THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN PROMOTE THE MAINTENANCE OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS OF ELDERLY
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Experience in every phase of life contribute to the maintenance of cognitive abilities in old age.
The early life experiences, in particular, influenced by socio-economic status and degree of literacy, may have greater influence on cognitive impairment in old age compared to demographic characteristics such as race and ethnicity. And 'what emerges from a large study conducted by researchers at the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center and the University of Victoria, Canada.
"The decline of cognitive function in the elderly is a major concern for the personal and public health," said Bruce Reed, professor of neurology and associate director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center. "But not all people lose cognitive function, and understand the considerable variability of cognitive trajectories is of fundamental importance for the prevention, treatment and planning, in short, to promote successful cognitive aging and minimize the problems associated with the decline cognitive impairment. "
The study was published in Neuropsycology, a journal of the American Psychological Association. It is one of the first comprehensive studies, which considers the multiple influences of various demographic factors of the first years of life and their relationship to cognitive aging.
The research was conducted in a group of over 300 men and women who spoke English or Spanish. Were recruited from senior centers, as well as churches and health facilities. At the time of recruitment, all study participants were 60 or older, and they had no psychiatric illness or life-threatening medical conditions. The participants were Caucasians, African-Americans and Hispanics.
The study found that Caucasian non-Latinos have achieved 20 to 25 percent higher on tests of semantic memory (general knowledge) and 13 -15 percent higher on tests of executive functioning compared to other ethnic groups. However, ethnic differences in executive functioning have disappeared and differences in semantic memory were reduced when they were given the differences in socio-economic status in childhood, literacy and the practice of physical activity during adulthood.
"This study is unusual in that it looks at how many different life experiences affect cognitive decline in old age," said Dan Mungas, professor of neurology and associate director of the Disease Research Center at UC Davis Alzheimer's. "It shows that the specific life experiences such as reading level and intellectually stimulating activity during childhood are predictive of the rate of cognitive decline. This suggests that the intellectual stimulation throughout the life cycle can reduce cognitive decline in old age . "
Source: Worldhealth
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