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Tucker-Drob EM, de la Fuente J, Köhncke Y, Brandmaier AM, Nyberg L, Lindenberger U. A strong dependency between changes in fluid and crystallized abilities in human cognitive aging. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj2422. [PMID: 35108051 PMCID: PMC8809681 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj2422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Theories of adult cognitive development classically distinguish between fluid abilities, which require effortful processing at the time of assessment, and crystallized abilities, which require the retrieval and application of knowledge. On average, fluid abilities decline throughout adulthood, whereas crystallized abilities show gains into old age. These diverging age trends, along with marked individual differences in rates of change, have led to the proposition that individuals might compensate for fluid declines with crystallized gains. Here, using data from two large longitudinal studies, we show that rates of change are strongly correlated across fluid and crystallized abilities. Hence, individuals showing greater losses in fluid abilities tend to show smaller gains, or even losses, in crystallized abilities. This observed commonality between fluid and crystallized changes places constraints on theories of compensation and directs attention toward domain-general drivers of adult cognitive decline and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences, and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Javier de la Fuente
- Department of Psychology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences, and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ylva Köhncke
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany and London, UK
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Departments of Radiation Sciences and Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany and London, UK
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Pathania A, Euler MJ, Clark M, Cowan R, Duff K, Lohse KR. Resting EEG spectral slopes are associated with age-related differences in information processing speed. Biol Psychol 2022; 168:108261. [PMID: 34999166 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has shown the slope of the EEG power spectrum differentiates between older and younger adults in various experimental cognitive tasks. We extend that work, assessing the relation between the EEG power spectrum and performance on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). METHODS Twenty-one younger and twenty-three older adults completed the RBANS with EEG data collected at rest. Using spectral parameterization, we tested the mediating effect of the spectral slope on differences in subsequent cognitive task performance. RESULTS Older adults performed reliably worse on the RBANS overall, and on the Attention and Delayed Memory domains specifically. However, evidence of mediation was only found for the Coding subtest. CONCLUSIONS The slope of the resting EEG power spectrum mediated age-related differences in cognition, but only in a task requiring speeded processing. Mediation was not statistically significant for delayed memory, even though age-related differences were present.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pathania
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Utah
| | - M J Euler
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah
| | - M Clark
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Utah
| | - R Cowan
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Utah
| | - K Duff
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah
| | - K R Lohse
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, University of Utah; Program in Physical Therapy and Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis
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Deary IJ, Cox SR, Hill WD. Genetic variation, brain, and intelligence differences. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:335-353. [PMID: 33531661 PMCID: PMC8960418 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01027-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in human intelligence, as assessed using cognitive test scores, have a well-replicated, hierarchical phenotypic covariance structure. They are substantially stable across the life course, and are predictive of educational, social, and health outcomes. From this solid phenotypic foundation and importance for life, comes an interest in the environmental, social, and genetic aetiologies of intelligence, and in the foundations of intelligence differences in brain structure and functioning. Here, we summarise and critique the last 10 years or so of molecular genetic (DNA-based) research on intelligence, including the discovery of genetic loci associated with intelligence, DNA-based heritability, and intelligence's genetic correlations with other traits. We summarise new brain imaging-intelligence findings, including whole-brain associations and grey and white matter associations. We summarise regional brain imaging associations with intelligence and interpret these with respect to theoretical accounts. We address research that combines genetics and brain imaging in studying intelligence differences. There are new, though modest, associations in all these areas, and mechanistic accounts are lacking. We attempt to identify growing points that might contribute toward a more integrated 'systems biology' account of some of the between-individual differences in intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J. Deary
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988Lothian Birth Cohorts group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ UK
| | - Simon R. Cox
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988Lothian Birth Cohorts group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ UK
| | - W. David Hill
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988Lothian Birth Cohorts group, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ UK
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Stine-Morrow EA, McCall GS. Reading comprehension is both incremental and segmental—and the balance may shift with aging. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Conole ELS, Stevenson AJ, Muñoz Maniega S, Harris SE, Green C, Valdés Hernández MDC, Harris MA, Bastin ME, Wardlaw JM, Deary IJ, Miron VE, Whalley HC, Marioni RE, Cox SR. DNA Methylation and Protein Markers of Chronic Inflammation and Their Associations With Brain and Cognitive Aging. Neurology 2021; 97:e2340-e2352. [PMID: 34789543 PMCID: PMC8665430 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To investigate chronic inflammation in relation to cognitive aging by comparison of an epigenetic and serum biomarker of C-reactive protein and their associations with neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes. METHODS At baseline, participants (n = 521) were cognitively normal, around 73 years of age (mean 72.4, SD 0.716), and had inflammation, vascular risk (cardiovascular disease history, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index), and neuroimaging (structural and diffusion MRI) data available. Baseline inflammatory status was quantified by a traditional measure of peripheral inflammation-serum C-reactive protein (CRP)-and an epigenetic measure (DNA methylation [DNAm] signature of CRP). Linear models were used to examine the inflammation-brain health associations; mediation analyses were performed to interrogate the relationship between chronic inflammation, brain structure, and cognitive functioning. RESULTS We demonstrate that DNAm CRP shows significantly (on average 6.4-fold) stronger associations with brain health outcomes than serum CRP. DNAm CRP is associated with total brain volume (β = -0.197, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.28 to -0.12, p FDR = 8.42 × 10-6), gray matter volume (β = -0.200, 95% CI -0.28 to -0.12, p FDR = 1.66 × 10-5), and white matter volume (β = -0.150, 95% CI -0.23 to -0.07, p FDR = 0.001) and regional brain atrophy. We also find that DNAm CRP has an inverse association with global and domain-specific (speed, visuospatial, and memory) cognitive functioning and that brain structure partially mediates this CRP-cognitive association (up to 29.7%), dependent on lifestyle and health factors. DISCUSSION These results support the hypothesis that chronic inflammation may contribute to neurodegenerative brain changes that underlie differences in cognitive ability in later life and highlight the potential of DNAm proxies for indexing chronic inflammatory status. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This study provides Class II evidence that a DNAm signature of CRP levels is more strongly associated with brain health outcomes than serum CRP levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor L S Conole
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Anna J Stevenson
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Susana Muñoz Maniega
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah E Harris
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Claire Green
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Maria Del C Valdés Hernández
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mathew A Harris
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mark E Bastin
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joanna M Wardlaw
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ian J Deary
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Veronique E Miron
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Heather C Whalley
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simon R Cox
- From the Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., S.E.H., M.d.C.V.H., M.A.H., J.M.W., I.J.D., R.E.M., S.R.C.), Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (E.L.S.C., A.J.S., R.E.M.), Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (E.L.S.C., S.M.M., M.d.C.V.H., M.E.B., J.M.W., H.C.W.), UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School (A.J.S., V.E.M.), Division of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital (C.G., M.A.H., H.C.W.), and The Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh BioQuarter (V.E.M.), University of Edinburgh, UK
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Brain-predicted age difference is associated with cognitive processing in later-life. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 109:195-203. [PMID: 34775210 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Brain age is a neuroimaging-based biomarker of aging. This study examined whether the difference between brain age and chronological age (brain-PAD) is associated with cognitive function at baseline and longitudinally. Participants were relatively healthy, predominantly white community-dwelling older adults (n = 531, aged ≥70 years), with high educational attainment (61% ≥12 years) and socioeconomic status (59% ≥75th percentile). Brain age was estimated from T1-weighted magnetic resonance images using an algorithm by Cole et al., 2018. After controlling for age, gender, education, depression and body mass index, brain-PAD was negatively associated with psychomotor speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test) at baseline (Bonferroni p < 0.006), but was not associated with baseline verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test), delayed recall (Hopkins Learning Test Revised), or general cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination). Baseline brain-PAD was not associated with 3-year change in cognition (Bonferroni p > 0.006). These findings indicate that even in relatively healthy older people, accelerated brain aging is associated with worse psychomotor speed, but future longitudinal research into changes in brain-PAD is needed.
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Deary IJ. Two Cheers for the Cognitive Irregulars: Intelligence's Contributions to Ageing Well and Staying Alive. J Intell 2021; 9:jintelligence9030041. [PMID: 34449683 PMCID: PMC8395851 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence9030041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, intelligence is taken to mean scores from psychometric tests of cognitive functions. This essay describes how cognitive tests offer assessments of brain functioning—an otherwise difficult-to-assess organ—that have proved enduringly useful in the field of health and medicine. The two “consequential world problems” (the phrase used by the inviters of this essay) addressed in this article are (i) the ageing of modern societies (and the resulting increase in the numbers of people with ageing-related cognitive decrements and dementias) and (ii) health inequalities, including mortality. Cognitive tests have an ubiquitous place in both of these topics, i.e., the important fields of cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology, respectively. The cognitive tests that have sprouted in these fields are often brief and not mainstream, large psychometric test batteries; I refer to them as ‘irregulars’. These two problems are not separate, because results found with mental/cognitive/intelligence tests have produced a growing understanding that intelligence and health have a reciprocal, life-long relationship. Intelligence tests contribute to the applied research that is trying to help people to stay sharp, stay healthy, and stay alive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Deary
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
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Wheater E, Shenkin SD, Muñoz Maniega S, Valdés Hernández M, Wardlaw JM, Deary IJ, Bastin ME, Boardman JP, Cox SR. Birth weight is associated with brain tissue volumes seven decades later but not with MRI markers of brain ageing. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102776. [PMID: 34371238 PMCID: PMC8358699 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Larger birth weight is associated with larger brain tissue volumes at age 73. Birth weight is not associated with age-associated brain features. Effect of birth weight on brain volumes is independent of overall body size. Early life growth is likely to confer brain tissue reserve in later life.
Birth weight, an indicator of fetal growth, is associated with cognitive outcomes in early life (which are predictive of cognitive ability in later life) and risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease across the life course. Brain health in older age, indexed by MRI features, is associated with cognitive performance, but little is known about how variation in normal birth weight impacts on brain structure in later life. In a community dwelling cohort of participants in their early seventies we tested the hypothesis that birth weight is associated with the following MRI features: total brain (TB), grey matter (GM) and normal appearing white matter (NAWM) volumes; whiter matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume; a general factor of fractional anisotropy (gFA) and peak width skeletonised mean diffusivity (PSMD) across the white matter skeleton. We also investigated the associations of birth weight with cortical surface area, volume and thickness. Birth weight was positively associated with TB, GM and NAWM volumes in later life (β ≥ 0.194), and with regional cortical surface area but not gFA, PSMD, WMH volume, or cortical volume or thickness. These positive relationships appear to be explained by larger intracranial volume, rather than by age-related tissue atrophy, and are independent of body height and weight in adulthood. This suggests that larger birth weight is linked to more brain tissue reserve in older life, rather than age-related brain structural features, such as tissue atrophy or WMH volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Wheater
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susan D Shenkin
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susana Muñoz Maniega
- Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration (SINAPSE), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Valdés Hernández
- Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration (SINAPSE), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna M Wardlaw
- Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration (SINAPSE), Edinburgh, United Kingdom; UK Dementia Research Institute Centre at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ian J Deary
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Department Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mark E Bastin
- Geriatric Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration (SINAPSE), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - James P Boardman
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration (SINAPSE), Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Department Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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Mather M. Noradrenaline in the aging brain: Promoting cognitive reserve or accelerating Alzheimer's disease? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 116:108-124. [PMID: 34099360 PMCID: PMC8292227 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many believe that engaging in novel and mentally challenging activities promotes brain health and prevents Alzheimer's disease in later life. However, mental stimulation may also have risks as well as benefits. As neurons release neurotransmitters, they often also release amyloid peptides and tau proteins into the extracellular space. These by-products of neural activity can aggregate into the tau tangle and amyloid plaque signatures of Alzheimer's disease. Over time, more active brain regions accumulate more pathology. Thus, increasing brain activity can have a cost. But the neuromodulator noradrenaline, released during novel and mentally stimulating events, may have some protective effects-as well as some negative effects. Via its inhibitory and excitatory effects on neurons and microglia, noradrenaline sometimes prevents and sometimes accelerates the production and accumulation of amyloid-β and tau in various brain regions. Both α2A- and β-adrenergic receptors influence amyloid-β production and tau hyperphosphorylation. Adrenergic activity also influences clearance of amyloid-β and tau. Furthermore, some findings suggest that Alzheimer's disease increases noradrenergic activity, at least in its early phases. Because older brains clear the by-products of synaptic activity less effectively, increased synaptic activity in the older brain risks accelerating the accumulation of Alzheimer's pathology more than it does in the younger brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, & Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
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60
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Guez A, Peyre H, Williams C, Labouret G, Ramus F. The epidemiology of cognitive development. Cognition 2021; 213:104690. [PMID: 33931198 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The epidemiology of cognitive development is an approach essentially based on large observational studies, which examines individual differences in cognitive abilities throughout childhood and their determinants. Although different in terms of methodology and main interests from developmental psychology, cognitive epidemiology offers complementary viewpoints on cognitive development and addresses fundamental research questions of interest to developmental psychologists. The present paper depicts the contributions of the epidemiological approach to the field of cognitive development and highlights the methodological advances that have made such contributions possible. We discuss the stability and developmental trajectories of cognitive functions, their main predictors, the complex interplay between environmental and genetic predictors, and the relationships between the different domains of cognition from birth to adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Guez
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France.
| | - Hugo Peyre
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France; Neurodiderot. INSERM UMR 1141, Paris Diderot University, Paris, France; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert Debré Hospital, APHP, France
| | - Camille Williams
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Ghislaine Labouret
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France.
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Wilson JM, Strough J, Shook NJ. Benefits of Experience and Knowledge for Older Adults' Monetary Sequence Preferences. Int J Aging Hum Dev 2021; 94:154-168. [PMID: 33913785 DOI: 10.1177/00914150211009464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Financial literacy and financial experience may be important for understanding age differences in financial decisionmaking. Older adults generally have more financial experience than younger adults do, and some studies suggest they also have better financial literacy. We investigated associations among age (N = 594, aged 20-88, M age = 46.48), financial experience, financial literacy, and preferences for receiving larger (versus smaller) amounts of money sooner (versus later). Older age was correlated with preferences for receiving larger amounts of money sooner and smaller amounts later, but this association was no longer significant after accounting for financial experience and financial literacy. Financial experience was the only significant contributor. We discuss implications for improving financial decision-making across adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Wilson
- 5631124580 Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - JoNell Strough
- 5631124580 Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Natalie J Shook
- 5631124580 Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.,7712 School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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Madole JW, Ritchie SJ, Cox SR, Buchanan CR, Hernández MV, Maniega SM, Wardlaw JM, Harris MA, Bastin ME, Deary IJ, Tucker-Drob EM. Aging-Sensitive Networks Within the Human Structural Connectome Are Implicated in Late-Life Cognitive Declines. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:795-806. [PMID: 32828527 PMCID: PMC7736316 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aging-related cognitive decline is a primary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. More precise identification of the neurobiological bases of cognitive decline in aging populations may provide critical insights into the precursors of late-life dementias. METHODS Using structural and diffusion brain magnetic resonance imaging data from the UK Biobank (n = 8185; age range, 45-78 years), we examined aging of regional gray matter volumes (nodes) and white matter structural connectivity (edges) within 9 well-characterized networks of interest in the human brain connectome. In the independent Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n = 534; all 73 years of age), we tested whether aging-sensitive connectome elements are enriched for key domains of cognitive function before and after controlling for early-life cognitive ability. RESULTS In the UK Biobank, age differences in individual connectome elements corresponded closely with principal component loadings reflecting connectome-wide integrity (|rnodes| = .420; |redges| = .583), suggesting that connectome aging occurs on broad dimensions of variation in brain architecture. In the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, composite indices of node integrity were predictive of all domains of cognitive function, whereas composite indices of edge integrity were associated specifically with processing speed. Elements within the central executive network were disproportionately predictive of late-life cognitive function relative to the network's small size. Associations with processing speed and visuospatial ability remained after controlling for childhood cognitive ability. CONCLUSIONS These results implicate global dimensions of variation in the human structural connectome in aging-related cognitive decline. The central executive network may demarcate a constellation of elements that are centrally important to age-related cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Madole
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
| | - Stuart J Ritchie
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Colin R Buchanan
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Valdés Hernández
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susana Muñoz Maniega
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna M Wardlaw
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mathew A Harris
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mark E Bastin
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence Collaboration, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ian J Deary
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Elliot M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas; Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Loenneker HD, Becker S, Nussbaum S, Nuerk HC, Liepelt-Scarfone I. Arithmetic Errors in Financial Contexts in Parkinson's Disease. Front Psychol 2021; 12:629984. [PMID: 33935881 PMCID: PMC8079777 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.629984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on dyscalculia in neurodegenerative diseases is still scarce, despite high impact on patients' independence and activities of daily living function. Most studies address Alzheimer's Disease; however, patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) also have a higher risk for cognitive impairment while the relation to arithmetic deficits in financial contexts has rarely been studied. Therefore, the current exploratory study investigates deficits in two simple arithmetic tasks in financial contexts administered within the Clinical Dementia Rating in a sample of 100 PD patients. Patients were classified as cognitively normal (PD-NC) or mildly impaired (PD-MCI) according to Level I consensus criteria, and assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, neurological motor examination, and sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires. In total, 18% showed arithmetic deficits: they were predominately female, had longer disease duration, more impaired global cognition, but minor signs of depression compared to PD patients without arithmetic deficits. When correcting for clinical and sociodemographic confounders, greater impairments in attention and visuo-spatial/constructional domains predicted occurrence of arithmetic deficits. The type of deficit did not seem to be arbitrary but seemed to involve impaired place × value processing frequently. Our results argue for the importance of further systematic investigations of arithmetic deficits in PD with sensitive tests to confirm the results of our exploratory study that a specific subgroup of PD patients present themselves with dyscalculia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah D. Loenneker
- Department of Psychology, Diagnostics and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara Becker
- Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Susanne Nussbaum
- Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- Department of Psychology, Diagnostics and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Inga Liepelt-Scarfone
- Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- IB Hochschule für Gesundheit und Soziales, Stuttgart, Germany
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64
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Margot-Cattin I, Kühne N, Öhman A, Brorsson A, Nygard L. Familiarity and participation outside home for persons living with dementia. DEMENTIA 2021; 20:2526-2541. [PMID: 33779330 PMCID: PMC8564230 DOI: 10.1177/14713012211002030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Familiarity is important for persons living with dementia who participate outside home.
When familiarity is challenged, such participation may be difficult. This ethnographic
study clarifies how familiarity is experienced by persons with dementia in performing
activities and visiting places, and how familiarity contributes to maintaining
participation outside home. Nine participants were interviewed in their home and while
visiting familiar places. Data were content analysed using a constant comparative method.
The findings suggest that persons with dementia experience familiarity as continuous and
whole, through occurrences that support personal territories. Landmarks and objects
enhance the experience of familiarity. Familiarity that is continuously challenged may
render participation outside home fragile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Margot-Cattin
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Social Work and Health - Lausanne (HETSL), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Switzerland; Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Society (NVS), 27106Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nicolas Kühne
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Social Work and Health - Lausanne (HETSL), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Switzerland
| | - Annika Öhman
- Unit of Occupational Therapy, Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, 4566Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Anna Brorsson
- Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Society (NVS), 27106Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Louise Nygard
- Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Society (NVS), 27106Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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Abstract
SUMMARY
As we age, there are characteristic changes in our thinking, reasoning and memory skills (referred to as cognitive ageing). However, variation between people in the timing and degree of change experienced suggests that a range of factors determine individual cognitive ageing trajectories. This narrative review considers some of the lifestyle factors that might promote (or harm) cognitive health. The focus on lifestyle factors is because these are potentially modifiable by individuals or may be the targets of behavioural or societal interventions. To support that, the review briefly considers people's beliefs and attitudes about cognitive ageing; the nature and timing of cognitive changes across the lifespan; and the genetic contributions to cognitive ability level and change. In introducing potentially modifiable determinants, a framing that draws evidence derived from epidemiological studies of dementia is provided, before an overview of lifestyle and behavioural predictors of cognitive health, including education and occupation, diet and activity.
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Elliott ML, Caspi A, Houts RM, Ambler A, Broadbent JM, Hancox RJ, Harrington H, Hogan S, Keenan R, Knodt A, Leung JH, Melzer TR, Purdy SC, Ramrakha S, Richmond-Rakerd LS, Righarts A, Sugden K, Thomson WM, Thorne PR, Williams BS, Wilson G, Hariri AR, Poulton R, Moffitt TE. Disparities in the pace of biological aging among midlife adults of the same chronological age have implications for future frailty risk and policy. NATURE AGING 2021; 1:295-308. [PMID: 33796868 PMCID: PMC8009092 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00044-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Some humans age faster than others. Variation in biological aging can be measured in midlife, but the implications of this variation are poorly understood. We tested associations between midlife biological aging and indicators of future frailty-risk in the Dunedin cohort of 1037 infants born the same year and followed to age 45. Participants' Pace of Aging was quantified by tracking declining function in 19 biomarkers indexing the cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, immune, dental, and pulmonary systems across ages 26, 32, 38, and 45 years. At age 45 in 2019, participants with faster Pace of Aging had more cognitive difficulties, signs of advanced brain aging, diminished sensory-motor functions, older appearance, and more pessimistic perceptions of aging. People who are aging more rapidly than same-age peers in midlife may prematurely need supports to sustain independence that are usually reserved for older adults. Chronological age does not adequately identify need for such supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell L. Elliott
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Renate M. Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Antony Ambler
- King’s College London, Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, London, UK
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Robert J. Hancox
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - HonaLee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sean Hogan
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ross Keenan
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Christchurch Radiology group, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Annchen Knodt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joan H. Leung
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Tracy R. Melzer
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Suzanne C. Purdy
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sandhya Ramrakha
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Antoinette Righarts
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Karen Sugden
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Peter R. Thorne
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Graham Wilson
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ahmad R. Hariri
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Terrie E. Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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68
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Roe JM, Vidal-Piñeiro D, Sørensen Ø, Brandmaier AM, Düzel S, Gonzalez HA, Kievit RA, Knights E, Kühn S, Lindenberger U, Mowinckel AM, Nyberg L, Park DC, Pudas S, Rundle MM, Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Westerhausen R. Asymmetric thinning of the cerebral cortex across the adult lifespan is accelerated in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun 2021; 12:721. [PMID: 33526780 PMCID: PMC7851164 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21057-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with progressive brain disorganization. Although structural asymmetry is an organizing feature of the cerebral cortex it is unknown whether continuous age- and AD-related cortical degradation alters cortical asymmetry. Here, in multiple longitudinal adult lifespan cohorts we show that higher-order cortical regions exhibiting pronounced asymmetry at age ~20 also show progressive asymmetry-loss across the adult lifespan. Hence, accelerated thinning of the (previously) thicker homotopic hemisphere is a feature of aging. This organizational principle showed high consistency across cohorts in the Lifebrain consortium, and both the topological patterns and temporal dynamics of asymmetry-loss were markedly similar across replicating samples. Asymmetry-change was further accelerated in AD. Results suggest a system-wide dedifferentiation of the adaptive asymmetric organization of heteromodal cortex in aging and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M. Roe
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Didac Vidal-Piñeiro
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sandra Düzel
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rogier A. Kievit
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ethan Knights
- grid.5335.00000000121885934MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simone Kühn
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany ,grid.13648.380000 0001 2180 3484Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany ,grid.4372.20000 0001 2105 1091Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Athanasia M. Mowinckel
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars Nyberg
- grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging and Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Denise C. Park
- Center for Vital Longevity, University of Texas, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Sara Pudas
- grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging and Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Kristine B. Walhovd
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway ,grid.55325.340000 0004 0389 8485Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M. Fjell
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway ,grid.55325.340000 0004 0389 8485Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - René Westerhausen
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Singh P, Sivanandam TM, Konar A, Thakur MK. Role of nutraceuticals in cognition during aging and related disorders. Neurochem Int 2020; 143:104928. [PMID: 33285273 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive abilities are compromised with advancing age posing a great risk for the development of dementia and other related brain disorders. Genetic susceptibility as well as environmental exposures determine the fate of cognitive aging and its transition to pathological states. Emerging epidemiological and observational studies have revealed the importance of lifestyle factors including dietary patterns and nutritional intake in the maintenance of cognitive health and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, nutraceutical interventions have gained considerable attention in preventing age-related cognitive deficits and counteracting pathological processes. Nutraceuticals include dietary plants and derivatives, food supplements and processed foods with nutritional and pharmaceutical values. The present review highlights the importance of nutraceuticals in attenuating cognitive aging and its progression to dementia, with specific emphasis on chemical constituents, neurocognitive properties and mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Padmanabh Singh
- Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Thamil Mani Sivanandam
- Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Arpita Konar
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, New Delhi, 110025, India.
| | - M K Thakur
- Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
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Best JR, Dao E, Churchill R, Cosco TD. Associations Between Physical Fitness and Brain Structure in Young Adulthood. Front Psychol 2020; 11:608049. [PMID: 33281692 PMCID: PMC7705380 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.608049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive analysis of associations between physical fitness and brain structure in young adulthood is lacking, and further, it is unclear the degree to which associations between physical fitness and brain health can be attributed to a common genetic pathway or to environmental factors that jointly influences physical fitness and brain health. This study examined genotype-confirmed monozygotic and dizygotic twins, along with non-twin full-siblings to estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to variation within, and covariation between, physical fitness and brain structure. Participants were 1,065 young adults between the ages of 22 and 36 from open-access Young Adult Human Connectome Project (YA-HCP). Physical fitness was assessed by submaximal endurance (2-min walk test), grip strength, and body mass index. Brain structure was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging on a Siemens 3T customized 'Connectome Skyra' at Washington University in St. Louis, using a 32-channel Siemens head coil. Acquired T1-weighted images provided measures of cortical surface area and thickness, and subcortical volume following processing by the YA-HCP structural FreeSurfer pipeline. Diffusion weighted imaging was acquired to assess white matter tract integrity, as measured by fractional anisotropy, following processing by the YA-HCP diffusion pipeline and tensor fit. Following correction for multiple testing, body mass index was negatively associated with fractional anisotropy in various white matter regions of interest (all | z| statistics > 3.9) and positively associated with cortical thickness within the right superior parietal lobe (z statistic = 4.6). Performance-based measures of fitness (i.e., endurance and grip strength) were not associated with any structural neuroimaging markers. Behavioral genetic analysis suggested that heritability of white matter integrity varied by region, but consistently explained >50% of the phenotypic variation. Heritability of right superior parietal thickness was large (∼75% variation). Heritability of body mass index was also fairly large (∼60% variation). Generally, 1 2 to 2 3 of the correlation between brain structure and body mass index could be attributed to heritability effects. Overall, this study suggests that greater body mass index is associated with lower white matter integrity, which may be due to common genetic effects that impact body composition and white matter integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Best
- Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Dao
- Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ryan Churchill
- Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Theodore D. Cosco
- Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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d'Arbeloff T. Cardiovascular fitness and structural brain integrity: an update on current evidence. GeroScience 2020; 42:1285-1306. [PMID: 32767221 PMCID: PMC7525918 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-020-00244-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
An aging global population and accompanying increases in the prevalence of age-related disorders are leading to greater financial, social, and health burdens. Aging-related dementias are one such category of age-related disorders that are associated with progressive loss of physical and cognitive integrity. One proposed preventative measure against risk of aging-related dementia is improving cardiovascular fitness, which may help reverse or buffer age-related brain atrophy associated with worse aging-related outcomes and cognitive decline. However, research into the beneficial potential of cardiovascular fitness has suffered from extreme heterogeneity in study design methodology leading to a lack of cohesion in the field and undermining any potential causal evidence that may exist. In addition, cardiovascular fitness and exercise are often conflated, leading to a lack of clarity in results. Here, I review recent literature on cardiovascular fitness, brain structure, and aging with the following goals: (a) to disentangle and lay out recent findings specific to aging, cardiovascular fitness, and brain structure, and (b) to ascertain the extent to which causal evidence actually exists. I suggest that, while there is some preliminary evidence for a link between cardiovascular fitness and brain structure in older adults, more research is still needed before definitive causal conclusions can be drawn. I conclude with a discussion of existing gaps in the field and suggestions for how they may be addressed by future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy d'Arbeloff
- Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
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Thomas MSC, Ojinaga Alfageme O, D'Souza H, Patkee PA, Rutherford MA, Mok KY, Hardy J, Karmiloff-Smith A. A multi-level developmental approach to exploring individual differences in Down syndrome: genes, brain, behaviour, and environment. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2020; 104:103638. [PMID: 32653761 PMCID: PMC7438975 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we focus on the causes of individual differences in Down syndrome (DS), exemplifying the multi-level, multi-method, lifespan developmental approach advocated by Karmiloff-Smith (1998, 2009, 2012, 2016). We evaluate the possibility of linking variations in infant and child development with variations in the (elevated) risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in adults with DS. We review the theoretical basis for this argument, considering genetics, epigenetics, brain, behaviour and environment. In studies 1 and 2, we focus on variation in language development. We utilise data from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI; Fenson et al., 2007), and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) receptive and productive language subscales (Mullen, 1995) from 84 infants and children with DS (mean age 2;3, range 0;7 to 5;3). As expected, there was developmental delay in both receptive and expressive vocabulary and wide individual differences. Study 1 examined the influence of an environmental measure (socio-economic status as measured by parental occupation) on the observed variability. SES did not predict a reliable amount of the variation. Study 2 examined the predictive power of a specific genetic measure (apolipoprotein APOE genotype) which modulates risk for AD in adulthood. There was no reliable effect of APOE genotype, though weak evidence that development was faster for the genotype conferring greater AD risk (ε4 carriers), consistent with recent observations in infant attention (D'Souza, Mason et al., 2020). Study 3 considered the concerted effect of the DS genotype on early brain development. We describe new magnetic resonance imaging methods for measuring prenatal and neonatal brain structure in DS (e.g., volumes of supratentorial brain, cortex, cerebellar volume; Patkee et al., 2019). We establish the methodological viability of linking differences in early brain structure to measures of infant cognitive development, measured by the MSEL, as a potential early marker of clinical relevance. Five case studies are presented as proof of concept, but these are as yet too few to discern a pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S C Thomas
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
| | - Olatz Ojinaga Alfageme
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Hana D'Souza
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology & Newnham College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9DF, United Kingdom
| | - Prachi A Patkee
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Mary A Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St. Thomas's Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Kin Y Mok
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - John Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Annette Karmiloff-Smith
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
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Elliott ML. MRI-based biomarkers of accelerated aging and dementia risk in midlife: how close are we? Ageing Res Rev 2020; 61:101075. [PMID: 32325150 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The global population is aging, leading to an increasing burden of age-related neurodegenerative disease. Efforts to intervene against age-related dementias in older adults have generally proven ineffective. These failures suggest that a lifetime of brain aging may be difficult to reverse once widespread deterioration has occurred. To test interventions in younger populations, biomarkers of brain aging are needed that index subtle signs of accelerated brain deterioration that are part of the putative pathway to dementia. Here I review potential MRI-based biomarkers that could connect midlife brain aging to later life dementia. I survey the literature with three questions in mind, 1) Does the biomarker index age-related changes across the lifespan? 2) Does the biomarker index cognitive ability and cognitive decline? 3) Is the biomarker sensitive to known risk factors for dementia? I find that while there is preliminary support for some midlife MRI-based biomarkers for accelerated aging, the longitudinal research that would best answer these questions is still in its infancy and needs to be further developed. I conclude with suggestions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell L Elliott
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, 2020 West Main Street, Suite 030, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
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