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Mooldijk SS, Licher S, Vernooij MW, Ikram MK, Ikram MA. Seasonality of cognitive function in the general population: the Rotterdam Study. GeroScience 2021; 44:281-291. [PMID: 34750718 PMCID: PMC8810929 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-021-00485-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal variation in cognitive function and underlying cerebral hemodynamics in humans has been suggested, but not consistently shown in previous studies. We assessed cognitive function in 10,276 participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study, aged 45 years and older without dementia, at baseline and at subsequent visits between 1999 and 2016. Seasonality of five cognitive test scores and of a summary measure of global cognition were determined, as well as of brain perfusion. Using linkage with medical records, we also examined whether a seasonal variation was present in clinical diagnoses of dementia. We found a seasonal variation of global cognition (0.05 standard deviations [95% confidence interval: 0.02–0.08]), the Stroop reading task, the Purdue Pegboard test, and of the delayed world learning test, with the best performance in summer months. In line with these findings, there were fewer dementia diagnoses of dementia in spring and summer than in winter and fall. We found no seasonal variation in brain perfusion. These findings support seasonality of cognition, albeit not explained by brain perfusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne S Mooldijk
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Silvan Licher
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike W Vernooij
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Kamran Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Arfan Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, PO Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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