Gender Differences In Cognitive Performance Research Articles

Gender differences in cognitive performance among health volunteers of SANSCOG cohort

AbstractBackgroundWomen are at higher risk of AD probably due to longer life span. However, differences in cognitive performance across gender among normal aging individuals is inconclusive. Srinivaspura Aging, Neuro Senescence and COGnition (SANSCOG) is a longitudinal study in healthy aging individuals in a town located near Bangalore, India.MethodOur objective was to compare cognitive performances at baseline assessment measured by COGNITO battery and HMSE between men and women participants of SANSCOG cohort who did not have dementia.ResultIn a sample of 2354 individuals, 1141 (48.5%) were women. Men were older and had more years of education when compared to women. Generalized linear models were constructed which used age and education as confounding variables revealed that males performed better than females on global cognition (β = ‐0.62, p < 0.001). When we examined individual domains, men achieved better scores in visuospatial domain and attention domain, however, women achieved better scores in memory domain. In the language domain, females scored more than males in semantic association test but males scored more in semantic fluency. There was no difference found in executive function domain.ConclusionWe have demonstrated that healthy rural Indian women perform poorly in global cognition and attention suggesting that they are at greater risk of developing dementia.

Attentive-executive functioning and compensatory strategies in adult ADHD: A retrospective case series study.

BackgroundAdults with ADHD exhibit a neuropsychological profile that may present deficits in many cognitive domains, particularly attention and executive functions (EFs). However, some authors do not consider executive disfunction as an important part of the clinical profile of the syndrome; this could be related to the use of inappropriate neuropsychological tests, probably not adapted and not sufficiently ecological. Moreover, new data are required on specific correlation of attentive-executive symptoms with socio-demographic factors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the neuropsychological performance of a group of adults with ADHD, also evaluating the influence of gender, age and education level.MethodsWe retrospectively collected health-related personal data of 40 adult ADHD patients, clinically diagnosed and evaluated via a battery of 4 neuropsychological tests and 1 self-administered questionnaire. Gender, age and years of education differences were assessed.ResultsAttention and EFs deficits have been highlighted mainly on the d2-R and 5-point neuropsychological tests, which therefore seem to be more sensitive in measuring the attention-executive dysfunction in an adult ADHD population, than TAP Go/No-go and ROCFT. ADHD patients also manifested subjective behavioral impulsivity disorders on BIS-11. There were no statistically significant gender differences in cognitive performance. On the contrary, younger patients performed worse on subscales TAP Go/No-go errors and 5-points number of drawings, while participants with a higher education level performed better on subscales d2-R speed of execution and d2-R errors. This supports a reduction in the number of errors and the execution time as a function of older age and a higher level of education. Finally, patients with higher education also self-reported greater impulsivity in planning.ConclusionOur preliminary findings suggest that adult ADHD is not a lifelong stable disorder, but it may change over time. Moreover, attention-executive deficits may be influenced and partially counterbalanced by experience (i.e., advancing age) and a higher level of education. This could underlie the development of specific psycho-behavioral and cognitive compensatory strategies. The use of self-administered questionnaires is therefore recommended to highlight attentional and executive difficulties that may not result in neuropsychological tests.

Gender differences in cognitive performance and psychophysiological responses during noise exposure and different workloads

BackgroundGender can affect the relationship between noise exposure and both cognitive function and comfort; however, evidence is still limited. This study aimed to examine the gender differences in cognitive performance and psychophysiological responses during exposure to noise under tasks with different workloads. MethodsThirty-two participants (16 females and 16 males) with normal hearing and good general health were recruited. They were asked to perform the N-Back test at three levels of workload during exposure to four low-frequency noise conditions: 55, 65, 70, and 75 dB(A). The participants were also asked to judge noise-induced annoyance and subjective fatigue using visual analog scales at the end of each noise condition. The heart rate variability was also recorded using Nexus-4 device before and during each trial and the ratio of low to high frequency (LF/HF) power was analyzed. ResultsThe results revealed that the females rated significantly higher levels of annoyance and fatigue than the males. The mean accuracy of the women in the level of 55 dB(A) with a medium workload was higher than that of the men, while in higher noise levels the men showed better performance. The response time to the stimulus was also lower in females at different noise levels and workloads. Furthermore, the findings showed that, with increasing noise level and workload, the LF/HF of the women was higher than that of the men. ConclusionFemales and males indicated significant and different responses in exposure to different noise levels and workloads. Therefore, this study suggests that gender criteria should be taken into account particularly in the job selection, work content, and design of workplaces.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE INDICATORS IN PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

Background. Sex differences in the study of the cognitive domain are significant for the interpretation of data in different fields; however, the nature of the differences remains an open question. This article presents the results of a study of gender differences in cognitive performance in children of preschool and primary school age. Objective. To study gender differences in the cognitive performance in children of preschool and primary school age. Methods. The sample consisted of students from kindergartens and schools in Moscow (N = 301). Two versions of the Wechsler Test were used as the main instruments for diagnosing cognitive abilities: the Wechsler test for preschoolers (WPPSI-IV) and the Wechsler children’s test (WISC-V). Analysis of the results used Student’s t-test and a measure of the effect size (Cohen’s d). Results. The effect of gender on cognitive performance varies significantly depending on the age of the children. The most pronounced gender differences were identified among children of early preschool age: girls received significantly higher scores on the index of verbal comprehension and the general intelligence scale. In the children of middle and older preschool age, there were no statistically significant gender differences for any evaluated parameter. In the younger schoolchildren, differences between boys and girls were found in the speed of information processing and the vocabulary subtest. Girls were ahead of boys in completing tasks included in the information-processing speed index, while boys were better at completing the vocabulary subtest.

Gender Differences in Cognitive Test Performance in Adults With Heart Failure

Cognitive deficits are found in up to 73% of persons with heart failure (HF) and are associated with increased mortality and other poor clinical outcomes. It is known that women have better memory test performance than men do in healthy samples, but gender differences in cognitive performance in the context of HF are not well understood and may have important clinical implications. The objective of this study was to examine possible gender differences in cognitive function in a sample of individuals with HF (98.9% New York Heart Association class II and III). A total of 183 adults with HF (116 men and 67 women) completed a neuropsychological test battery as part of a larger project. Measures were chosen to assess functioning in attention/executive function and memory. After controlling for demographic and medical factors, multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that men and women differed on memory test performance (λ = 0.90, F4, 169 = 4.76, P = .001). Post hoc comparisons revealed that women performed better on California Verbal Learning Test Learning, Short Recall, and Delayed Recall. No differences emerged on tests of attention/executive function (λ = 0.97, F5, 168 = 0.96, P = .44). In this sample of persons with HF, men exhibited poorer performance on memory measures than women did. Future studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms for this pattern and its possible influence on daily function.

Gender Differences in Cognitive Performance in Old Age

Objective: To examine gender differences in level and change of cognitive performance in the oldest old while accounting for gender differences in longevity. Method: 574 individuals, aged 80 years and older, from the OCTO Twin Study. Five cognitive domains were administered at five occasions at 2-year intervals. Results: There were no cognitive differences between men and women, with the exception that men showed a steeper rate of decline in semantic memory. This effect was driven by men who had developed dementia and declined at a faster rate than women. Conclusion: Our results support previous findings showing minor to nonexisting gender differences in cognition among nondemented individuals in very old age when taking gender differences in longevity into account.

Gender differences in cognitive performance and response to simvastatin in adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease: (The ESPRIT Study)

Gender differences in cognitive performance and response to simvastatin in adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease: (The ESPRIT Study)

Evening and morning EEG differences between young men and women adults

Evening and morning waking EEG (eyes closed) was recorded in 16 women and 13 men aged 18–26 years old. Participants were fitted with a 13-electrode montage (Fp1, Fp2, FZ, F7, F8, C3, C4, T3, T4, P3, P4, O1, and O2) referred to linked ears. For each recording electrode, EEG total spectral amplitude power (μV/Hz, 0.75–19.75 Hz) was compared using 2 (Gender) × 2 (Moments) analyses of variance for repeated measures and LSD post-hoc tests. We found significant simple Gender effects, with women displaying higher EEG values for Central, Frontal, Parietal, and left Temporal leads. Simple Moment effects were also found, with lower morning values in Temporal and left Frontal recording sites. A Gender × Moment interaction was found at the right Frontal recording site. No significant effects were found for Prefrontal and Occipital recording sites, whatsoever. These results bring new understandings of gender and time of day effects in waking EEG and point to different sensitivity in different cortical areas. The present results could explain some of the observations related to gender differences in cognitive performance.

Concordance for cognitive impairment: a study of 50 community-dwelling elderly female-female twin pairs.

The present study sought to determine concordance of cognitive impairment among elderly female twins. Cognitive testing was performed by telephone interview in a sample of 100 female-female twins older than 65 years. The participants were 32 monozygotic (MZ) and 18 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs, all between the ages of 65 and 86 years; their mean age was 70.2 +/- 4.6 years. All were recruited from the Institute of Psychiatry Volunteer Twin Register (IPVTR). We used the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) and analyzed the modified total score. Correlation's of age and zygosity were computed in relation to score on cognitive interview, and differences between MZ twin pairs (n = 32) and DZ pairs (n = 18) were analyzed using the general linear model procedure. Five subjects of the 64 MZ females (7.8%) and one DZ female (2.4%) were found to be cognitively impaired. In no case was the second twin affected. No differences in cognitive score were found between MZ and DZ twin pairs. In both groups a highly significant correlation was found between age and lower score: R(2) = -0.32, P =.009. We conclude that aging-related impairment in cognitive testing did not differ between MZ and DZ elderly female twins. Although the overall sample size was relatively small and error variance may have been introduced by imprecise measures of zygosity, the present findings are suggestive of gender differences in cognitive performance that need further evaluation.

Gender differences in planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive (PASS) cognitive processes and achievement.

Gender differences in ability and achievement have been studied for some time and have been conceptualized along verbal, quantitative, and visual-spatial dimensions. Researchers recently have called for a theory-based approach to studying these differences. This study examined 1,100 boys and 1,100 girls who matched the U.S. population using the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) cognitive-processing theory, built on the neuropsychological work of A. R. Luria (1973). Girls outperformed boys on the Planning and Attention scales of the Cognitive Assessment System by about 5 points (d = .30 and .35, respectively). Gender differences were also found for a subsample of 1,266 children on the Woodcock-Johnson Revised Tests of Achievement Proofing (d = .33), Letter-Word Identification (d = .22), and Dictation (d = .22). The results illustrate that the PASS theory offers a useful way to examine gender differences in cognitive performance.

Gender differences in premorbid cognitive performance in a national cohort of schizophrenic patients

Despite significant research, there are still inconsistent findings regarding gender differences in cognitive performance in individuals already diagnosed with schizophrenia; studies have found that males suffering from schizophrenia are more, less or equally impaired compared with females. Gender differences in cognitive performance in individuals suffering from schizophrenia may be influenced by gender differences in premorbid cognitive performance; the very few and very small N studies published indicated that males have a poorer pre-morbid cognitive performance than females. This study examined the gender differences in premorbid cognition, utilizing cognitive assessments performed on female and male adolescents before induction into military service. The Israeli Draft Board Registry, which contains cognitive assessments equivalent to IQ scores on 16–18 year old Israeli adolescents, was linked with the Israeli National Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry, which records all psychiatric hospitalizations in the country. Scores on premorbid cognitive performance in schizophrenia were examined in 90 female–male case pairs matched for school attended as a proxy for socio-economic status. The mean age of first hospitalization was 20.1±1.8 years of age for males and 19.6±1.8 years of age for females. A repeated-measures ANCOVA with age of first hospitalization and years of formal education as covariates, and controlling for gender differences in cognitive performance in healthy adolescents, revealed a significant difference in pre-morbid cognitive performance between males and females on all four cognitive measures [ F(1,87)=8.07, P=0.006] with females scoring lower (worse) than males. In this national cohort, pre-morbid cognition was poorer in female, compared with male, adolescents who will suffer from schizophrenia in the future, a result consistent with some, but not all, similar studies. These results may be valid only for patients with first hospitalization around age 20. Hence, gender differences in premorbid cognition should be taken into account when assessing gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia.