Journal
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
Volume 35, Issue 5, Pages 1086-1094Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.10.095
Keywords
Cognitive decline; Gray matter changes; Early aging; Middle age; Mediation effect; Hierarchical regression analyses; Bootstrapping analyses
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Funding
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [BES-2007-15658]
- Fundacion Canaria Dr Manuel Morales (convocatoria)
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The present theoretical framework of Alzheimer's disease proposes that pathophysiological changes occur 10-20 years before the diagnosis of dementia. We addressed the question of how age-related changes in gray matter mediate the cognitive performance during middle age. Eighty-two participants (40-50 years, +/- 2) were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery covering a broad spectrum of cognitive domains and components. Mediation effects were studied with hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analysis. Results showed that more vulnerable cognitive components were related to executive functioning and in a lesser degree to processing speed. Age-related differences in gray matter mainly involved the frontal lobes. Moreover, age-related differences in visuoconstructive, visuospatial functions, reaction time, and mental flexibility and executive control were mediated by several gray matter regions. It is important to increase the knowledge of the impact of brain changes on cognitive function during middle age. To define the early stages of the aging process may allow early detection of pathologic changes and therapeutic interventions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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