Three-year changes in cognitive performance as a function of apolipoprotein E genotype: Evidence from very old adults without dementia.

This study examined whether baseline cognitive performance and 3-year longitudinal changes were influenced by apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele. Participants consisted of 20 APOE-ε4 (2 ε2/ε4; 17 ε3/ε4; 1 ε4/ε4) and 54 non-ε4 (12 ε2/ε3; 42 ε3/ε3) very old adults without dementia (M?=?81.82?±?5.06 years) participating in a population-based longitudinal study. Cognitive performance was indexed by the Mini-Mental State Examination and multiple indexes of memory, visuospatial, and verbal performance. The results indicated no significant baseline differences between the 2 APOE groups in any cognitive performance measure. However, analyses revealed that the APOE-ε4 group experienced greater negative change in recognition memory for faces and words. Changes in tasks assessing other abilities did not vary as a function of APOE status. The authors concluded that APOE-ε4 status may not influence cognitive performance in adults without dementia and speculated that when such effects do occur (e.g., decline in recognition memory), these may be related to impending dementia, rather than to the influence of the specific genotype on cognition in normal aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The heritability of cognitive functioning in very old adults: Evidence from Danish twins aged 75 years and older.

Heritable influences on cognitive functioning were investigated in a sample of 403 pairs of like-sex Danish twins aged 75 years and older. Twins completed the Mini-Mental State Examination and 3 other cognitive tests. Genetic factors accounted for 26–54% of the variance on these measures, with the balance being due to environmental factors that create differences rather than similarities among reared-together relatives. Deleting twins with severe cognitive impairment had little effect on the results, indicating that the heritability of cognitive functioning was not due entirely to genes affecting dementia. Neither age nor gender moderated twin similarity, and differential social contact could not account for correlation differences between monozygotic and dizygotic twins. These results replicate G. E. McClearn et al.'s (1997) study in indicating substantial genetic influences on late-life cognitive functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demographic, health, cognitive, and sensory variables as predictors of mortality in very old adults.

Cognitive and sensorimotor predictors of mortality were examined in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, controlling for demographic and health variables. A stratified random sample of 1,947 males and females aged 70 and older were interviewed, and 1,500 were assessed on measures of health, memory, verbal ability, processing speed, vision, hearing, and grip strength in 1992 and 1994. Analyses of incident rate ratios for mortality over 4- and 6-year periods were conducted using Cox hierarchical regression analyses. Results showed that poor performance on nearly all cognitive variables was associated with mortality, but many of these effects were explained by measures of self-rated health and disease. Significant decline in hearing and cognitive performance also predicted mortality as did incomplete data at Wave 1. Results suggest that poor cognitive performance and cognitive decline in very old adults reflect both biological aging and disease processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anhedonia associated with stimulant use and dependence in a population-based sample of American adults.

Prior research suggests an association between anhedonia—diminished interest or pleasure in rewarding activities—and stimulant use in selected samples. However, it is unclear whether this association generalizes to the overall population and is consistent across stimulant drug types (amphetamine vs. cocaine) and outcome characteristics (any lifetime use vs. dependence). Questions also remain as to whether the anhedonia–stimulant relationship is unique from covariance with depressed mood, psychiatric disorders, and nonstimulant substance use. The current study addressed these questions by examining anhedonia–stimulant relationships in a cross-sectional population-based sample of 43,093 American adults. Results indicated that lifetime anhedonia and depressed mood each were positively associated with lifetime stimulant use and lifetime dependence among those who reported stimulant use. Anhedonia–stimulant relationships were consistent across amphetamine- and cocaine-related outcomes and distinct from covariance with depressed mood, which exhibited no association over and above the effect of anhedonia. After adjusting for demographic, psychiatric, and nonstimulant substance use characteristics, anhedonia–stimulant associations remained significant, although effect sizes were partially attenuated. Lifetime anhedonia was also more prevalent among respondents who initiated use but did not eventually progress to dependence in comparison with individuals who never once used a stimulant drug. Anhedonia appears to be uniquely associated with lifetime use of cocaine and amphetamines and lifetime progression from use to dependence in the American population. Albeit cross-sectional in nature, these findings add further support to the generalizability and specificity of the anhedonia–stimulant relationship. Future research utilizing longitudinal and experimental designs are warranted to clarify the underpinnings of this association. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loneliness and the metabolic syndrome in a population-based sample of middle-aged and older adults.

Objective: This study evaluated the association between loneliness and the metabolic syndrome, which refers to a clustering of factors that have been shown to increase risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and mortality. A secondary purpose was to evaluate whether age moderated the association between loneliness and the metabolic syndrome. Design: Participants were 52 to 79 years old, and they were drawn from a population-based survey of people 50 years of age and older living in England (N = 3211). They completed a self-report measure of loneliness and a nurse visit that included collection of blood pressure, blood sample, and anthropometric measures. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported loneliness and the metabolic syndrome. Results: After controlling for demographic variables and smoking status, loneliness was significantly associated with increasing likelihood of meeting criteria for the metabolic syndrome and with the individual criterion of central obesity. The association between loneliness and the metabolic syndrome was not moderated by age. Conclusion: Results suggest that loneliness is associated with the metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the metabolic syndrome may be among the pathways by which loneliness increases risk of morbidity and mortality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sleep-disordered breathing and motor vehicle accidents in a population-based sample of employed adults

Studies have consistently shown that sleep apnea patients have high accident rates, but the generalizability of the association beyond clinic populations has been questioned. The goal of this investigation was to determine if unrecognized sleep-disordered breathing in the general population, ranging from mild to severe, is associated with motor vehicle accidents. The sample comprised 913 employed adults enrolled in an ongoing study of the natural history of sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep-disordered breathing status was determined by overnight in-laboratory polysomnography and motor vehicle accident (MVA) history was obtained from a statewide data base of all traffic violations and accidents from 1988 to 1993. Men with five or more apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep [apnea-plus-hypopnea index (AHI) > 5], compared to those without sleep-disordered breathing, were significantly more likely to have at least one accident in 5 years (adjusted odds ratio = 3.4 for habitual snorers, 4.2 for AHI 5-15, and 3.4 for AHI > 15). Men and women combined with AHI > 15 (vs. no sleep-disordered breathing) were significantly more likely to have multiple accidents in 5 years (odds ratio = 7.3). These results, free of clinic selection bias, indicate that unrecognized sleep-disordered breathing in the general population is linked to motor vehicle accident occurrence. If the association is causal, unrecognized sleep-disordered breathing may account for a significant proportion of motor vehicle accidents.     

The nature and cross-domain correlates of subjective age in the oldest old: Evidence from the OCTO Study.

Self-reflections of age and aging are predictors for key outcomes such as mortality, but little is known about the nature and potential antecedents of subjective age in very old age. We used cross-sectional data from the Swedish OCTO study (N = 267; B. Johansson & S. H. Zarit, 1995) and found that almost two thirds of the 84- to 90-year-olds reported not feeling old. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that younger age and better physical functioning as well as higher well-being and mastery beliefs were all related to not feeling old. In multivariate analyses, however, mastery beliefs emerged as the most consistent and robust predictor of subjective age. Our findings suggest that adaptive capacities may be preserved into advanced age and highlight the pivotal role of perceived control for successful aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Episodic memory functioning in a community-based sample of old adults with major depression: Utilization of cognitive support.

Community-based samples of old adults with current major depression (n?=?17; mean age 83.29 yrs) and healthy old adults (n?=?51; mean age 83.29 yrs) were examined on a variety of episodic recall and recognition tasks. Results indicate depression-related deficits in recall that were reduced but not eliminated, in recognition. Control Ss were able to utilize cognitive support in the form of more study time and item organizability in free recall, whereas depressed Ss were not. However, both groups showed equal gains from the provision of category cues and beneficial effects of prior knowledge and more study time in recognition. Results suggest that depression results in deficits in effortful, elaborate processes at encoding and retrieval and that old age depression is associated with a reduced ability to utilize cognitive support to improve episodic memory. Depressed older adults appear to require cognitive support at both encoding and retrieval to demonstrate memory facilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Weight change and glycemic control in a population-based sample of adults with older-onset diabetes

BACKGROUND: Numerous clinic-based studies have observed improved glycemic control with even moderate weight reductions, for periods up to 1 year, in obese subjects with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Similar benefits of weight loss have not been well documented in free-living populations, particularly in older persons with NIDDM of long duration. METHODS: Relations between weight change and glycosylated hemoglobin were evaluated in a population-based sample of persons with older-onset diabetes. Persons participating in baseline (1980-1982, n = 1370) and two follow-up examinations (1984-1986, n = 987; 1990-1992, n = 550) were included. Mean glycosylated hemoglobin levels among those losing, gaining, or remaining within 5 kg were compared in all subjects combined and stratified by insulin use, using ordinary least-squares regression to adjust for confounding variables. RESULTS: Subjects who lost weight had higher mean glycosylated hemoglobin compared to those who gained weight (baseline to second exam only). This pattern remained in those not using insulin. Weight change was not related to glycosylated hemoglobin in persons using insulin. CONCLUSIONS: Associations suggest that in older persons not using insulin, moderate weight loss over periods of 4-6 years has little beneficial impact on glycosylated hemoglobin. Weight loss may be reflecting disease processes that also result in poor glycemic control. Intentional weight loss achieved over a shorter time period and maintained through the later years in older diabetic persons remains to be evaluated.     

Evidence for identity inhibition during selective attention in old adults.

Previous studies of negative priming have shown that, relative to young adults, old adults can effectively suppress location information associated with stimuli, but not information about the identity of stimuli. S. L. Connelly and L. Hasher (1993) attributed this dissociation to an age-related decrement in the inhibitory processes that suppress meaning-bearing information. In this study both identity negative priming and distractor interference in a group of young and old adults are reported. Results force a reconsideration of an age-related decrement in the inhibitory processes underlying the suppression of meaning-bearing information. The results also suggest that whether a relationship between negative priming and interference is observed may depend on whether the 2 measures index the same level of processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acute hyperthyroidism: Cognitive and emotional correlates.

The nature of cognitive disturbance and psychological distress was evaluated in 19 acutely hyperthyroid women and in 19 demographically comparable women with normal thyroid function. A structured psychiatric interview, the MMPI, and a battery of brief repeatable tests of motor speed, attention, selective attention, and short-term verbal memory were employed prior to treatment with radioactive iodine, 3 wks after treatment, and 12 mo after treatment when normal thyroid function was established. Normal Ss were similarly evaluated, without the iodine treatment. Multiple regression analysis revealed not only cognitive deficits consistent with CNS toxicity, but also a classic neurotic picture strongly associated with severity of pretreatment thyroid toxicity (TT). The relation between TT and cognitive deficits was not apparent 3 wks later, but the relation between TT and a neurotic picture persisted. Final evaluation showed no relation between cognitive or personality function and earlier hyperthyroidism. Results suggest that the effects of TT are reflected in symptoms of neurotic emotional disturbance that may be transient rather than indicative of personality traits. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intellectual functioning in old and very old age: Cross-sectional results from the Berlin Aging Study.

This study documents age trends, interrelations, and correlates of intellectual abilities in old and very old age (70–103 years) from the Berlin Aging Study (N?=?516). Fourteen tests were used to assess 5 abilities: reasoning, memory, and perceptual speed from the mechanic (broad fluid) domain and knowledge and fluency from the pragmatic (broad crystallized) domain. Intellectual abilities had negative linear age relations, with more pronounced age reductions in mechanic than in pragmatic abilities. Interrelations among intellectual abilities were highly positive and did not follow the mechanic-pragmatic distinction. Sociobiographical indicators were less closely linked to intellectual functioning than sensory-sensorimotor variables, which predicted 59% of the total reliable variance in general intelligence. Results suggest that aging-induced biological factors are a prominent source of individual differences in intelligence in old and very old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of stroke with dementia, cognitive impairment, and functional disability in the very old: a population-based study

BACKGROUND and PURPOSE: Stroke is a major cause of disability in the elderly and is also related to the development of dementia, which is another important source of disability in old age. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential impact of stroke on cognitive and functional status in a community-based cohort of individuals aged 75 years and older. METHODS: The data were derived from a cross-sectional survey on aging and dementia that included all inhabitants of the Kungsholmen district in central Stockholm who were aged >/=75 years. Cases of stroke were identified through the computerized inpatient register system that has been widely used to study stroke in Sweden. Dementia was defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised. Dementia onset was considered the appearance, according to an informant, of the first symptom. Cognitive impairment without dementia was defined as the presence of a Mini-Mental State Examination score of <24 and the absence of dementia. Functional disability was assessed according to Katz Index of independence in activities of daily living. RESULTS: The prevalence of stroke was 10. 0% in men and 8.0% in women. One third of stroke survivors were diagnosed as demented, which was 3 times higher than those without stroke: adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 3.6 (95% confidence interval, 2. 5 to 5.8). Stroke was also significantly related to cognitive impairment without dementia (adjusted OR, 2.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 4.6]). The population-attributable risks of dementia and cognitive impairment in relation to stroke were 18.4% and 8.5%, respectively. Among the 49 stroke patients with dementia, 15 cases (30.6%) had missing information on dementia onset, 22 (44. 9%) had been reported by the informant to have dementia-related symptoms after or close to the occurrence of stroke, and 12 (24.5%) had symptoms before stroke occurrence. The prevalence rates of disability in activities of daily living were much higher among stroke patients than among stroke-free subjects, even after adjustment for age, sex, heart disease, hip fracture, and dementia: the corresponding adjusted ORs for bathing, dressing, toileting, transfer, and continence were 3.5 (2.4 to 5.3), 2.2 (1.4 to 3.3), 3. 0 (2.0 to 4.5), 3.3 (1.9 to 5.7), and 2.1 (1.3 to 3.3), respectively. After dementia and hip fracture, stroke was the third largest contributor to disability in bathing, dressing, and transfer. Stroke was the second contributor to disability in toileting. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is strongly associated with dementia, although it may relate to dementia in different ways: it can be the main cause or a precipitating factor of dementia, or they may share common etiological bases. Together with dementia and hip fracture, stroke is a major contributor to disability in most aspects of activities of daily living in very old people.     

Personality correlates of delinquency rate in a Navy sample.

A study to determine whether personality scales measuring social maturity and conformity were related to delinquency rate in a group of 92 Navy brig confinees. The Socialization scale of the California Psychological Inventory and the Conformity scale of the Survey of Interpersonal Values each correlated significantly with a delinquency criterion obtained by correlating the scales against number of offenses committed and partialing out length of service. While the validities obtained for both the Socialization and Conformity scales were in the expected direction, the difference between means for the present delinquent and other nondlinquent groups on the Conformity scale is not in accord with the validity obtained. Differences in mean scores between the present delinquent sample and those presented for high school samples were in the expected direction for the Socialization scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting sexual infidelity in a population-based sample of married individuals.

Predictors of 12-month prevalence of sexual infidelity were examined in a population-based sample of married individuals (N = 2,291). Predictor variables were organized in terms of involved-partner (e.g., personality, religiosity), marital (e.g., marital dissatisfaction, partner affair), and extradyadic (e.g., parenting) variables. Annual prevalence of infidelity was 2.3%. Controlling for marital dissatisfaction and demographic variables, infidelity was predicted by greater neuroticism and lower religiosity; wives' pregnancy also increased the risk of infidelity for husbands. In comparison, self-esteem and partners' suspected affair were predictive of infidelity when controlling for demographic variables but were not uniquely predictive of infidelity when also controlling for marital dissatisfaction. Religiosity and wives' pregnancy moderated the association between marital dissatisfaction and infidelity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locating eating pathology within an empirical diagnostic taxonomy: Evidence from a community-based sample.

Existing structural models of psychopathology need to be expanded to include additional diagnostic constructs beyond mood, anxiety, substance use, and antisocial behavior disorders. The goal of this study was to locate eating disorders within a hierarchical structural model of psychopathology that is anchored by broad Internalizing and Externalizing factors. Participants were female adolescent twins (N = 1,434) from the Minnesota Twin Family Study. The authors compared the fit of 4 models in which eating disorders (a) defined their own diagnostic class, (b) represented a subclass within Internalizing, (c) formed a subclass within Externalizing, and (d) were allowed to cross-load on both Internalizing and Externalizing. In the best fitting model, eating disorders formed a subfactor within Internalizing. These findings underscore the value of developing more comprehensive empirically based models of psychopathology to increase researchers' understanding of diverse mental disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive aging: Evidence from structural magnetic resonance imaging.

To examine putative brain substrates of cognitive functions differentially affected by age, the authors measured the volume of cortical regions and performance on tests of executive functions, working memory, explicit memory, and priming in healthy adults (18-77 years old). The results indicate that shrinkage of the prefrontal cortex mediates age-related increases in perseveration. The volume of visual processing areas predicted performance on nonverbal working memory tasks. Contrary to the hypotheses, in the examined age range, the volume of limbic structures was unrelated to any of the cognitive functions; verbal working memory, verbal explicit memory, and verbal priming were independent of cortical volumes. Nevertheless, among the participants aged above 60, reduction in the volume of limbic structures predicted declines in explicit memory. Chronological age adversely influenced all cognitive indices, although its effects on priming were only indirect, mediated by declines in verbal working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive event-related potential correlates of schizophrenia.

Reviews findings relating schizophrenia to 4 event-related brain voltage potential components: contingent negative variation (CNV), N100, P300, and slow wave. Research indicates that schizophrenics manifest several cognitive event-related potential (ERP) abnormalities relative to control Ss, including a diminished CNV in warned reaction time (RT) paradigms during the warning stimulus–imperative stimulus interval. This CNV continues beyond presentation of the imperative stimulus as the postimperative negative variation (PINV). CNV attenuation may reflect a state marker of psychosis in acute schizophrenics, but it may serve as a trait marker regardless of current symptoms in more chronic patients. In contrast, the PINV may be more of a state marker for both acute and chronic patients. There is a pattern of P100–N100 reducing in acute schizophrenics that is not seen in chronic and paranoid patients, as well as evidence of an attenuated enhancement of N100 to stimuli presented in an attended channel, especially at slower event rates. A diminished late positive complex apparently due more to a diminished P300 than a diminished slow wave has been observed in schizophrenics, which may to a degree reflect a trait marker of high risk for schizophrenia as well as a residual deficit state that often remains following the remission of positive symptoms. With the possible exception of the PINV elicited in standard CNV paradigms, these ERP abnormalities do not appear to be specific to schizophrenia, as they are also found in association with a variety of other disorders. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)