Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) regulate human behavior and allow individuals to interact and act in the world. EFs are sensitive to sociodemographic variables such as age, which promotes their decline, and to others that can exert a neuroprotective effect.ObjectiveTo assess the predictive role of education, occupation and family income on decline in executive functions among a sample with a wide age range.MethodsA total of 925 participants aged 18-89 years with 1-28 years' education were submitted to assessment of executive functions using the Card Sorting Test (CST), Phonemic Verbal Fluency (FAS) Task and Semantic Verbal Fluency (SVF) Task. Data on income, occupation and educational level were collected for the sample. The data were analyzed using Linear Regression, as well as Pearson's and Spearman's Correlation.ResultsAge showed a significant negative correlation (p<0.001) with performance on the CST, FAS and SVF, whereas education, income and occupation were positively associated (p<0.001) with the tasks applied. After application of the multivariate linear regression model, a significant positive relationship with the FAS was maintained only for education (p<0.001) and income (p<0.001). The negative relationship of age (p<0.001) and positive relationship of both education (p<0.001) and income (p<0.001and p=0.003) were evident on the CST and SVF.ConclusionEducational level and income positively influenced participants' results on executive function tests, attenuating expected decline for age. However, no relationship was found between occupation and the cognitive variables investigated.
Highlights
Executive functions (EFs) regulate human behavior and represent a group of abilities that allow individuals to interact and act intentionally in the world, i.e. based on the creation, supervision and readaptation of goals.[1,2] This involves the formulation of a plan of action and in doing so considers62 Sociodemographic variables and on executive functions Campanholo et al.previous individual experiences and the environmental constraints imposed, allowing the devising of an appropriate sequence of actions to execute the initial plan.[1]The executive functions involve the frontal lobe, the pre-frontal cortex.[3]
The EFs remain stable until the onset of senescence,[3] being one of the first functions affected by the aging process, working memory[5] and information processing speed.[6]
A positive relationship was found between the cognitive variables and the measurements of income, educational level and occupation, suggesting that an increase in one of these variables was concomitant with increase in the others
Summary
Executive functions (EFs) regulate human behavior and represent a group of abilities that allow individuals to interact and act intentionally in the world, i.e. based on the creation, supervision and readaptation of goals.[1,2] This involves the formulation of a plan of action and in doing so considers62 Sociodemographic variables and on executive functions Campanholo et al.previous individual experiences and the environmental constraints imposed, allowing the devising of an appropriate sequence of actions to execute the initial plan.[1]The executive functions involve the frontal lobe, the pre-frontal cortex.[3]. 62 Sociodemographic variables and on executive functions Campanholo et al. Previous individual experiences and the environmental constraints imposed, allowing the devising of an appropriate sequence of actions to execute the initial plan.[1]. The executive functions involve the frontal lobe, the pre-frontal cortex.[3] The development of EFs commences in the first year of life, and develops most between 6 and 12 years of age.[4] After complete maturation, the EFs remain stable until the onset of senescence,[3] being one of the first functions affected by the aging process, working memory[5] and information processing speed.[6] With advancing age, hemodynamic changes in the whole brain can be expected, where these are most marked in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes.[7] age-dependent frontal lobe atrophy,[8] as well as reduced connectivity between frontal regions and subtentorial territories, has been described.[8,9]
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