Abstract
BackgroundPopulations worldwide are aging. Cognitive decline is an important precursor of dementia, illness and death and, even within the normal range, is associated with poorer performance on everyday tasks. However, the impact of age on cognitive function does not always receive the attention it deserves. MethodsWe have explored cross-sectional associations of age with five cognitive tests (word recall, verbal fluency, subtraction, number sequence, and numerical problem solving) in a large representative sample of over 40,000 men and women aged 16 to 100 living in the UK. ResultsWomen performed better on word recall tests and men had higher scores for subtraction, number sequence and numerical problem solving. However, age-cognition associations were generally similar in both genders. Mean word recall and number sequence scores decreased from early adulthood with steeper declines from the mid-60s onwards Verbal fluency, subtraction and numerical problem solving scores remained stable or increased from early to mid-adulthood, followed by approximately linear declines from around age 60. Performance on all tests was progressively lower in respondents with increasingly worse self-rated health and memory. Age-related declines in word recall, verbal fluency and number sequence started earlier in those with the worst self-rated health. There was no compelling evidence for age dedifferentiation (that the general factor of cognitive ability changes in strength with age). ConclusionsWe have confirmed previously observed patterns of cognitive aging using a large representative population sample.
Highlights
Improvements in living conditions, nutrition, social care, and medical technologies have led to a doubling in life expectancy in the last century (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014)
It is important to understand the natural process of cognitive aging in order to identify how and when therapeutic interventions might best be applied, with large exercises such as the Dementias Platform United Kingdom (UK) recognising that the earliest stages of cognitive decline are the best ones to target in terms of prevention
The age distributions of the General Population Sample (GPS) and British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) samples were very similar, while respondents from the EMBS tended to be younger
Summary
Improvements in living conditions, nutrition, social care, and medical technologies have led to a doubling in life expectancy in the last century (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). Cognitive decline is a common precursor of dementia, illness, institutionalisation, and death (Deary et al, 2009), and, even within the normal range, is associated with poorer performance on everyday tasks such as managing medication and finances (Tucker-Drob, 2011). Cognitive decline is an important precursor of dementia, illness and death and, even within the normal range, is associated with poorer performance on everyday tasks. Methods: We have explored cross-sectional associations of age with five cognitive tests (word recall, verbal fluency, subtraction, number sequence, and numerical problem solving) in a large representative sample of over 40,000 men and women aged 16 to 100 living in the UK. Results: Women performed better on word recall tests and men had higher scores for subtraction, number sequence and numerical problem solving. Conclusions: We have confirmed previously observed patterns of cognitive aging using a large representative population sample
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