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The Temporal Relation of Physical Function with Cognition and the Influence of Brain Health in the Oldest-Old

Legdeur, Nienke; Badissi, Maryam; Venkatraghavan, Vikram; Woodworth, Davis C; Orlhac, Fanny; Vidal, Jean-Sébastien; Barkhof, Frederik; ... Rhodius-Meester, Hanneke FM; + view all (2024) The Temporal Relation of Physical Function with Cognition and the Influence of Brain Health in the Oldest-Old. Gerontology pp. 1-15. 10.1159/000542395. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Introduction: Physical function and cognition seem to be interrelated, especially in the oldest-old. However, the temporal order in which they are related and the role of brain health remain uncertain. Methods: We included 338 participants (mean age 93.1 years) from two longitudinal cohorts: the UCI 90+ Study and EMIF-AD 90+ Study. We tested the association between physical function (Short Physical Performance Battery, gait speed, and handgrip strength) at baseline with cognitive decline (MMSE, memory tests, animal fluency, Trail Making Test (TMT-) A, and digit span backward) and the association between cognition at baseline with physical decline (mean follow-up 3.3 years). We also tested whether measures for brain health (hippocampal, white matter lesion, and gray matter volume) were related to physical function and cognition and whether brain health was a common driver of the association between physical function and cognition by adding it as confounder (if applicable). Results: Better performance on all physical tests at baseline was associated with less decline on MMSE, memory, and TMT-A. Conversely, fewer associations were significant, but better scores on memory, TMT-A, and digit span backward were associated with less physical decline. When adding measures for brain health as confounder, all associations stayed significant except for memory with gait speed decline. Conclusion: In the oldest-old, physical function and cognition are strongly related, independently of brain health. Also, the association between physical function and cognitive decline is more pronounced than the other way around, suggesting a potential for slowing cognitive decline by optimizing physical function.

Type: Article
Title: The Temporal Relation of Physical Function with Cognition and the Influence of Brain Health in the Oldest-Old
Location: Switzerland
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1159/000542395
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1159/000542395
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY) (http://www.karger.com/Services/ OpenAccessLicense). Usage, derivative works and distribution are permitted provided that proper credit is given to the author and the original publisher.
Keywords: Cognition, Cognitive decline, Physical function, Physical decline, Neuroimaging, Oldest-old
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Brain Repair and Rehabilitation
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10202730
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