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. 2013 Sep;25(6):944-59.
doi: 10.1177/0898264313498416. Epub 2013 Aug 14.

Stressful events, social support, and cognitive function in middle-aged adults with a family history of Alzheimer's disease

Megan L Zuelsdorff  1 , Corinne D Engelman, Elliot M Friedman, Rebecca L Koscik, Erin M Jonaitis, Asenath La Rue, Mark A Sager
Affiliations

Stressful events, social support, and cognitive function in middle-aged adults with a family history of Alzheimer's disease

Megan L Zuelsdorff et al. J Aging Health. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the associations of stressful experiences and social support with cognitive function in a sample of middle-aged adults with a family history of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Method: Using data from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP; N = 623), we evaluated relationships between stressful events experienced in the past year, as well as social support, and cognitive performance in four domains: speed and flexibility, immediate memory, verbal learning and memory, and working memory. We assessed interactions between psychosocial predictors, and with APOE ε4 status.

Results: Greater number of stressful events was associated with poorer performance on tests of speed and flexibility. Greater social support was associated with better performance in the same domain; this relationship was diminished by the presence of the ε4 allele. No associations were seen in the remaining three domains.

Discussion: Psychosocial factors may influence cognition in at-risk individuals; influence varies by cognitive domain and ε4 status.

Keywords: cognitive function; gene–environment interaction; geriatrics; social factors; stressful events.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Adjusted mean standardized speed and flexibility scores for low, average, and high social support by number of APOE e4 alleles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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