Task-switching and associative-learning indexes ?but not chronological age? predict individual differences in executive control in normal aging

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Task-switching and associative-learning indexes –but not chronological age– predict individual differences in executive control in normal aging Myriam Oliver1* and Francisco Barcelo1 1 Clinical Neuropsychology Unit, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain The design of efficient neuropsychological testing procedures for the sensitive detection of age-related cognitive impairment has enormous interest. This study examined several recent neuropsychological markers of executive function in a sample of healthy aging adults (n = 80; 49-80 y.o.). In doing so, we adopted a multiple linear regression approach whereby chronological age, as well as several newly devised test scores were employed as predictors of executive function: the Paired-Associate Learning (PAL) sub-test from the CANTAB battery (Robbins et al., 1997), the Madrid card sorting test, a Wisconsin card sorting analogue (MCST; Barceló, 2003), and three different types of behavioral costs (local, restart, mixing) obtained from a task-switching MCST version. The overall z-score from a composite of six well-known neuropsychological indexes of executive function was used as the criterion variable. Multiple regression analyses showed no predictive value from typical indexes of pathology (i.e., PAL 6-shapes, MCST-perseverative scores). In a final combined model, PAL 1st-trial scores showed the biggest share with the criterion (R2 = .159; p < .01), followed by MCST-distraction scores (R2 = .103; p < .01). Importantly, all 3 types of task-switching costs reached significance, explaining up to 25% of variance in the criterion. In contrast, Age did not reach significance as a predictor of executive function in none the regression models. The absence of collinearity between MCST and PAL scores suggested that these test scores account for independent aspects of executive function. We conclude that a multiple regression approach may help select the most sensitive neuropsychological markers for the early detection of age-related cognitive impairments. Funding: Supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PSI2010-17419/PSIC). Keywords: Aging, MCI, task-switching, WCST Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Cognitive Aging Citation: Oliver M and Barcelo F (2011). Task-switching and associative-learning indexes –but not chronological age– predict individual differences in executive control in normal aging. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00614 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 15 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Myriam Oliver, Clinical Neuropsychology Unit, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Mallorca, Spain, myriam.oliver4@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Myriam Oliver Francisco Barcelo Google Myriam Oliver Francisco Barcelo Google Scholar Myriam Oliver Francisco Barcelo PubMed Myriam Oliver Francisco Barcelo Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.