Hypertension moderates the effect of APOE on 21-year cognitive trajectories.

We examined whether hypertension moderated the effects of apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) on individual differences in level and change in cognitive functions over a 21-year period using data from the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS). A total of 563 nondemented adults ages 32 to 74 years in 1984 (M = 51.06, SD = 12.

Stress on health-related quality of life in older adults: the protective nature of mindfulness.

Objectives: The current study examined whether the link between stress and health-related quality of life was buffered by protective factors, namely mindfulness, in a sample of middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 134 healthy, community-dwelling adults (ages 50-85 years) were recruited from Dallas, TX. The participants were screened for depressive symptoms and severity (using the Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]).

Cognitively elite, cognitively normal, and cognitively impaired aging: neurocognitive status and stability moderate memory performance.

Objective: Although recent theories of brain and cognitive aging distinguish between normal, exceptional, and impaired groups, further empirical evidence is required. We adapted and applied standard procedures for classifying groups of cognitively impaired (CI) and cognitively normal (CN) older adults to a third classification: cognitively healthy, exceptional, or elite (CE) aging. We then examined concurrent and two-wave longitudinal performance on composite variables of episodic, semantic, and working memory.

Lifestyle engagement affects cognitive status differences and trajectories on executive functions in older adults.

The authors first examined the concurrent moderating role of lifestyle engagement on the relation between cognitive status (cognitively elite, cognitively normal [CN], and cognitively impaired [CI]) and executive functioning (EF) in older adults. Second, the authors examined whether baseline participation in lifestyle activities predicted differential 4.5-year stabilities and transitions in cognitive status.

Memory compensation in older adults: the role of health, emotion regulation, and trait mindfulness.

Objectives: The current study examined associations between everyday memory compensation and 3 person-level resource domains (i.e., health, emotion regulation, and trait mindfulness) in older adults.

Neurocognitive speed and inconsistency in Parkinson's disease with and without incipient dementia: an 18-month prospective cohort study.

We examined two-wave longitudinal changes in two indicators of neurocognitive speed (i.e., mean rate, intraindividual variability) using one simple and three complex reaction time tasks.

Characterizing executive functioning in older special populations: from cognitively elite to cognitively impaired.

The authors examined the structure and invariance of executive functions (EF) across (a) a continuum of cognitive status in 3 groups of older adults (cognitively elite [CE], cognitively normal [CN], and cognitively impaired [CI]) and (b) a 3-year longitudinal interval. Using latent variable analyses (LISREL 8.80), the authors tested 3-factor models ("Inhibition": Hayling [Burgess & Shallice, 1997], Stroop [Regard, 1981]; "Shifting": Brixton [Burgess & Shallice, 1997], Color Trails [D'Elia et al.

Influence of COMT gene polymorphism on fMRI-assessed sustained and transient activity during a working memory task.

The catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene--encoding an enzyme that is essential for the degradation of dopamine (DA) in prefrontal cortex (PFC)--contains a single nucleotide polymorphism (val/met) important for cognition. According to the tonic-phasic hypothesis, individuals carrying the low-enzyme-activity allele (met) are characterized by enhanced tonic DA activity in PFC, promoting sustained cognitive representations in working memory. Val carriers have reduced tonic but enhanced phasic dopaminergic activity in subcortical regions, enhancing cognitive flexibility.

Short-term longitudinal trends in cognitive performance in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with cognitive deficits, although inconsistently across neuropsychological domains. We examined 3-year longitudinal data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study, comparing diabetes (n = 28) and control (n = 272) older adults on a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Assessing potential change and stability, we found that (a) baseline diabetes group deficits in semantic speed and speed-intensive executive function were preserved, (b) new average deficits for reaction time and nonspeeded executive function appeared, and (c) no differential short-term change was observed.

Exploring cognitive effects of self reported mild stroke in older adults: selective but robust effects on story memory.

Relatively little systematic information is available regarding patterns of cognitive effects of mild stroke in older adults. We explored this problem with a series of two independent samples from the Victoria Longitudinal Study data archives. In Study 1, self-reported mild stroke and neurologically intact matched controls were (a) confirmed as similar on a set of neurocognitive speed, basic cognition, and awareness indicators, and (b) compared for differences on a set of episodic, semantic, and working memory tasks.

Early, untreated Parkinson's disease patients show reaction time variability.

While Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with motor slowing, less attention has been paid to variability in performance on motor and cognitive tasks. To examine reaction time latencies and intraindividual variability in untreated patients with PD compared to healthy controls. Twenty-nine (19 men/10 women) patients with untreated PD and 16 controls (8 men/8 women) were examined using measures of simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) in addition to cognitive measures of executive function (Trail Making Test; adaptive digit ordering).

Mild memory deficits differentially affect 6-year changes in compensatory strategy use.

The authors examined memory compensation techniques used by older adults from 2 memory status groups, not impaired control (NIC) and mild memory deficit (MMD), both at baseline and across a 6-year (3-wave) interval. The groups were derived from a parent sample of 55- to 85-year-old adults from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (NIC baseline, n = 276; memory > parent sample mean; MMD baseline, n = 79; memory > 1 standard deviation below parent sample mean). Multilevel modeling was used to test 3 research questions concerning differences in initial use of, and 6-year changes and variability in, memory compensation.

Intraindividual variability in neurocognitive speed: a comparison of Parkinson's disease and normal older adults.

We examined whether intraindividual variability of neurocognitive speed, or inconsistency, is greater in stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) as compared to a matched group of normal older adults. Intraindividual variability was assessed using four reaction time (RT) (simple and complex) tasks. We examined three sets of correlates: executive functioning (Stroop (interference index), Trail Making Test (Part B), and Digit Ordering Test), finger tapping speed, and gait speed.

Cholesterol and triglycerides moderate the effect of apolipoprotein E on memory functioning in older adults.

We used data from the Betula Study to examine associations between total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein E on 10-year changes in cognitive performance. Tests assessing episodic memory (recall and recognition), semantic memory (knowledge and fluency), and visuospatial ability (block design) were administered to 524 nondemented adults (initial age of 55-80 years); multilevel modeling was applied to the data. Higher triglyceride levels were associated with a decline in verbal knowledge.

Sex differences in cognition are stable over a 10-year period in adulthood and old age.

Sex differences in declarative memory and visuospatial ability are robust in cross-sectional studies. The present longitudinal study examined whether sex differences in cognition were present over a 10-year period, and whether age modified the magnitude of sex differences. Tests assessing episodic and semantic memory, and visuospatial ability were administered to 625 nondemented adults (initially aged 35-80 years), participating in the population-based Betula study at two follow-up occasions.

How do health and biological age influence chronological age and sex differences in cognitive aging: moderating, mediating, or both?

Much research on cognitive competence in normal older adults has documented age and sex differences. The authors used new cross-sectional data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) (n=386; age 61 to 95 years) to examine how health and biological age influence age and sex differences in cognitive aging. The authors found evidence for both moderating and mediating influences.

Structure of four executive functioning tests in healthy older adults.

The authors examined the factor structure of 4 indicators of executive functioning derived from 2 new (i.e., Hayling and Brixton) and 2 traditional (i.

Catechol O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism is associated with cognitive performance in nondemented adults.

The catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is essential in the metabolic degradation of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, we examined the effect of a Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene on individual differences and changes in cognition (executive functions and visuospatial ability) in adulthood and old age. The participants were 292 nondemented men (initially aged 35-85 years) from a random sample of the population (i.

Confirmatory factor structure and measurement invariance of the Memory Compensation Questionnaire.

Recent research with the Memory Compensation Questionnaire (MCQ) has examined changes, functions, and correlates of compensatory strategy use in older adults. The twofold aim of this study was to test (a) the hypothesized structure of the MCQ and (b) structural equivalence across age, gender, and time. The 7-scale MCQ was designed to measure 5 compensatory mechanisms and 2 general aspects of compensatory awareness.

COMT gene polymorphism is associated with declarative memory in adulthood and old age.

Variation in memory performance is to a large extent explained by genes. In the prefrontal cortex, the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is essential in the metabolic degradation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter implicated in cognitive functions. The present study examined the effect of a polymorphism in the COMT gene on individual differences and changes in memory in adulthood and old age.

Self-reported memory compensation: similar patterns in Alzheimer's disease and very old adult samples.

Evidence pertaining to self-reported use of memory compensation techniques was collected using the Memory Compensation Questionnaire (MCQ). Five forms of everyday memory compensation were evaluated: (a) external memory aids, (b) internal mnemonic strategies, (c) investing and managing processing time, (d) applying more effort, and (e) reliance on human memory aids. The sample was derived from the Kungsholmen Project in Stockholm, Sweden, and consisted of (n = 85) healthy older adults (M age = 81.

Use of memory compensation strategies is related to psychosocial and health indicators.

Research has shown that psychosocial and health characteristics may affect older adults' cognitive performance, self-referent beliefs, and general adaptive resilience. Are such characteristics related specifically to older adults' reported efforts to compensate for memory losses? The Memory Compensation Questionnaire (MCQ) measures 5 mechanisms of everyday memory compensation as well as 2 general aspects of compensatory motivation and awareness. Correlates were derived from indicators of specific health conditions, subjective health ratings, personality, well-being, and memory self-efficacy (MSE).