title: Cognitive slowing associated with elevated serum anticholinergic activity in older individuals is decreased by caffeine use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether some of the age-associated decrements in basic cognitive resources (information-processing speed and working memory) result from anticholinergic medication use (as measured by serum anticholinergic activity [SAA]) and whether such decrements are lessened by caffeine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred fifty-two normal-elderly community volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two tests each of information-processing speed and of working memory were administered, and blood samples were drawn before and after cognitive testing to determine serum levels of anticholinergic activity and of paraxanthine-a caffeine metabolite.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated SAA was associated with a significant but modest slowing in information-processing time but only in those individuals who had low levels of serum paraxanthine. SAA did not correlate with performance on tests of working memory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that anticholinergic medications are a relatively minor contributor to the decrements in basic processing resources commonly found in studies of normal aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. nebesrd@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Nebes
authors.forename: Bruce G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Pollock
authors.forename: Edythe M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Halligan
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Houck
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Saxton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control; D004336:Drug Antagonism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D002110:Caffeine
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