Andreas Ihle1, Paolo Ghisletta2, Nicola Ballhausen3, Delphine Fagot4, Fanny Vallet5, Marie Baeriswyl4, Julia Sauter4, Michel Oris4, Jürgen Maurer6, Matthias Kliegel3. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: Andreas.Ihle@unige.ch. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland; Distance Learning University Switzerland, Sierre, Switzerland. 3. Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland. 4. Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland. 5. Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland; Groupe de Recherche en Psychologie de la Santé, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 6. Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES - Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives, Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Economics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The present study set out to investigate relations of the number of chronic diseases (as a global indicator of individuals' multimorbidity) to cognitive status and cognitive decline over six years as measured by changes in Trail Making Test (TMT) completion time in old adults and whether those relations differed by key life course markers of cognitive reserve (education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities). METHOD: We analyzed data from 897 participants tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves six years apart. Mean age in the first wave was 74.33 years. Participants reported information on chronic diseases, education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities. RESULTS: Latent change score modeling testing for moderation effects revealed that a larger number of chronic diseases significantly predicted stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., steeper cognitive performance decline). Notably, the detrimental relation of the number of chronic diseases to stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., cognitive performance decline) was significantly stronger in individuals with less engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities in midlife. DISCUSSION: Present data suggest that disease-related cognitive decline may be steeper in individuals who have accumulated less cognitive reserve in midlife. However, greater midlife activity engagement seemed to be associated with steeper cognitive decline in any case. Implications for current cognitive reserve and neuropsychological aging research are discussed.
OBJECTIVES: The present study set out to investigate relations of the number of chronic diseases (as a global indicator of individuals' multimorbidity) to cognitive status and cognitive decline over six years as measured by changes in Trail Making Test (TMT) completion time in old adults and whether those relations differed by key life course markers of cognitive reserve (education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities). METHOD: We analyzed data from 897 participants tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves six years apart. Mean age in the first wave was 74.33 years. Participants reported information on chronic diseases, education, occupation, and cognitively stimulating leisure activities. RESULTS: Latent change score modeling testing for moderation effects revealed that a larger number of chronic diseases significantly predicted stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., steeper cognitive performance decline). Notably, the detrimental relation of the number of chronic diseases to stronger increase in TMT completion time (i.e., cognitive performance decline) was significantly stronger in individuals with less engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities in midlife. DISCUSSION: Present data suggest that disease-related cognitive decline may be steeper in individuals who have accumulated less cognitive reserve in midlife. However, greater midlife activity engagement seemed to be associated with steeper cognitive decline in any case. Implications for current cognitive reserve and neuropsychological aging research are discussed.
Authors: Katharina Tabea Jungo; Boris Cheval; Stefan Sieber; Bernadette Wilhelmina Antonia van der Linden; Andreas Ihle; Cristian Carmeli; Arnaud Chiolero; Sven Streit; Stéphane Cullati Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-08-02 Impact factor: 3.752
Authors: A C van Loenhoud; C de Boer; K Wols; Y A Pijnenburg; A W Lemstra; F H Bouwman; N D Prins; P Scheltens; R Ossenkoppele; W M van der Flier Journal: Alzheimers Res Ther Date: 2019-12-27 Impact factor: 6.982