title: Cognitive performance in a high-functioning community-dwelling elderly population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine the role of demographic factors as predictors of cognitive performance in a high-functioning, community-dwelling elderly population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort consisted of 1,192 community-dwelling subjects, who were selected to represent the highest third of an elderly population with respect to physical and cognitive functioning. A neuropsychological battery, including 5 cognitive performance subtests (confrontation naming, delayed recognition span, similarities, figure-copying, and incidental delayed recall) was administered to the subjects in their homes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A summary measure of the 5 neuropsychological subtest scores, the total cognitive score, arrayed the study group across a broad range of difficulty, creating a near-normal distribution. Education, income, and race had statistically significant associations with the total score and the individual subtests. The effect of education was the most striking finding, explaining 30% of the variance in the total score. Education was most strongly related to the abstraction (partial R2 = .11) subtest, and least related to the memory subtests, delayed recognition (R2 = .02) and delayed recall (R2 = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Demographic factors are important predictors of cognitive performance in this high-functioning cohort. Education had the strongest influence on overall cognitive performance, and particularly notable associations with subtests that depended upon the use of previously learned materials. Longitudinal follow-up, now underway, will help to determine whether high levels of education help to maintain cognitive performance with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Inouye
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mohs
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Berkman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors