Exploring effects of type 2 diabetes on cognitive functioning in older adults.
Type 2 diabetes may be associated with exacerbated aging-related declines in cognitive neuropsychological performance. The authors examined whether such effects are systematic (i.e., broadly distributed across domains or domain-specific) or moderated by age (i.e., varying across age within older adults). The authors assembled recent cross-sectional data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) Sample 3 (Wave 1; initial n = 570; initial age = 53-90 years). Using a comprehensive, multidimensional spectrum of cognitive neuropsychological tests, the authors examined performance differences by diabetes status (diabetes group vs. healthy controls) and age (young-old vs. old-old). Our results showed that healthy controls significantly outperformed the diabetes group only on markers of executive functioning and speed. Notably, the diabetes-related effects were robust across the two late-life age groups. Future research examining longitudinal changes is recommended.
Yeung
Sophie E
SE
Department of Psychology, University of Alberta.
Fischer
Ashley L
AL
Department of Psychology, University of Alberta.
Dixon
Roger A
RA
Department of Psychology, University of Alberta.
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014705:Verbal Behavior