Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul;66 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i153-61.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq093. Epub 2010 Dec 31.

Tracking cognition-health changes from 55 to 95 years of age

Brent J Small  1 , Roger A Dixon, John J McArdle
Affiliations

Tracking cognition-health changes from 55 to 95 years of age

Brent J Small et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: Among the key targets of inquiry in cognitive aging are (1) the description of cognitive changes with advancing age and (2) the association of such cognitive changes with modulating factors in the changing epidemiological context.

Methods: In the current study, we assemble multi-occasion (up to 12 years) cognitive (speed, episodic memory, and semantic memory) and self-reported health data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (n = 988; ages 55-95 years).

Results: The results from piecewise random effects models using age as a basis indicated that only selected measures of episodic memory and semantic memory showed evidence of significant declines prior to age 75. After age 75, all cognitive abilities showed evidence for statistically significant declines, although the magnitude of these changes varied considerably. Performance at age 75 was correlated with self-reported health for measures of processing speed and episodic memory. Changes in health status were related to changes in some aspects of processing speed.

Discussions: The results indicated that (1) for many cognitive abilities declines in performance did not manifest until after age 75 and (2) self-reported health was related to level of performance more than changes over age.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Longitudinal changes in cognitive performance and self-reported health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Albert ML, Spiro A, Sayers KJ, Cohen JA, Brady CB, Goral M, Obler LK. Effects of health status on word finding in aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009;57:2300–2305. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02559.x. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anstey KJ. Alcohol exposure and cognitive development: An example of why we need a contextualized, dynamic life course approach to cognitive ageing: A mini-review. Gerontology. 2008;54:283–291. doi:10.1159/000161735. - PubMed
    1. Atkinson HH, Rapp SR, Williamson JD, Lovato J, Absher JR, Gass M, Espeland MA. The relationship between cognitive function and physical performance in older women: Results from the women's health initiative memory study. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. 2010;65:300–306. doi:10.1093/gerona/glp149. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baddeley A, Logie R, Nimmo-Smith I. Components of fluent reading. Journal of Memory and Language. 1985;24:119–131. doi:10.1016/0749-596X%2885%2990019-1.
    1. Baltes PB, Nesselroade JR. History and rationale of longitudinal research. In: Nesselroade JR, Baltes PB, editors. Longitudinal research in the study of behavior and development. New York, NY: Academic Press; 1979. pp. 1–39.

Publication types