TY - JOUR
T1 - Change in cognitive function in older persons from a community population
T2 - Relation to age and Alzheimer disease
AU - Wilson, Robert S.
AU - Beckett, Laurel A.
AU - Bennett, David A.
AU - Albert, Marilyn S.
AU - Evans, Denis A.
PY - 1999/10
Y1 - 1999/10
N2 - Objective: To examine change in cognitive function in older persons sampled from a community population, and its relation to age and Alzheimer disease. Design: Prospective cohort study with an average of 3.5 years of follow-up. Setting: East Boston, Mass - a geographically defined, urban, working-class community. Participants: A stratified, random sample of persons 65 years and older underwent uniform, structured clinical evaluation for Alzheimer disease. The 388 persons (89.2% of those eligible) who completed at least 1 annual follow-up evaluation were studied: 97 had Alzheimer disease at baseline; 95 developed Alzheimer disease during the study; and 196 were unaffected. Outcome Measures: Eight cognitive performance tests were administered, then converted to population-weighted z scores and averaged to create a composite summary measure of cognitive function. Initial level of and change in this score were the outcome measures. Results: In the population as a whole, many persons experienced a decline in cognitive performance, and age was related to both initial level and rate of decline. Analyses were conducted in 3 subgroups: persons with Alzheimer disease at baseline, those who developed Alzheimer disease during the study, and those who remained unaffected. In both Alzheimer disease subgroups, substantial cognitive decline was observed, but neither initial level nor rate of decline was related to age. In unaffected persons, little cognitive decline was evident, and there was a small, inverse association of age with initial level of cognitive function. Conclusion: In a general population sample, there was little evidence of cognitive decline during a 3.5-year period among persons who remained free of Alzheimer disease.
AB - Objective: To examine change in cognitive function in older persons sampled from a community population, and its relation to age and Alzheimer disease. Design: Prospective cohort study with an average of 3.5 years of follow-up. Setting: East Boston, Mass - a geographically defined, urban, working-class community. Participants: A stratified, random sample of persons 65 years and older underwent uniform, structured clinical evaluation for Alzheimer disease. The 388 persons (89.2% of those eligible) who completed at least 1 annual follow-up evaluation were studied: 97 had Alzheimer disease at baseline; 95 developed Alzheimer disease during the study; and 196 were unaffected. Outcome Measures: Eight cognitive performance tests were administered, then converted to population-weighted z scores and averaged to create a composite summary measure of cognitive function. Initial level of and change in this score were the outcome measures. Results: In the population as a whole, many persons experienced a decline in cognitive performance, and age was related to both initial level and rate of decline. Analyses were conducted in 3 subgroups: persons with Alzheimer disease at baseline, those who developed Alzheimer disease during the study, and those who remained unaffected. In both Alzheimer disease subgroups, substantial cognitive decline was observed, but neither initial level nor rate of decline was related to age. In unaffected persons, little cognitive decline was evident, and there was a small, inverse association of age with initial level of cognitive function. Conclusion: In a general population sample, there was little evidence of cognitive decline during a 3.5-year period among persons who remained free of Alzheimer disease.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032824643&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0032824643&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1001/archneur.56.10.1274
DO - 10.1001/archneur.56.10.1274
M3 - Article
C2 - 10520945
AN - SCOPUS:0032824643
SN - 0003-9942
VL - 56
SP - 1274
EP - 1279
JO - Archives of neurology
JF - Archives of neurology
IS - 10
ER -