Abstract
BackgroundResearch has demonstrated that cognitive heterogeneity occurs with aging both within and between individuals. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the cognitive heterogeneity in aging was related to the subgroups of successful and usual aging.MethodParticipants were a representative sample of normal older adults (n = 65, age range 70–89 years). All subjects had participated in the third phase of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey (HUNT3) and completed all subtests in the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III). Successful aging was defined in four ways in the study: as (1) absence of disease, (2) high functioning, (3) active engagement with life, or (4) all three components combined. Five domains of memory and intelligence functions were investigated using linear regression analysis, with group membership (successful versus usual aging) as predictors and age, sex and education as correlates.ResultsProcessing speed performance was correlated with the successful aging component absence of disease, younger age and being of the female sex, while working memory performance was correlated with the successful aging component absence of disease and more years of education. Performance in other domains (verbal, visuospatial, and episodic memory) were not related to any successful aging definition. Age had a consistent negative effect on the processing speed domain for all successful aging definitions. Education was positively linked to cognitive performance on the verbal and working memory domains. Being female was positively linked to processing speed and episodic memory.ConclusionsProcessing speed and working memory were linked to successful aging when it was defined as absence of disease, but not by other components of successful aging, i.e. domain-specific. In contrast, other cognitive domains were not related to any components of successful aging.
Highlights
Research has demonstrated that cognitive heterogeneity occurs with aging both within and between individuals
Processing speed and working memory were linked to successful aging when it was defined as absence of disease, but not by other components of successful aging, i.e. domain-specific
This study investigates the associations between cognitive domains, measured by the The Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III)/WAIS-III [26], and a successful’ aging (SA) model inspired by the Rowe and Kahn model of SA/usual’ aging (UA) subgroups in normal aging
Summary
Research has demonstrated that cognitive heterogeneity occurs with aging both within and between individuals. SA has been defined as fulfilling the criteria for three components: a low probability of disease and disability (component I), high cognitive and physical functioning (component II), and active engagement with life (component III) [11, 12]. Those who are undergoing UA have some decline in health and increased risk of disease and disability, often seen as typical age-associated functional decline [13, 14]. The model can be criticized for its weight on diseases and too little focus on layman perspectives [15] and for not fully appreciating the importance of structural factors for health like income and other factors [16]
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