title: Aging children of long-lived parents experience slower cognitive decline.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parental longevity confers lower risks for some age-related diseases in offspring. We tested the association between parental longevity and late-life cognitive decline or dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a US national sample. Biennial cognitive assessment (Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-Modified [TICS-m]) occurred for ages 64 years or older in 1996 through 2008 (maximum, 79 years), including physician-diagnosed memory disorder. Offspring were categorized into parental longevity groups based on gender-specific distributional cut points. Model covariates included race, respondents' education, and income status during childhood and adulthood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Offspring groups did not differ on TICS-m scores at baseline. During follow-up, offspring of two long-lived parents experienced 40% slower rates of TICS-m decline than those with no long-lived parents (95% confidence interval, 12-72; P=.003; n=4731). Increased parental longevity was also associated with lower risk of physician-diagnosed memory disorder. Estimates did not change after controlling for environmental variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental longevity is associated inversely with cognitive decline and self-reported diagnosed memory disorders in aging offspring. Parental longevity may be a valuable trait for identifying early biomarkers for resistance to cognitive decline in aging.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Public Health Group, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: Ambarish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: PenCLAHRC, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Henley
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, U710 and U988, Paris and Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Robine
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Public Health Group, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; VA Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Langa
authors.affiliation: Center on Aging, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Public Health Group, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. Electronic address: D.Melzer@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Melzer
mesh_terms: D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D011581:Psychological Tests; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aging; Cognitive impairment; Dementia; Extreme survival; Heritability; Memory disorder; Parental longevity