title: Association of vascular risk factors with cognition in a multiethnic sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and cognitive performance in a multiethnic sample of older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used longitudinal data from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project. A composite score including smoking, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and central obesity represented CVRFs. Multiple group parallel process multivariate random effects regression models were used to model cognitive functioning and examine the contribution of CVRFs to baseline performance and change in general cognitive processing, memory, and executive functioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Presence of each CVRF was associated with a 0.1 SD lower score in general cognitive processing, memory, and executive functioning in black and Hispanic participants relative to whites. Baseline CVRFs were associated with poorer baseline cognitive performances among black women and Hispanic men. CVRF increase was related to baseline cognitive performance only among Hispanics. CVRFs were not related to cognitive decline. After adjustment for medications, CVRFs were not associated with cognition in Hispanic participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CVRFs are associated with poorer cognitive functioning, but not cognitive decline, among minority older adults. These relationships vary by gender and medication use. Consideration of unique racial, ethnic, and cultural factors is needed when examining relationships between CVRFs and cognition.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, California.
authors.forename: Brooke C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Alden L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla.
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bangen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.
authors.forename: Jeannine C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Center for Biomedical Imaging, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
authors.forename: Andreana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benitez
authors.affiliation: Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: M Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Glymour
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond.
authors.forename: Bonnie C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia.
authors.forename: Regina A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Department of Veterans Affairs, Gainesville.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sisco
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Manly
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York. jal94@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Luchsinger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009519:New York City / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Cognitive decline; Ethnic differences; Racial differences.