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- Robitaille, Annie, et al.
(author)
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Transitions across cognitive states and death among older adults in relation to education: A multistate survival model using data from six longitudinal studies
- 2018
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In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 14:4, s. 462-472
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Introduction: This study examines the role of educational attainment, an indicator of cognitive reserve, on transitions in later life between cognitive states (normal Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), mild MMSE impairment, and severe MMSE impairment) and death. Methods: Analysis of six international longitudinal studies was performed using a coordinated approach. Multistate survival models were used to estimate the transition patterns via different cognitive states. Life expectancies were estimated. Results: Across most studies, a higher level of education was associated with a lower risk of transitioning from normal MMSE to mild MMSE impairment but was not associated with other transitions. Those with higher levels of education and socioeconomic status had longer nonimpaired life expectancies. Discussion: This study highlights the importance of education in later life and that early life experiences can delay later compromised cognitive health. This study also demonstrates the feasibility and benefit in conducting coordinated analysis across multiple studies to validate findings.
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| 2. |
- Cadar, Dorina, et al.
(author)
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Does education explain the terminal decline in the oldest-old? Evidence from two longitudinal studies of ageing
- 2015
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In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736. ; 386:Supplement 2
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- AbstractBackground Cognitive performance substantially deteriorates close to death, as postulated by the terminal decline hypothesis. However, the association between education and terminal decline remains controversial. This study investigated the role of education in terminal decline in two European longitudinal studies of oldest-old. Methods Participants were from the Newcastle 85+, UK (n=702), and Octogenarian Twins (OCTO-Twin), Sweden (n= 845). They were assessed biannually over three and five consecutive waves, respectively. In a coordinated analysis, multilevel models were used to examine the association between education and terminal decline on mini-mental state examination (MMSE), controlling for age at baseline, dementia incidence, sex, and time to death from the study entry within each cohort. Cognitive decline was modelled as a linear function of time to death in both cohorts and as a quadratic function in the OCTO-Twin study (because of longer follow-up). Education was a continuous measure (ranging from 6 to 20 years in Newcastle 85+ and 0 to 23 years in OCTO-Twin). Findings A typical British man, aged 85 at baseline, with 10 years’ education, entered the terminal phase at around 2·5 years before death, and the mean rate of decline was −1·04 MMSE points with each year closer to the time of death (SEM 0·25, p<0·0001). By contrast, a Swedish man, aged 83 years, with an average of 7 years’ education, entered the terminal phase at around 8 years from death, after which the rate of cognitive decline steepened by −1·70 points per year closer to the time of death (SEM 0·20, p<0·0001) and accelerated by −0·11 (SEM 0·01, p<0·0001). Education was positively associated with the estimated mean MMSE scores before death only in OCTO-Twin (0·43, SEM 0·15; p=0·003) and did not attenuate the rate of terminal decline in either cohort. Interpretation Decline and acceleration of this decline were detectable in both studies before death, with steeper rates of decline observed in the Swedish cohort. However, this process was not lessened by education itself. This work contributes to a better understanding of the transition from the subtle cognitive changes associated with age to those of neurological substance, and the role of education in this decline. Funding The funding sources of this work were the Alzheimer's Society (grant number 144) and the Medical Research Council (unit programme number MC_UU_12019/1).
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| 4. |
- Cadar, Dorina, et al.
(author)
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The role of cognitive reserve on terminal decline: a cross-cohort analysis from two European studies: OCTO-Twin, Sweden, and Newcastle 85+, UK.
- 2016
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In: International journal of geriatric psychiatry. - : Wiley. - 1099-1166 .- 0885-6230. ; 31:6, s. 601-610
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cognitive performance shows a marked deterioration in close proximity to death, as postulated by the terminal decline hypothesis. The effect of education on the rate of terminal decline in the oldest people (i.e. persons 85+ years) has been controversial and not entirely understood. In the current study, we investigated the rate of decline prior to death with a special focus on the role of education and socioeconomic position, in two European longitudinal studies of ageing: the Origins of Variance in the Old-Old: Octogenarian Twins (OCTO-Twin) and the Newcastle 85+ study.
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