The Protective Effects of Executive Functions and Episodic Memory on Gait Speed Decline in Aging Defined in The Context of Cognitive Reserve

Objectives To evaluate whether levels of cognitive reserve (CR), as measured using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)‐III vocabulary test, moderated longitudinal associations between cognitive functions and decline in gait speed in a community‐based cohort of older adults without dementia,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) 2012-11, Vol.60 (11), p.2093-2098
Main Authors: Holtzer, Roee, Wang, Cuiling, Lipton, Richard, Verghese, Joe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Cognitive ability
Cognitive Reserve
Cohort Studies
episodic memory
Executive Function
executive functions
Female
Gait - physiology
gait speed
General aspects
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Memory
Memory, Episodic
Miscellaneous
Mobility
Older people
Prospective Studies
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Time Factors
Walking
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objectives To evaluate whether levels of cognitive reserve (CR), as measured using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)‐III vocabulary test, moderated longitudinal associations between cognitive functions and decline in gait speed in a community‐based cohort of older adults without dementia, specifically, whether the protective effect of executive function (EF) and episodic memory against decline in gait speed would be greater in individuals with higher CR. Design Longitudinal (median number of repeated annual gait speed measures, 3; maximum number of visits, 7). Setting General community. Participants Seven hundred thirty‐one community‐residing individuals aged 70 and older without dementia were followed longitudinally with cognitive and gait evaluations at baseline and at annual visits. Measurements Decline in gait speed (cm/s) served as the primary outcome. The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) was used to assess episodic memory. The Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) was used to assess attention and EF. The vocabulary test served as a marker for CR. Results Linear mixed effects model showed that gait speed declined over the follow‐up period (P 
ISSN:0002-8614
1532-5415
DOI:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04193.x