Function In Old Age Research Articles

Does a Physically Active Lifestyle Attenuate Decline in All Cognitive Functions in Old Age?

In this study, the performance of a group of 20 physically active older adults was compared with that of a group of 20 sedentary healthy older adults while performing a series of cognitive tasks. These tasks were designed to assess processes that deteriorate most with age, namely executive control (assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task) and processing speed (simple and choice reaction time tasks). A repetition priming task that does not decline with age, involving attended and unattended picture outlines at encoding, was also included as a control task. The results show that a physically active lifestyle has a positive influence on executive control, processing speed, and controlled processing. As expected, a physically active lifestyle did not enhance repetition priming for attended stimuli, nor did it produce priming for unattended stimuli at encoding. Both groups exhibited robust priming for attended stimuli and no priming for unattended ones. Executive control functions are of vital importance for independent living in old age. These results have practical implications for enhancing the cognitive processes that decline most in old age. Promoting a physically active lifestyle throughout adulthood could significantly reduce the decline of effortful executive control functions in old age.

Mediterranean Diet and Cognitive Function in Older Age

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may help prevent cognitive decline in older age, but studies are limited. We examined the association of adherence to the Mediterranean diet with cognitive function and decline. We included 6174 participants, aged 65+ years, from the cognitive substudy of the Women's Health Study. Women provided dietary information in 1998 and completed a cognitive battery 5 years later, followed by two assessments at 2-year intervals. The primary outcomes were composite scores of global cognition and verbal memory. The alternate Mediterranean diet adherence nine-point score was constructed based on intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish, red and processed meats, moderate alcohol, and the ratio of monounsaturated-to-saturated fats. After multivariable adjustment, the alternate Mediterranean diet score was not associated with trajectories of repeated cognitive scores (P for score quintiles medians-x-time interaction = 0.26 for global cognition and 0.40 for verbal memory), nor with overall global cognition and verbal memory at older ages, assessed by averaging the three cognitive measures (P trend = 0.63 and 0.44, respectively). Among alternate Mediterranean diet components, a higher monounsaturated-to-saturated fats ratio was associated with more favorable cognitive trajectories (P for ratio quintiles medians-x-time = 0.03 for global cognition and 0.05 for verbal memory). Greater whole grain intake was not associated with cognitive trajectories but was related to better averaged global cognition (P trend = 0.02). In this large study of older women, we observed no association of the Mediterranean diet with cognitive decline. Relations between individual Mediterranean diet components, particularly whole grains, and cognitive function merit further study.

Age-related impact of depressive symptoms on functional capacity measured with 6-minute walking test in coronary artery disease

Patients affected by coronary artery disease (CAD) have a high prevalence of depressive disorders. It has been suggested that depressive symptoms significantly reduce exercise stress test performance in CAD patients, whereas their influence on functional capacity tests, such as the 6-minute walking test (6WT), has been less investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between depressive symptoms and 6WT in patients with CAD and the role of age on this relationship. We enrolled 148 CAD patients. Global functional capacity was measured with 6WT and the presence of depressive symptoms with the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). GDS score was analysed as a continuous variable or categorized as depression absent (score <10), probable (10-14), or present (≤15). A significant inverse correlation was observed between GDS score and distance walked at 6WT. Patients positive for depressive symptoms (probable or present) had a significantly worse performance compared to those with GDS score <10. In multivariable analysis adjusted for indexes of cardiovascular disease severity and comorbidity, the presence of depressive symptoms proved to be an independent predictor of distance walked at 6WT; the predictivity of depressive symptoms on 6WT was age dependent. Depressive symptoms negatively affect 6WT performance among older CAD subjects. Non-cardiovascular parameters, such as psycho-affective disorders, must be taken into account for the interpretation of 6WT performance in old age.

Do dietary patterns influence cognitive function in old age?

Evidence from observational studies to date suggests that healthy dietary patterns are associated with better cognitive performance in later life. We examined the extent to which childhood intelligence quotient (IQ) and socioeconomic status account for this association. Analyses were carried out on 882 participants in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Study. Four dietary patterns were extracted using principal components analysis of a food frequency questionnaire, namely "Mediterranean-style," "health aware," "traditional," and "sweet foods." Cognitive function was assessed at the age of 70 years, including general (g) cognitive ability, processing speed, memory, and verbal ability. Before adjustment for childhood IQ and socioeconomic status, the "Mediterranean-style" dietary pattern was associated with significantly better cognitive performance (effect size as partial eta-square (ηp(2)) range = 0.005 to 0.055), and the "traditional" dietary pattern was associated with poorer performance on all cognitive domains measured in old age (ηp(2) = 0.009 to 0.103). After adjustment for childhood IQ (measured at the age of 11 years) and socioeconomic status, statistical significance was lost for most associations, with the exception of verbal ability and the "Mediterranean-style" pattern (National Adult Reading Test (NART) ηp(2) = 0.006 and Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) ηp(2) = 0.013), and the "traditional" pattern (NART ηp(2) = 0.035 and WTAR ηp(2) = 0.027). Our results suggest a pattern of reverse causation or confounding; a higher childhood cognitive ability (and adult socioeconomic status) predicts adherence to a "healthy" diet and better cognitive performance in old age. Our models show no direct link between diet and cognitive performance in old age; instead they are related via the lifelong-stable trait of intelligence.

Childhood cognitive ability accounts for associations between cognitive ability and brain cortical thickness in old age.

Associations between brain cortical tissue volume and cognitive function in old age are frequently interpreted as suggesting that preservation of cortical tissue is the foundation of successful cognitive aging. However, this association could also, in part, reflect a lifelong association between cognitive ability and cortical tissue. We analyzed data on 588 subjects from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 who had intelligence quotient (IQ) scores from the same cognitive test available at both 11 and 70 years of age as well as high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging data obtained at approximately 73 years of age. Cortical thickness was estimated at 81 924 sampling points across the cortex for each subject using an automated pipeline. Multiple regression was used to assess associations between cortical thickness and the IQ measures at 11 and 70 years. Childhood IQ accounted for more than two-third of the association between IQ at 70 years and cortical thickness measured at age 73 years. This warns against ascribing a causal interpretation to the association between cognitive ability and cortical tissue in old age based on assumptions about, and exclusive reference to, the aging process and any associated disease. Without early-life measures of cognitive ability, it would have been tempting to conclude that preservation of cortical thickness in old age is a foundation for successful cognitive aging when, instead, it is a lifelong association. This being said, results should not be construed as meaning that all studies on aging require direct measures of childhood IQ, but as suggesting that proxy measures of prior cognitive function can be useful to take into consideration.

Working memory training improvements and gains in non-trained cognitive tasks in young and older adults

ABSTRACTPrevious studies on working memory training have indicated that transfer to non-trained tasks of other cognitive domains may be possible. The aim of this study is to compare working memory training and transfer effects between younger and older adults (n = 60). A novel approach to adaptive n-back training (12 sessions) was implemented by varying the working memory load and the presentation speed. All participants completed a neuropsychological battery of tests before and after the training. On average, younger training participants achieved difficulty level 12 after training, while older training participants only reached difficulty level 5. In younger participants, transfer to Verbal Fluency and Digit Symbol Substitution test was found. In older participants, we observed a transfer to Digit Span Forward, CERAD Delayed Recall, and Digit Symbol Substitution test. Results suggest that working memory training may be a beneficial intervention for maintaining and improving cognitive functioning in old age.

Lost ability to automatize task performance in old age

Can elderly adults automatize a new task? To address this question, 10 older adults each performed 10,080 training trials over 12 sessions on an easy but novel task. The psychological refractory period (PRP) procedure was then used to evaluate whether this highly practiced task, when presented as task 2 along with an unpracticed task 1, could proceed automatically. If automatic, task 2 processing should bypass the bottleneck and, therefore, not be delayed while central attention is devoted to task 1, yielding little dual-task interference. This is exactly what Maquestiaux, Laguë-Beauvais, Ruthruff, and Bherer (Memory and Cognition 36:1262-1282, 2008) previously observed for almost all younger adults, even with half the training on a more difficult task. Although extensive training reduced older adults' reaction times to only 307ms, a value virtually identical to that attained by Maquestiaux et al.'s (Memory and Cognition 36:1262-1282, 2008) younger adults, the highly practiced task 2 was slowed by 485ms in the dual-task PRP procedure. Such a large slowing in older adults is striking given the easy tasks and massive amounts of practice. These findings demonstrate a qualitative change with age, in which older adults lose the ability to automatize novel tasks, which cannot be attributed merely to generalized cognitive slowing.

Vibration or Balance Training on Neuromuscular Performance in Osteopenic Women

Maintaining neuromuscular function in older age is an important topic for aging societies, especially for older women with low bone density who may be at risk of falls and bone fracture. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of resistive exercise with either whole-body vibration training (VIB) or coordination/balance training (BAL) on neuromuscular function (countermovement jump, multiple 1-leg hopping, sit-to-stand test). 68 postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis were recruited for the study. 57 subjects completed the 9-month, twice weekly, intervention period. All subjects conducted 30 min of resistance exercise each training day. The VIB-group performed additional training on the Galileo vibration exercise device. The BAL-group performed balance training. An "intent-to-treat" analysis showed greater improvement in the VIB-group for peak countermovement power (p=0.004). The mean [95% confidence interval] effect size for this parameter was a + 0.9[0.3 to 1.5] W/kg greater change in VIB than BAL after 9 months. In multiple 1-leg hopping, a significantly better performance in the VIB-group after the intervention period was seen on a "per-protocol" analysis only. Both groups improved in the sit-to-stand test. The current study provides evidence that short-duration whole-body vibration exercise can have a greater impact on some aspects of neuromuscular function in post-menopausal women with low bone density than proprioceptive training.

Adding arginine to an essential amino acid (EAA) feed reverses age‐related impairments in vascular responsiveness

Impaired vascular function in older age compromises the positive effects of nutrition on limb blood flow, perhaps impacting on maintenance of healthy muscle mass. Herein, we explored: (i) the effect of age upon macro/ micro‐vascular limb blood flow responses to nutrition, and (ii) the potential for arginine, the substrate of nitric oxide synthase, to improve nutrient‐mediate vascular responsiveness in older people. Using contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with Sonovue™ sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles, along with phase shift Doppler, we measured: changes in leg blood flow (LBF), quadriceps muscle microvascular perfusion (MMP) and microvascular flow velocity (MFV) in response to a 15g oral mixed EAA feeding in 8 young (~20y) and 8 older (~70y) men. An additional 8 older men (~70y) had the same 15g mixed EAA feed, supplemented with 3g L‐arginine. Young men showed marked vascular responses to EAA: LBF increased 44±11% (P&lt;0.001), MFV increased 78±31% (P&lt;0.01) and MMP increased 130±52% (P&lt;0.001) from fasting. In contrast, older men fed 15g EAA had no significant changes in LBF or indices of muscle microvascular flow, while older men receiving 15g EAA with 3g arginine displayed increases in LBF (25±5%, P&lt;0.05), MFV (88±48%, P&lt;0.001) and MMP (110±70%, P&lt;0.05, all 2‐way RM ANOVA). We conclude that supplementing EAA with L‐arginine restores some of the macro/ micro‐vascular responsiveness to feeding lost with aging.

Longitudinal relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning in old age

Longitudinal relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning in old age

Intellect and cognitive performance in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.

Investment personality traits are thought to positively affect cognitive performance in old age, even after controlling for prior cognitive ability. In the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (N = 1,091), a cross-lagged model tested for reciprocal effects of the investment trait Intellect on verbal fluency, an indicator of crystallized intelligence, at age 70 and 73 years, while adjusting for general IQ at age 11 and 70 years. Intellect at age 70 was weakly associated with contemporaneous verbal fluency but had no significant effects on fluency at age 73. Conversely, verbal fluency at age 70 was significantly, positively related to Intellect at age 73. The results suggest that better verbal fluency precedes intellectual investment in old age rather than the other way around.

Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity in Later Life

This study examines the association between early-life socioeconomic status (SES) at age 18 and physical activity (PA) at age 65, elucidates mechanisms explaining this association, and explores gender differences in mediating pathways. Multigroup structural equation modeling is applied to the 1957 to 2004 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). Early-life SES is positively associated with exercise in later life. This association is mediated by socioeconomic resources, health problems, obesity, and depressive symptoms (women only) in 1993 and sports participation in 1957. All mediators explain over 95% of the effect of early-life SES. This study emphasizes the importance of complex multiple pathways linking early family SES to later-life PA. We identify chains of risks that need to be broken to improve PA among older adults. Our findings also suggest that interventions aimed at maintaining optimal physical functioning in old age should begin at least at midlife.

Lower omega-3 fatty acid intake and status are associated with poorer cognitive function in older age: A comparison of individuals with and without cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

ObjectivesVarious strands of evidence suggest that low intake of omega-3 fatty acids increases risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The present study investigated differences in dietary intake and blood plasma content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) in individuals with cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and healthy volunteers (HV).MethodsA total of 135 individuals aged between 55 and 91 years (19 AD, 55 CIND, and 61 HV) were assessed predominantly within a hospital setting.ResultsCompared with age and sex-matched HV, individuals with AD or CIND performed poorly on a majority of tests of cognitive function. Impairment was greatest for delayed and verbal recognition memory. CIND individuals were less impaired than AD individuals. Omega-3 intake and the percentage of EPA and DHA in plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) showed a similar pattern (AD < HV, with intermediate scores for CIND). Across the whole sample, and after controlling for age, years of education, level of socio-economic deprivation, and gender, omega-3 intake, plasma PC DHA, and plasma PC EPA were all significant positive predictors of memory functioning.DiscussionThese results are consistent with the possibility that omega-3 fatty acid nutrition has an impact on cognitive decline, but could equally be explained by dietary changes that occurred after onset of cognitive decline. It is also possible that the results could be explained by unknown confounding factors.

Lifestyle and Sarcopenia – Etiology, Prevention and Treatment

The term sarcopenia describes the loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function in old age. As the world population continues to grow older, more attention is given to the phenomena of sarcopenia and the search for strategies of prevention and treatment. The progression of sarcopenia is affected by age-related physiological and systemic changes in the body, including alterations in skeletal muscle tissue, hormonal changes, increased inflammatory activities, and oxidative stress. Sarcopenia progression is also affected by lifestyle factors which are far more controllable. These factors include various aspects of nutrition, physical activity, exercise, alcohol intake, and tobacco use. Raising the public awareness regarding the impact of these factors, as causes of sarcopenia and potential strategies of prevention and treatment, is of great importance. In this review we aim to describe various lifestyle factors that affect the etiology, prevention, and treatment of sarcopenia.

Longitudinal relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning in old age

The present study examined the prospective relationships between subjective fatigue, cognitive function, and everyday functioning. A cohort study with secondary data analysis was conducted using data from 2,781 community-dwelling older adults without dementia who were enrolled to participate in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) randomized intervention trial. Measures included demographic and health information at baseline, and annual assessments of subjective fatigue, cognitive function (i.e. speed of processing, memory, and reasoning), and everyday functioning (i.e. everyday speed and everyday problem-solving) over five years. Four distinct classes of subjective fatigue were identified using growth mixture modeling: one group complaining fatigue "some of the time" at baseline but "most of the time" at five-year follow-up (increased fatigue), one complaining fatigue "a good bit of the time" constantly over time (persistent fatigue), one complaining fatigue "most of the time" at baseline but "some of the time" at five-year follow-up (decreased fatigue), and the fourth complaining fatigue "some of the time" constantly over time (persistent energy). All domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning declined significantly over five years; and the decline rates, but not the baseline levels, differed by the latent class of subjective fatigue. Except for the decreased fatigue class, there were different degrees of significant associations between the decline rates of subjective fatigue and all domains of cognitive function and everyday functioning in other classes of subjective fatigue. Future interventions should address subjective fatigue when managing cognitive and functional abilities in community-dwelling older adults.

Depression, anxiety and cognition in community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and over

Although there is evidence of associations between anxiety, depression and cognitive function in old age, there is little work investigating relations between those variables over an extended period of time. Therefore, we used data from the Canberra Longitudinal Study to investigate 12-year cognitive change over four measurement points in relation to anxiety and depression symptoms. Latent growth models on over 836 community-dwelling persons aged 70 years and over, recruited from the electoral roll suggested that higher depression symptom scores were associated with poorer initial performance in processing speed, verbal fluency and episodic memory while higher anxiety symptom scores were associated with verbal fluency. We found no evidence that mental health variables affected change in cognition over time. Importantly, when possible mild cognitive impairment or dementia cases were removed from the models, associations between the cognitive variables and depression symptoms disappeared while those for anxiety symptoms strengthened. The findings are consistent with the possibility that depression-related cognitive deficits represent a prodrome or risk factor for dementia while associations between anxiety and cognition may be more characteristic of normal aging.

Werkomgeving en cognitieve veroudering bij leraren: eencase-controle-studie gebaseerd op de Maastrichtse VerouderingsStudie

Onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat er een relatie bestaat tussen mentale inspanning op het werk en cognitief functioneren: personen met een baan die een grotere mentale inspanning vereist, presteren beter op cognitieve tests (bijv. geheugentests) en hebben ook een lagere kans om in de toekomst cognitief-pathologische aandoeningen (zoals dementie) te ontwikkelen (Andel, Kareholt, Parker, Thorslund, & Gatz, 2007; Bosma, Van Boxtel, Ponds, Houx, Burdorf & Jolles, 2003; Schooler, Mulatu & Oates, 2004; Smyth, Fritsch, Cook, McClendon, Santillan & Friedland, 2004). De relatie tussen werkomgeving en cognitief functioneren wordt meestal verklaard aan de hand van de mental exercise(mentale oefening)-hypothese (Salthouse, 2006). Deze hypothese stelt dat het trainen van cognitieve functies (op het werk en daarbuiten) leidt een betere ‘cognitieve gezondheid’ – analoog aan de relatie tussen fysieke inspanning en lichamelijke gezondheid.

Occupational Activity and Cognitive Aging: A Case-Control Study Based on the Maastricht Aging Study

Background/Study Context: Occupational activity is associated with cognitive functioning in older age. The mental exercise hypothesis attributes this association to differences in mental exercise at work. Methods: A case-control design was used to test the mental exercise hypothesis. Primary and secondary school teachers (aged between 25.29 and 79.01 years) and non-teacher controls were matched for level of occupation, educational level, age, and gender. Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Possible confounders (such as precareer intelligence and depressive status) were taken into account. Results: Teachers had superior verbal fluency and working memory scanning abilities. Conclusion: The results are in line with the mental exercise hypothesis.

Childhood milk consumption is associated with better physical performance in old age

studies have shown that milk and dairy consumption in adulthood have beneficial effects on health. we examined the impact of childhood and adult diet on physical performance at age 63-86 years. The Boyd Orr cohort (n=405) is a 65-year prospective study of children who took part in a 1930's survey; the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS; n=1,195) provides data from mid-life to old age. We hypothesised that higher intakes of childhood and adult milk, calcium, protein, fat and energy would be associated with a better performance. in fully adjusted models, a standard deviation (SD) increase in natural log-transformed childhood milk intake was associated with 5% faster walking times from the get-up and go test in Boyd Orr (95% CI: 1to 9) and 25% lower odds of poor balance (OR: 0.75; 0.55to 1.02). Childhood calcium intake was positively associated with walking times (4% faster per SD; 0to 8) and a higher protein intake was associated with lower odds of poor balance (OR: 0.71; 0.54to 0.92). In adulthood, protein intake was positively associated with walking times (2% faster per SD; 1to 3; Boyd Orr and CaPS pooled data). this is the first study to show positive associations of childhood milk intake with physical performance in old age.

Smoking, childhood IQ, and cognitive function in old age

ObjectivesTo examine the association between smoking history and cognitive function in old age, and whether it remains after controlling for childhood cognitive ability (IQ) and adult socioeconomic status (SES). MethodsIn the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Study, 1080 men and women, who previously participated in a nationwide IQ-type test in childhood, were followed up at age 70. The associations between smoking history and age 70 IQ, general cognitive ability (g), processing speed, memory, and verbal ability were assessed. ResultsLower childhood IQ was associated with a higher risk of becoming a smoker and continuing to smoke in late life, and with reduced lung function (FEV1) in late life. Current smokers scored significantly lower than ex-smokers and never smokers on tests of age 70 IQ, general cognitive ability, and processing speed, but not memory or verbal ability. After controlling for childhood IQ and SES, current smoking at age 70 (but not pack years of smoking) was associated with impairments in general cognitive ability and processing speed. ConclusionSmoking in old age makes a small, independent contribution to cognitive performance in old age.