Cognitive Ability In Old Age Research Articles

Grey-matter structure in cortical and limbic regions correlates with general cognitive ability in old age

According to the maintenance hypothesis (Nyberg et al., 2012), structural integrity of the brain’s grey matter helps to preserve cognitive functioning into old age. A corollary of this hypothesis that can be tested in cross-sectional data is that grey-matter structural integrity and general cognitive ability are positively associated in old age. Building on Köhncke et al. (2021), who found that region-specific latent factors of grey-matter integrity are positively associated with episodic memory ability among older adults, we examine associations between general factors of grey-matter integrity and a general factor of cognitive ability in a cross-sectional sample of 1466 participants aged 60–88 years, 319 of whom contributed imaging data. Indicator variables based on T1-weighted images (voxel-based morphometry, VBM), magnetization-transfer imaging (MT), and diffusion tensor imaging-derived mean diffusivity (MD) had sufficient portions of variance in common to establish latent factors of grey-matter structure for a comprehensive set of regions of interest (ROI). Individual differences in grey-matter factors were positively correlated across neocortical and limbic areas, allowing for the definition of second-order, general factors for neocortical and limbic ROI, respectively. Both general grey-matter factors were positively correlated with general cognitive ability. For the basal ganglia, the three modality-specific indicators showed heterogenous loading patterns, and no reliable associations of the general grey-matter factor to general cognitive ability were found. To provide more direct tests of the maintenance hypothesis, we recommend applying the present structural modeling approach to longitudinal data, thereby enhancing the physiological validity of latent constructs of brain structure.

The Mediating Role of Affective States in Short-Term Effects of Activity Engagement on Working Memory in Older Age

Introduction: It has been shown that activity engagement is associated with cognitive ability in older age, but mechanisms behind the associations have rarely been examined. Following a recent study which showed short-term effects of activity engagement on working memory performance appearing 6 h later, this study examined the mediating role of affective states in this process. Methods: For 7 times per day over 2 weeks, 150 Swiss older adults (aged 65–91 years) reported their present (sociocognitive/passive leisure) activities and affective states (high-arousal positive, low-arousal positive, high-arousal negative, and low-arousal negative) and completed an ambulatory working memory task on a smartphone. Results: Multilevel vector autoregression models showed that passive leisure activities were associated with worse working memory performance 6 h later. Passive leisure activities were negatively associated with concurrent high-arousal positive affect (and high-arousal negative affect); high-arousal positive affect was negatively associated with working memory performance 6 h later. A Sobel test showed a significant mediation effect of high-arousal positive affect linking the time-lagged relationship between passive leisure activities and working memory. Additionally, sociocognitive activities were associated with better working memory performance 6 h later. Sociocognitive activities were associated with concurrent higher high- and low-arousal positive affect, which, however, were not associated with working memory performance 6 h later. Thus, a mediation related to sociocognitive activities was not found. Discussion: Passive leisure activities could influence working memory performance through high-arousal positive affect within a timeframe of several hours. Results are discussed in relation to an emotional, and possibly a neuroendocrine, pathway explaining the time-lagged effects of affective states on working memory performance.

Early socioeconomic status, social mobility and cognitive trajectories in later life: A life course perspective

Using the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) from 2008 to 2018 accompanied by the growth curve model, we examined the association between early socioeconomic status, social mobility, and divergent cognitive trajectories in later life within a society undergoing significant transformation. The study confirmed a positive relationship between socioeconomic status in early life and cognitive ability in later life. However, socioeconomic status in adulthood is associated with better cognitive ability in old age compared to that in childhood. Meanwhile, upward social mobility mitigates the negative correlation between socioeconomic disadvantage in early life and cognitive ability in later life. In addition, the inequality in socioeconomic status at earlier stages resulted in heterogeneous cognitive trajectories, with the double cumulative disadvantage effect resulting from education being particularly noteworthy. Thus, Chinese health policy should focus on the earlier stages of life, actively promoting inclusive family policies and improving the family's role in protecting childhood from an adverse environment. Simultaneously, education and employment fairness should be strengthened to accelerate social mobility and enhance the “Health Repair Mechanism” of the second life course.

The role of acute changes in mBDNF, cortisol and pro-BDNF in predicting cognitive performance in old age

The interplay between biomarkers of relevance to neuroplasticity and its association with learning and cognitive ability in old age remains poorly understood. The present study investigated acute changes in plasma concentrations of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF), its precursor protein (pro-BDNF), and cortisol, in response to acute physical exercise and cognitive training interventions, their covariation and role in predicting cognitive performance. Confirmatory results provided no support for mBDNF, pro-BDNF and cortisol co-varying over time, as the acute interventions unfolded, but did confirm a positive association between mBDNF and pro-BDNF at rest. The confirmatory results did not support the hypothesis that mBDNF change following physical exercise were counteracted by temporally coupled changes in cortisol or pro-BDNF, or by cortisol at rest, in its previously demonstrated faciliatory effect on cognitive training outcome. Exploratory results instead provided indications of a general and trait-like cognitive benefit of exhibiting greater mBDNF responsiveness to acute interventions when coupled with lesser cortisol responsiveness, greater pro-BDNF responsiveness, and lower cortisol at rest. As such, the results call for future work to test whether certain biomarker profiles are associated with preserved cognition in old age.

Structural and Functional MRI Data Differentially Predict Chronological Age and Behavioral Memory Performance.

Human cognitive abilities decline with increasing chronological age, with decreased explicit memory performance being most strongly affected. However, some older adults show "successful aging," that is, relatively preserved cognitive ability in old age. One explanation for this could be higher brain-structural integrity in these individuals. Alternatively, the brain might recruit existing resources more efficiently or employ compensatory cognitive strategies. Here, we approached this question by testing multiple candidate variables from structural and functional neuroimaging for their ability to predict chronological age and memory performance, respectively. Prediction was performed using support vector machine (SVM) classification and regression across and within two samples of young (N = 106) and older (N = 153) adults. The candidate variables were (1) behavioral response frequencies in an episodic memory test; (2) recently described functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scores reflecting preservation of functional memory networks; (3) whole-brain fMRI contrasts for novelty processing and subsequent memory; (4) resting-state fMRI maps quantifying voxel-wise signal fluctuation; and (5) gray matter volume estimated from structural MRIs. While age group could be reliably decoded from all variables, chronological age within young and older subjects was best predicted from gray matter volume. In contrast, memory performance was best predicted from task-based fMRI contrasts and particularly single-value fMRI scores, whereas gray matter volume has no predictive power with respect to memory performance in healthy adults. Our results suggest that superior memory performance in healthy older adults is better explained by efficient recruitment of memory networks rather than by preserved brain structure.

Contribution of IQ in young adulthood to the associations of education and occupation with cognitive ability in older age

BackgroundStudies suggest that a higher education and occupation are each associated with a higher late-life cognitive ability, but their inter-relationships in their association with cognitive ability and the contribution of peak IQ in young adulthood (‘pre-morbid IQ’) often remain unclear.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of 623 participants aged ≥65 years of the BioCog study. Education was coded according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED; range 1 to 6). Occupation was coded as ‘semi/unskilled’, ‘skilled manual’, ‘skilled non-manual’, ‘managerial’, ‘professional’. A summary score of global ability (‘g’) was constructed from six cognitive tests. Pre-morbid IQ was estimated from vocabulary. The Geriatric Depression Scale assessed symptoms of depression. Age- and sex-adjusted analyses of covariance were performed.ResultsEducation (partial eta2 0.076; p < 0.001) and occupation (partial eta2 = 0.037; p < 0.001) were each significantly associated with g. For education, the association was attenuated but remained statistically significant when pre-morbid IQ was controlled for (partial eta2 0.036; p < 0.001) and was unchanged with additional adjustment for depression (partial eta2 0.037; p < 0.001). For occupation, the association with g was no longer significant when pre-morbid IQ (partial eta2 = 0.015; p = 0.06) and depression (partial eta2 = 0.011; p = 0.18) were entered as covariates in separate steps. When education and occupation were entered concurrently into the fully adjusted model, only education was independently associated with g (partial eta2 0.030; p < 0.001; occupation, p = 0.93).ConclusionWhile a higher education and a higher occupation were each associated with a higher late-life cognitive ability, only for education some unique contribution to cognitive ability remained over and above its relationship with pre-morbid IQ, depression, and occupation. Further research is needed to address whether a longer time spent in education may promote late-life cognitive ability.

Effects of a cognitive stimulation software on attention, memory, and activities of daily living in Mexican older adults

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a cognitive stimulation software on attention, memory, reasoning, planning, and frequency of activities of daily living, in Mexican older adults. To carry out this research, an experimental research design was used, comprising two groups (experimental, n = 28 and control on a waiting list, n = 33) with pre- and post-evaluation, where adults over 60 years of age gathered in meeting centers to complete a sociodemographic data sheet, a psychometric test that evaluates attention, memory, reasoning, planning, and an inventory of activities of daily living of the elderly. The participants interacted with the software via touchscreens for 12 cognitive stimulation exercises. The results indicate improvements in the participants’ attention and concentration, and in the types of work, logic, and spontaneous memory, as well as a significant increase in the frequency of instrumental activities in the home by participants of both sexes, and in the social activities of the men. It was concluded that cognitive stimulation software can be used in Mexican older adults to achieve improvements in cognitive functioning. This is justified due to the importance of maintaining cognitive abilities in old age since their deterioration affects activities of daily living, which are essential for an independent life.

Perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale at the beginning of the 8th decade of life: effect on cognition and associations with mineral deposition

Brain iron deposits (IDs) are indicative of microvessel dysfunction which may predispose to small vessel disease (SVD) brain damage and worsen cognition later in life. Visible perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale (CSO-PVS) are SVD features linked with microvessel dysfunction. We examined possible associations of CSO-PVS volume and count with brain IDs and cognitive abilities in 700 community-dwelling individuals from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 who underwent detailed cognitive testing and multimodal brain MRI at mean age 72.7 years. Brain IDs were assessed automatically followed by manual editing. PVS were automatically assessed in the centrum semiovale and deep corona radiata supraventricular. General factors of overall cognitive function (g), processing speed (g-speed) and memory (g-memory) were used in the analyses. Median (IQR) volumes of IDs and CSO-PVS expressed as a percentage of intracranial volume were 0.0021 (0.011) and 0.22 (0.13)% respectively. Median count of CSO-PVS was 410 (IQR = 201). Total volumes of CSO-PVS and ID, adjusted for head size, were correlated (Spearman ρ = 0.13, p < 0.001). CSO-PVS volume, despite being correlated with all three cognitive measures, was only associated with g-memory (B = -114.5, SE = 48.35, p = 0.018) in general linear models, adjusting for age, sex, vascular risk factors, childhood intelligence and white matter hyperintensity volume. The interaction of CSO-PVS count with diabetes (B = -0.0019, SE = 0.00093, p = 0.041) and volume with age (B = 1.57, SE = 0.67, p = 0.019) were also associated with g-memory. Linear regression models did not replicate these associations. Therefore, it does not seem that CSO-PVS burden is directly associated with general cognitive ability in older age.

Role of cognitive ability in the association between functional health literacy and mortality in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: a prospective cohort study

ObjectivesWe investigated the role that childhood and old age cognitive ability play in the association between functional health literacy and mortality.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingThis study used data from the Lothian Birth...

Ассоциация гена аполипопротеина Е с вариабельностью когнитивных способностей пожилых людей

Physiological changes in the brain with natural aging and the development of dementia have a common genetic basis, which makes it important to search for genetic variants that delineate the natural decline in cognitive abilities with age and dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Objective: the search for the relationship between two polymorphic variants (rs429358 and rs7412) APOE gene and their protein isoforms (apoE) with the variability of cognitive functions in the elderly, determined by Montreal Cognitive Assessmnet (MoCA) total score. The study was performed on a group of 695 elderly people (177 men and 518 women) tested by a battery of MoCA tests. Genotyping was carried out by real-time PCR using TaqMan probes. The analysis of genotypic variability associations with the nominal trait was performed by the Kruskel-Wallis and the median test nonparametric methods.It was shown that the rs429358*C allele carriers and protein isoforms e4/e4+e2/e4+e3/e4 carriers in comparison with the e3/e3 homozygous have the greatest risk of decreased cognitive abilities in old age (OR (95% CI) was 1.51 (1.09 - 2.10), c = 6.66, p = 0.01 and OR = 1.64, 95% CI (1.11 - 2.44), c = 6.76, p = 0.009, respectively). Probably, the revealed associations indicate to the presence of common genes and mechanisms for dementia and intellect with normal variability of cognitive functions inheritance.

Frontotemporal dysregulation of the SNARE protein interactome is associated with faster cognitive decline in old age

The molecular underpinnings associated with cognitive reserve remain poorly understood. Because animal models fail to fully recapitulate the complexity of human brain aging, postmortem studies from well-designed cohorts are crucial to unmask mechanisms conferring cognitive resistance against cumulative neuropathologies. We tested the hypothesis that functionality of the SNARE protein interactome might be an important resilience factor preserving cognitive abilities in old age. Cognition was assessed annually in participants from the Rush “Memory and Aging Project” (MAP), a community-dwelling cohort representative of the overall aging population. Associations between cognition and postmortem neurochemical data were evaluated in functional assays quantifying various species of the SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) machinery in samples from the inferior temporal (IT, n = 154) and middle-frontal (MF, n = 174) gyri. Using blue-native gel electrophoresis, we isolated and quantified several types of complexes containing the three SNARE proteins (syntaxin-1, SNAP25, VAMP), as well as the GABAergic/glutamatergic selectively expressed complexins-I/II (CPLX1/2), in brain tissue homogenates and reconstitution assays with recombinant proteins. Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between IT and MF neurochemical data (SNARE proteins and/or complexes), and multiple age-related neuropathologies, as well as with multiple cognitive domains of MAP participants. Controlling for demographic variables, neuropathologic indices and total synapse density, we found that temporal 150-kDa SNARE species (representative of pan-synaptic functionality) and frontal CPLX1/CPLX2 ratio of 500-kDa heteromeric species (representative of inhibitory/excitatory input functionality) were, among all the immunocharacterized complexes, the strongest predictors of cognitive function nearest death. Interestingly, these two neurochemical variables were associated with different cognitive domains. In addition, linear mixed effect models of global cognitive decline estimated that both 150-kDa SNARE levels and CPLX1/CPLX2 ratio were associated with better cognition and less decline over time. The results are consistent with previous studies reporting that synapse dysfunction (i.e. dysplasticity) may be initiated early, and relatively independent of neuropathology-driven synapse loss. Frontotemporal dysregulation of the GABAergic/glutamatergic stimuli might be a target for future drug development.

Cognitive ability across the life course and cortisol levels in older age

Elevated cortisol levels have been hypothesized to contribute to cognitive aging, but study findings are inconsistent. In the present study, we examined the association between salivary cortisol in older age and cognitive ability across the life course. We used data from 370 members of the 36-Day Sample of the Scottish Mental Survey 1947, who underwent cognitive testing at age 11 years and were then followed up at around age 78 years, completing further cognitive tests and providing diurnal salivary cortisol samples. We hypothesized that higher cortisol levels would be associated with lower cognitive ability in older age and greater cognitive decline from childhood to older age but also lower childhood cognitive ability. Few of the tested associations were significant, and of those that were, most suggested a positive relationship between cortisol and cognitive ability. Only 1 cognitive measure showed any sign of cortisol-related impairment. However, after correcting for multiple comparisons, no results remained significant. These findings suggest that cortisol may not play an important role in cognitive aging across the life course.

Exercise-Induced Fitness Changes Correlate with Changes in Neural Specificity in Older Adults.

Neural specificity refers to the degree to which neural representations of different stimuli can be distinguished. Evidence suggests that neural specificity, operationally defined as stimulus-related differences in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation patterns, declines with advancing adult age, and that individual differences in neural specificity are associated with individual differences in fluid intelligence. A growing body of literature also suggests that regular physical activity may help preserve cognitive abilities in old age. Based on this literature, we hypothesized that exercise-induced improvements in fitness would be associated with greater neural specificity among older adults. A total of 52 adults aged 59–74 years were randomly assigned to one of two aerobic-fitness training regimens, which differed in intensity. Participants in both groups trained three times a week on stationary bicycles. In the low-intensity (LI) group, the resistance was kept constant at a low level (10 Watts). In the high-intensity (HI) group, the resistance depended on participants’ heart rate and therefore typically increased with increasing fitness. Before and after the 6-month training phase, participants took part in a functional MRI experiment in which they viewed pictures of faces and buildings. We used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to estimate the distinctiveness of neural activation patterns in ventral visual cortex (VVC) evoked by face or building stimuli. Fitness was also assessed before and after training. In line with our hypothesis, training-induced changes in fitness were positively associated with changes in neural specificity. We conclude that physical activity may protect against age-related declines in neural specificity.

Accelerometer-assessed light physical activity is protective of future cognitive ability: A longitudinal study among community dwelling older adults

ObjectivePhysical activity (PA), especially moderate-to-vigorous intensity, could protect older adults from cognitive impairment. However, most literature is based on self-reported PA which is limited by recall bias. Light PA is popular among older adults, but a paucity of objective longitudinal data has considered the relationship between light PA and cognitive ability. We examined if a higher level of objectively measured light PA, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), was prospectively associated with better cognitive ability in older adults. MethodsA longitudinal study over 22.12 (±1.46) months including 274 community-dwelling older adults across 14 regions in Taiwan was undertaken. Cognitive ability was obtained using a Chinese version of the Ascertain Dementia 8-item Questionnaire (AD8) and light PA and MVPA captured by 7days accelerometer positioned on waist. Multivariable negative binomial regression adjusted for confounders were undertaken. Results274 participants (74.52years, 45.6% male) attended the follow-up (96.1%). Higher light PA, independent from MVPA, was associated with a reduced rate of decline in cognitive ability (rate ratio 0.75 [0.60–0.92]). MVPA, was also associated with a reduced decline in cognitive ability (rate ratio 0.85 [0.75–0.95]). Light PA was protective of cognitive ability in sensitivity analyses removing participants with activities of daily living difficulties, depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment at baseline. ConclusionOur data suggest that light PA may offer a protective influence of future cognitive ability in community dwelling older adults. The promotion of light PA may be a valuable means to maintain cognitive ability in older age.

Lifecourse Activity Participation From Early, Mid, and Later Adulthood as Determinants of Cognitive Aging: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1921.

Objectives:To examine potential sensitive periods for activity participation across adulthood to reduce cognitive decline and to determine whether associations persist after accounting for the lifetime stability of cognitive ability.Method:The Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 is a longitudinal study of cognitive aging. Participants were born in 1921 and most completed a mental ability test at the age of 11 years. Cognitive assessments were completed at mean ages 79 (N = 550), 83 (N = 321), 87 (N = 235), and 90 years (N = 129). Participants provided retrospective details of their activity participation for young (20–35 years), mid (40–55 years), and later adulthood (60–75 years), and contemporaneously at age 79.Results:Associations between activity and the level of, and change in, cognitive ability in old age were examined with latent growth curve models. Accounting for demographics and childhood cognitive ability, engagement in leisure activities in midlife was positively associated with cognitive ability level (path coefficient = .32), whereas higher physical activity in later adulthood was associated with less cognitive decline (.27).Discussion:The findings support a lifecourse approach in identifying determinants of cognitive aging; leisure and physical activity during different periods of adulthood may enhance cognitive abilities or reduce decline.

The relation of the number of languages spoken to performance in different cognitive abilities in old age

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Findings on the association of speaking different languages with cognitive functioning in old age are inconsistent and inconclusive so far. Therefore, the present study set out to investigate the relation of the number of languages spoken to cognitive performance and its interplay with several other markers of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults. Method: Two thousand eight hundred and twelve older adults served as sample for the present study. Psychometric tests on verbal abilities, basic processing speed, and cognitive flexibility were administered. In addition, individuals were interviewed on their different languages spoken on a regular basis, educational attainment, occupation, and engaging in different activities throughout adulthood. Results: Higher number of languages regularly spoken was significantly associated with better performance in verbal abilities and processing speed, but unrelated to cognitive flexibility. Regression analyses showed that the number of languages spoken predicted cognitive performance over and above leisure activities/physical demand of job/gainful activity as respective additional predictor, but not over and above educational attainment/cognitive level of job as respective additional predictor. There was no significant moderation of the association of the number of languages spoken with cognitive performance in any model. Conclusions: Present data suggest that speaking different languages on a regular basis may additionally contribute to the build-up of cognitive reserve in old age. Yet, this may not be universal, but linked to verbal abilities and basic cognitive processing speed. Moreover, it may be dependent on other types of cognitive stimulation that individuals also engaged in during their life course.

Late-life depression symptom dimensions and cognitive functioning in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA)

BackgroundDepression often co-occurs in late-life in the context of declining cognitive functions, but it is not clear whether specific depression symptom dimensions are differentially associated with cognitive abilities. MethodsThe study sample comprised 3107 community-dwelling older adults from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). We applied a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model to examine the association between cognitive abilities and latent dimensions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), while accounting for differential item functioning (DIF) due to age, gender and cognitive function levels. ResultsA factor structure consisting of somatic symptoms, positive affect, depressed affect, and interpersonal difficulties fitted the data well. Higher levels of inductive reasoning were significantly associated with lower levels of depressed affect and somatic symptoms, whereas faster processing speed was significantly associated with lower levels of somatic symptoms. DIF due to age and gender was found, but the magnitude of the effects was small and did not alter substantive conclusions. LimitationsDue to the cross-sectional context of this investigation, the direction of influence between depression symptom levels and cognitive function levels cannot be established. Furthermore, findings are relevant to non-clinical populations, and they do not clarify whether certain DIF effects may be found only at high or low levels of depression. ConclusionsOur findings suggest differential associations between late-life depression dimensions and cognitive abilities in old age, and point towards potential etiological mechanisms that may underline these associations. These findings carry implications for the prognosis of cognitive outcomes in depressed older adults.

Recent advances in the understanding of cognitive decline among the elderly

Age-associated cognitive decline or normal (nonpathological, normative, usual) cognitive aging has been found to be an inevitable part of increased age in humans and differs in extent among individuals. The determinants of the differences in age-related cognitive decline are not fully understood. Progress in the field is taking place across many areas of biomedical and psychosocial sciences. [1] The phenotype of normal cognitive aging is well-described. Some mental capabilities are well-maintained into old age. From early adulthood, there are declines in mental domains such as processing speed, reasoning, memory, and executive functions, some of which are underpinned by a decline in a general cognitive factor. There are contributions to understanding individual differences in normal cognitive aging from genetics, general health, and medical disorders such as atherosclerotic disease, biological processes such as inflammation, neurobiological changes, diet, and lifestyle. Many of the effect sizes are small; some are poorly replicated and in some cases, there is a possibility of reverse causation, with prior cognitive ability causing the supposed cause of cognitive ability in old age. [1] Genome-wide scans are a likely source to establish genetic contributions. The role of vascular factors in cognitive aging is increasingly studied and understood. The same applies to diet, biomarkers such as inflammation, and lifestyle factors such as exercise. There are marked advances in brain imaging, with better in vivo studies of brain correlates of cognitive changes. There is growing appreciation that factors affecting general bodily aging also influence cognitive functions in old age. [1]

No cross-sectional evidence for an increased relation of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age

Objectives: A key question in gerontological research concerns whether good functioning can be maintained in some cognitive abilities in old age, even if deficits occur in other cognitive or sensory abilities. Our goals were to investigate relations of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age, whether these relations differed in size across old age, and whether this was affected by general cognitive ability (processing speed), educational level, and/or general health status.Methods: Two thousand eight hundred and twelve older adults (aged 65–101, M = 77.9 years) from the Vivre–Leben–Vivere survey served as cross-sectional sample for the present study. We administered psychometric tests on processing speed (the speed of cognitive processing), cognitive flexibility (the ability to alternate between cognitive operations), and verbal abilities (vocabulary). In addition, we interviewed individuals on their hearing, eyesight, educational level, and general health status. We regressed sizes of relations between abilities (calculated within each 1-year age tranche) on mean age within the corresponding age tranche, with the number of participants within the corresponding age tranche as case weights.Results: We observed a decrease in relations between processing speed and cognitive flexibility in old age that was particularly pronounced in individuals with high educational level (r = −.41). In contrast, we did not find differences in relations between other cognitive and sensory abilities across old age, which held for different levels of general cognitive ability, education, and general health status.Conclusion: Present data do not support the view of a generally increased relation of cognitive and sensory abilities in old age.

Total MRI load of cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive ability in older people

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) may cause cognitive dysfunction. We tested the association between the combined presence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of SVD and cognitive ability in older age. Cognitive testing and brain MRI were performed in 680 older participants. MRI presence of lacunes, white matter hyperintensities, microbleeds, and perivascular spaces were summed in a score of 0–4 representing all SVD features combined. We also applied latent variable modeling to test whether the 4 MRI features form a unitary SVD construct. The SVD score showed significant associations with general cognitive ability. Latent variable modeling indicated that the 4 MRI markers formed a unitary construct, which showed consistent associations with cognitive ability compared with the SVD score. Total MRI load of SVD is associated with lower general cognitive ability in older age. The total SVD score performed consistently with the more complex latent variable model, suggesting validity and potential utility in future research for determining total SVD load.