Pulmonary function impairment may be an early risk factor for late-life cognitive impairment.

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
• Main Authors: Vidal, Jean-Sébastien, Aspelund, Thor, Jonsdottir, Maria K, Jonsson, Palmi V, Harris, Tamara B, Lopez, Oscar L, Gudnason, Vilmundur, Launer, Lenore J
• Other Authors: NIA, NIH, LEDB, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, Broca Hosp, AP HP, Dept Geriatr, Paris, France, Iceland Heart Assoc, Kopavogur, Iceland, Univ Iceland, Fac Psychol, Reykjavik, Iceland, Univ Iceland, Fac Med, Reykjavik, Iceland, Landspitali Univ Hosp, Geriatr Res Ctr, Reykjavik, Iceland, Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Psychiat, Pittsburgh, PA USA, Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Neurol, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2013
• Subjects: Aldraðir; Elliglöp; Slagæðar; Heilinn; Segulómun; Age Factors; Aged; Aging; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Disease Progression; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Iceland; Incidence; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Neuropsychological Tests; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/324640; https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12069

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the page To determine the association between change in pulmonary function (PF) and mid- and late-life cognitive function. Prospective population-based cohort study that included measures of pulmonary function in midlife and brain magnetic resonance imaging data acquired in late life. The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study. Three thousand six hundred sixty-five subjects who had at least one measure of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) and were cognitively tested on average 23 years later. A subset of 1,281 subjects had two or three measures of FEV(1) acquired over a 7.8-year period. Pulmonary function was estimated as FEV(1)/height(2). Rate of PF decline was estimated as the slope of decline over time. Cognitive status was measured with continuous scores of memory, speed of processing, and executive function and as the outcome of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Lower PF measured in midlife predicted poorer memory, slower speed of processing, poorer executive function, and greater likelihood of MCI and dementia 23 years later. Decrease in PF over a 7.8-year period in midlife was not associated with MCI or dementia. Low PF measured in midlife may be an early marker of later cognitive problems. Additional studies characterizing early and late PF changes are needed. National Institute on Aging N01-AG-1-2100 Intramural Research Program Hjartavernd (Icelandic Heart Association) Althingi (Icelandic Parliament)