Cognitive reserve attenuates the relation between gastrointestinal diseases and subsequent decline in executive functioning

Aims: We investigated whether the longitudinal relationship between gastrointestinal diseases and subsequent decline in executive functioning over 6 years differed by cognitive reserve. Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from 897 older adults (mean age 74.33 years) tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. Participants reported information on education, occupation, leisure activity engagement, and gastrointestinal diseases. Results: There was a significant interaction of gastrointestinal diseases with leisure activity engagement on latent change in executive functioning. Specifically, only for individuals with low (but not those with high) leisure activity engagement, gastrointestinal diseases significantly predicted a steeper subsequent decline in executive functioning across 6 years (i.e., increases in TMT completion time). Conclusion: Cognitive reserve may attenuate the detrimental influences of gastrointestinal diseases on subsequent decline in executive functioning

The relationship of obesity predicting decline in executive functioning is attenuated with greater leisure activities in old age

Objectives: We investigated the longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning over six years as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT). We also examined whether this longitudinal relationship differed by key markers of cognitive reserve (education, occupation, and leisure activities), taking into account age, sex, and chronic diseases as covariates. Method: We used latent change score modeling based on longitudinal data from 897 older adults 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 their weight and height (to calculate BMI), education, occupation, leisure activities, and chronic diseases. Results: There was a significant interaction of obesity in the first wave of data collection with leisure activities in the first wave on subsequent latent change. Specifically, obesity in the first wave significantly predicted a steeper subsequent decline in executive functioning over six years in individuals with a low frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. In contrast, in individuals with a high frequency of leisure activities in the first wave, this longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning was not significant. Conclusion: The longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning may be attenuated in individuals who have accumulated greater cognitive reserve through an engaged lifestyle in old age. Implications for current cognitive reserve and gerontological research are discussed

Cognitive Reserve Mitigates Decline in Executive Functioning Following Hepatobiliary Diseases

The cognitive reserve hypothesis postulates that lifelong cognitive stimulation establishes a buffer that is instrumental for maintaining cognitive health. To examine this conceptual proposition in detail, we applied a novel, more general conceptual view including recent models of vulnerability and examined whether the longitudinal association between hepatobiliary diseases and later decline in executive functioning across six years varied by cognitive reserve. For this purpose, we investigated longitudinal data from 897 older individuals (M = 74.33 years) who were tested on the Trail Making Test (TMT) in two waves six years apart. Individuals reported information on key commonly-used indicators of lifelong cognitive reserve build-up (i.e., education, work, and leisure activity participation) and hepatobiliary diseases. Results revealed a significant interaction of hepatobiliary diseases with leisure activity participation on latent change in executive functioning. Specifically, only for individuals with little (but not for those with greater) leisure activity participation, hepatobiliary diseases significantly predicted a steeper decline in executive functioning over six years (i.e., increases in TMT finishing time). In conclusion, the unfavorable aftereffects of hepatobiliary diseases on later decline in executive functioning seem to be mitigated in individuals who have built up greater cognitive reserve via leisure activity participation during their life

The relationship of obesity predicting decline in executive functioning is attenuated with greater leisure activities in old age

Objectives: We investigated the longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning over six years as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT). We also examined whether this longitudinal relationship differed by key markers of cognitive reserve (education, occupation, and leisure activities), taking into account age, sex, and chronic diseases as covariates.Method: We used latent change score modeling based on longitudinal data from 897 older adults 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 their weight and height (to calculate BMI), education, occupation, leisure activities, and chronic diseases.Results: There was a significant interaction of obesity in the first wave of data collection with leisure activities in the first wave on subsequent latent change. Specifically, obesity in the first wave significantly predicted a steeper subsequent decline in executive functioning over six years in individuals with a low frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. In contrast, in individuals with a high frequency of leisure activities in the first wave, this longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning was not significant.Conclusion: The longitudinal relationship between obesity and subsequent decline in executive functioning may be attenuated in individuals who have accumulated greater cognitive reserve through an engaged lifestyle in old age. Implications for current cognitive reserve and gerontological research are discussed

Cognitive Reserve Mediates the Relation between Openness to Experience and Smaller Decline in Executive Functioning

Aims: We investigated the mediating role of leisure activity engagement in the longitudinal relation between openness to experience and subsequent change in executive functioning over 6 years as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT). Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from 897 older adults (mean = 74.33 years in the first wave) tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and openness to experience. Results: Latent change score modeling revealed that 37.2% of the longitudinal relation between higher openness to experience in the first wave of data collection and a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e., a smaller decline in executive functioning) was mediated via a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. Conclusion: Individuals with higher openness to experience show greater activity engagement in old age. By enhancing their cognitive reserve, this activity engagement may finally result in smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning