The Effect of Neurobehavioral Test Performance on the All-Cause Mortality among US Population.
Evidence of the association between global cognitive function and mortality is much, but whether specific cognitive function is related to mortality is unclear. To address the paucity of knowledge on younger populations in the US, we analyzed the association between specific cognitive function and mortality in young and middle-aged adults. We analyzed data from 5,144 men and women between 20 and 59 years of age in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-94) with mortality follow-up evaluation through 2006. Cognitive function tests, including assessments of executive function/processing speed (symbol digit substitution) and learning recall/short-term memory (serial digit learning), were performed. All-cause mortality was the outcome of interest. After adjusting for multiple variables, total mortality was significantly higher in males with poorer executive function/processing speed (hazard ratio (HR) 2.02; 95% confidence interval 1.36 to 2.99) and poorer recall/short-term memory (HR 1.47; 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 2.12). After adjusting for multiple variables, the mortality risk did not significantly increase among the females in these two cognitive tests groups. In this sample of the US population, poorer executive function/processing speed and poorer learning recall/short-term memory were significantly associated with increased mortality rates, especially in males. This study highlights the notion that poorer specific cognitive function predicts all-cause mortality in young and middle-aged males.
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Tao-Chun
0000-0003-1336-288X
TC
Peng
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Wei-Liang
0000-0003-0784-230X
WL
Chen
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Li-Wei
LW
Wu
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Ying-Jen
0000-0002-0088-7540
YJ
Chen
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Fang-Yih
FY
Liaw
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Gia-Chi
GC
Wang
Division of Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Chung-Ching
CC
Wang
Department of Occupational Safety and Hygiene, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung 114, Taiwan; Department of Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 114, Taiwan.
Ya-Hui
0000-0002-1785-5123
YH
Yang
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology