EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND PHYSICAL DECLINE TRAJECTORIES IN COMMUNITY DWELLING NON-DEMENTED OLDER ADULTS

• Published in: Innovation in aging 2017-07, Vol.1 (suppl_1), p.801-801
• Main Authors: Del Panta, V., Colpo, M., Sini, G., Stefania, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.2895

Purpose: There is strong evidence that older persons with cognitive impairment are often physically impaired. However, whether cognitive function predict future changes in mobility has not been evaluated. We tested the hypothesis that Trail Making Test A (TMTA) performance predicts rates of decline of Short Portable Physical Performance Score (SPPB) over a 9-year follow-up in 470 InCHIANTI participants (235M, 71.3 ± 5.0ys, 235F, 72.5 ± 5.8ys) 65 years or older with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥26 at baseline. Methods: Trajectories of SPPB changes with aging were estimated by Latent Class Growth Curve Models (LCGCM), separately in men and women. Predictors of SPPB rate of decline were identified by logistic regression models. Results: Two longitudinal trajectories of physical functional decline (slow and fast) were identified in both for gender. The same significant predictors of SPPB decline were found for men and women: age (OR=1.13 and OR=1.17), TMTA>79seconds (OR=2.5 and OR=2.9) and number of diseases (OR=1,4 and OR=1.6). Conclusion: Age, impaired executive function and multimorbidity predict accelerated decline of lower extremity function in both men and women. Simple cognitive screening could facilitate early recognition of changes in physical functioning.