Evaluation of a Self-Administered Computerized Cognitive Battery in an Older Population.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to assess the utility of the Cogstate self-administered computerized neuropsychological battery in a large population of older men.


METHODS
We invited 7,167 men (mean age of 75 years) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a prospective cohort of male health professionals. We considered individual Cogstate scores and composite scores measuring psychomotor speed and attention, learning and working memory and overall cognition. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the association between risk factors measured 4 and 28 years prior to cognitive testing and each outcome.


RESULTS
The 1,866 men who agreed to complete Cogstate testing were similar to the 5,301 non-responders. Many expected risk factors were associated with Cogstate scores in multivariate adjusted models. Increasing age was significantly associated with worse performance on all outcomes (p < 0.001). For risk factors measured 4 years prior to testing and overall cognition, a history of hypertension was significantly associated with worse performance (mean difference of -0.08 standard units (95% CI -0.16, 0.00)) and higher consumption of nuts was significantly associated with better performance (>2 servings/week vs. <1 serving/month: 0.15 (0.03, 0.27)).


CONCLUSIONS
The self-administered Cogstate battery showed significant associations with several risk factors known to be associated with cognitive function. Future studies of cognitive aging may benefit from the numerous advantages of self-administered computerized testing.
Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., USA.
Alain K
AK
Koyama
Kaitlin A
KA
Hagan
Olivia I
OI
Okereke
Marc G
MG
Weisskopf
Bernard
B
Rosner
Francine
F
Grodstein
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies