title: Cognitive patterns of normal elderly subjects are consistent with frontal cortico-subcortical and fronto-parietal neuropsychological models of brain aging.
abstract: Three neuropsychological theories have been developed according to a possible existence of a similar pattern of cognitive decline in elderly individuals and patients with brain damage. The respective neuropsychological theories attribute age-related deficits to: (a) dysfunction of the frontal lobes, (b) temporo-parietal dysfunction, or (c) decline of right-hemisphere functions. In the present study, we examined which of these theories best explains the cognitive patterns of normal elderly subjects older than 80 years of age (old elderly). Thirty normal old elderly subjects, 14 patients with subcortical vascular dementia, 14 with mild Alzheimer's disease, 15 with damage of the right hemisphere of the brain, and 20 young elderly controls participated. A test battery covering the main cognitive domains was administered to all participants. A hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five groups of individuals with different cognitive patterns across the whole sample. Old elderly subjects were assigned to four groups according to: (a) preserved overall cognitive performance, (b) processing speed decline, (c) attention decline, or (d) executive impairment. The results of the study are most congruent with models emphasizing frontal-lobe cortical-subcortical and fronto-parietal changes in old age. The results also indicate considerable heterogeneity in the cognitive patterns of normal old elderly adults.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Psychology , University of Warsaw , Warsaw , Poland.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gawron
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Łojek
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kijanowska-Haładyna
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nestorowicz
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harasim
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pluta
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobańska
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: cluster analysis; frontal aging hypothesis; hemi-aging hypothesis; neurodegenerative hypothesis of aging; neuropsychology; normal aging