐.55), memory performance (immediate and delayed recall: β=.10, 95% CI=.04‐.17; β=.09, 95% CI=.02‐.17), verbal fluency (β=.09, 95% CI=.007‐.18), and executive function (TMTA: β=.15, 95% CI=.047‐.26). Similarly, better earlier cognitions of MoCA‐T (β=.08, 95% CI=.019‐.15), immediate and delayed recall (β=.09, 95% CI=.00‐.17; β=.11, 95% CI=.033‐.19), verbal fluency (β=.08, 95% CI=.003‐.16), and executive function (TMTA: β=.17, 95% CI=.086‐.26) were associated with faster subsequent gait speed. The results of linear mixed models were consistent with findings from CLPM analyses.ConclusionWe found reciprocal associations of gait speed with global cognition, memory, executive function, and verbal fluency. Early screening of gait speed and cognitive function helps identify individuals at risk and supports the maintenance of normal cognition and physical performance.

Sex differences in specific cognitive abilities are well documented, but the biological, psychological, and sociocultural interactions that may underlie these differences are largely unknown. We examined within a biopsychosocial approach how gender stereotypes affect cognitive sex differences when adult participants were tested in mixed- or same-sex groups. A total of 136 participants (70 women) were allocated to either mixed- or same-sex groups and completed a battery of sex-sensitive cognitive tests (i.e., mental rotation, verbal fluency, perceptual speed) after gender stereotypes or gender-neutral stereotypes (control) were activated. To study the potential role of testosterone as a mediator for group sex composition and stereotype boost/threat effects, saliva samples were taken before the stereotype manipulation and after cognitive testing. The results showed the typical male and female advantages in mental rotation and verbal fluency, respectively. In general, men and women who were tested in mixed-sex groups and whose gender stereotypes had not been activated performed best. Moreover, a stereotype threat effect emerged in verbal fluency with reduced performance in gender stereotyped men but not women. Testosterone levels did not mediate the effects of group sex composition and stereotype threat nor did we find any relationship between testosterone and cognitive performance in men and women. Taken together, the findings suggest that an interaction of gender stereotyping and group sex composition affects the performance of men and women in sex-sensitive cognitive tasks. Mixed-sex settings can, in fact, increase cognitive performance as long as gender-stereotyping is prevented.

Changes of cognitive function in PD have been extensively documented and defined as a ‘frontal’ type executive dysfunction. One of the main components of this executive dysfunction is the impairment of verbal fluency. The aim of the present study was to assess semantic and phonemic fluency in a large sample of PD patients and to investigate the effect of clinical and sociodemographic variables on verbal fluency in this patient group.Three hundred patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who were consecutive referrals to our clinic and 50 age and education matched healthy controls completed the phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks. Both phonemic and semantic verbal fluency were significantly impaired in PD patients relative to matched controls. Stage of illness, presence of depression, education and age influenced verbal fluency measures. Regression analyses established that global measures of cognitive ability (MMSE) and executive function (FAB) and side of onset of motor symptoms predicted 36–37% of variance of phonemic or semantic verbal fluency measures. Thus, future studies aimed at assessing cognitive functioning in PD patients treated by deep brain stimulation (DBS) should adequately take into account several factors (stage of illness, depression, executive functioning) which may potentially influence performance on verbal fluency tasks.