title: The impact of brain size on pilot performance varies with aviation training and years of education.
abstract: Previous studies have consistently reported age-related changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure. Previous studies also suggest compensatory roles for specialized training, skill, and years of education in the age-related decline of cognitive function. The Stanford/VA Aviation Study examines the influence of specialized training and skill level (expertise) on age-related changes in cognition and brain structure. This preliminary report examines the effect of aviation expertise, years of education, age, and brain size on flight simulator performance in pilots aged 45-68 years. Fifty-one pilots were studied with structural magnetic resonance imaging, flight simulator, and processing speed tasks. There were significant main effects of age (p < .01) and expertise (p < .01), but not of whole brain size (p > .1) or education (p > .1), on flight simulator performance. However, even though age and brain size were correlated (r = -0.41), age differences in flight simulator performance were not explained by brain size. Both aviation expertise and education were involved in an interaction with brain size in predicting flight simulator performance (p < .05). These results point to the importance of examining measures of expertise and their interactions to assess age-related cognitive changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs and Sierra-Pacific MIRECC, Palo Alto, California, USA. madamson@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Maheen M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.forename: Viktoriya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Samarina
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiangyan
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.forename: Quinn
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yesavage
authors.forename: Joy L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude; D001359:Aviation; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009790:Occupations; D011361:Professional Competence; D013997:Time Factors