Abstract
Aging-related changes occur for multiple domains of cognitive functioning. An accumulating body of research indicates that, rather than representing statistically independent phenomena, aging-related cognitive changes are moderately to strongly correlated across domains. However, previous studies have typically been conducted in age-heterogeneous samples over longitudinal time lags of 6 or more years, and have failed to consider whether results are robust to a comprehensive set of controls. Capitalizing on 3-year longitudinal data from the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936, we took a longitudinal narrow age cohort approach to examine cross-domain cognitive change interrelations from ages 70 to 73 years. We fit multivariate latent difference score models to factors representing visuospatial ability, processing speed, memory, and crystallized ability. Changes were moderately interrelated, with a general factor of change accounting for 47% of the variance in changes across domains. Change interrelations persisted at close to full strength after controlling for a comprehensive set of demographic, physical, and medical factors including educational attainment, childhood intelligence, physical function, APOE genotype, smoking status, diagnosis of hypertension, diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, and diagnosis of diabetes. Thus, the positive manifold of aging-related cognitive changes is highly robust in that it can be detected in a narrow age cohort followed over a relatively brief longitudinal period, and persists even after controlling for many potential confounders.
Highlights
The fit of each model was excellent as assessed by root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and the model constraints did not worsen RMSEA appreciably
In a population-based, narrow-age cohort sample of 70-year-old adults, we found moderate to strong correlations between 3-year longitudinal changes in visuospatial ability, processing speed, memory, and crystallized ability
This pattern was robust to controls for a host of variables implicated in previous research as possible risk or protective factors in cognitive aging, including educational attainment, childhood intelligence, physical function, Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, smoking status, diagnosis of hypertension, diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, and diagnosis of diabetes (Plassman et al, 2010)
Summary
Measurement invariance of the latent visuospatial, processing speed, memory, and crystallized ability factors was tested using the general procedure described by Widaman, Ferrer, and Conger (2010). For Matrix Reasoning, Block Design, Spatial Span, Logical Memory, Verbal PA, and Digits Backwards, split-half reliabilities were derived from Wechsler (1997).
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