Childhood Motor Difficulties and Cognitive Impairment in Midlife: A 40-Year Cohort Study

• Published in: Neuropsychology 2024-09, Vol.38 (6), p.501-515
• Main Authors: Järvinen, Ilkka, Schiavone, Nella, Launes, Jyrki, Lipsanen, Jari, Virta, Maarit, Vanninen, Ritva, Lehto, Eliisa, Tuulio-Henriksson, Annamari, Hokkanen, Laura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attention - physiology; Child; Childhood Development; Cognitive Dysfunction - physiopathology; Cognitive Impairment; Cohort Studies; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Human; Humans; Male; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Middle Adulthood; Middle Aged; Movement Disorders; Neuropsychological Tests
• ISSN: 0894-4105; 1931-1559; 1931-1559
• DOI: 10.1037/neu0000961

Objective: We aimed to examine the association of childhood motor difficulties (MD) with cognitive impairment in midlife. Method: We studied 357 participants from a cohort born in 1971-1975. At age 9, they had completed the Test of Motor Impairment, which classified them into three groups: childhood MD (cMD), borderline cMD (bcMD), or no cMD. Participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were excluded. At age 40, participants comprised 18 (5.0%) with cMD, 43 (12.0%) with bcMD, and 296 (82.9%) with no cMD. They underwent neuropsychological assessment covering six domains: executive functions, processing speed, attention and working memory, learning and memory, verbal symbolic abilities, and visuoperceptual and visuospatial abilities. A participant was considered to have an impairment if their performance was in the 15th percentile of a normative group. Results: Participants with cMD were more likely than those with no cMD to have an impairment in executive functions (OR = 6.73, p < .01), processing speed (OR = 3.85, p < .05), attention and working memory (OR = 4.79, p < .01), and a cross-domain impairment (OR = 3.62, p < .01). These differences remained significant after adjusting for parents' occupation, sex, and low birth weight and after multiple imputation. No consistent difference emerged between participants with bcMD and no cMD. Conclusions: Childhood MD are associated with midlife cognitive impairment, which underscores their long-term implications. In the neuropsychological assessment of an adult patient, information on childhood motor development is of value. The assessment may help adapt the patient's physical or occupational therapy to the patient's cognitive profile. Key Points Question: Are childhood motor difficulties associated with cognitive impairment in midlife? Findings: Childhood motor difficulties are associated with an impairment in the domains of executive functions, processing speed, attention and working memory, and an impairment across domains in midlife. Importance: Childhood motor difficulties have long-term implications beyond motor outcomes and are important to consider in the neuropsychological assessment of an adult. Next Steps: It is essential to study the neural underpinnings of cognitive impairment persisting into adulthood in people with childhood motor difficulties and whether the underpinnings are shared with those of the frequently co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.