| Poster | Poster Session 06 Program Schedule
02/15/2024
04:00 pm - 05:15 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)
Poster Session 06: Aging | MCI | Neurodegenerative Disease - PART 2
Final Abstract #19
Dual-Domain Cognitive Superaging: The Potential Role of Executive Function
Stacy Andersen, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Susan Bookheimer, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, United States
Bonnie Wong, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
Vonetta Dotson, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States
Seho Park, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Cristian Ibarra, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Nicole Roth, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Ariana Anderson, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Dmitry Prokopenko, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, United States
Brian Gould, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Parshva Mody, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Lance San Souci, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Bradley Petrowitz, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Reena Karki, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Thomas Perls, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, United States
Category: Aging
Keyword 1: executive functions
Keyword 2: cognitive functioning
Keyword 3: aging (normal)
Objective:
Cognitive superagers, people with youthful cognitive function, have been shown to have preserved brain structure despite older age as well as evidence of resilience to Alzheimer’s disease. Studies of cognitive superaging typically use inclusion criteria of exceptional episodic memory performance (i.e., comparable to someone 2 to 3 decades younger) with performance in other cognitive domains within the average range for their age. However, confining the definition of cognitive superaging to exceptional episodic memory may undervalue the role of executive function in supporting healthy cognitive aging and independent functioning in daily life. Additionally, the identification of youthful executive function in addition to memory may help us understand resilience to atypical presentations of AD and other causes of dementia such as vascular disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration which become more common at the most advanced ages. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of exceptional cognitive performance in both episodic memory and executive function, which we have termed dual-domain cognitive superaging, among a cohort of superagers.
Participants and Methods:
The Resilience/Resistance to Alzheimer’s Disease in Centenarians and Offspring (RADCO) study identifies cognitive superagers from two ongoing studies of centenarians (i.e., people over the age of 100) and their offspring. Cognitive superaging in both generations of participants (i.e., centenarians and offspring) is defined as delayed recall performance on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised at or above the mean normative performance for someone 30 years younger with performance on all other tests within the average range for the participant’s age, sex, and race. Dual-domain superagers are additionally required to have “youthful” performance (i.e., equal to 30 year younger normative data) on three executive function tests: the Victoria Stroop Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (FAS).
Results:
Among 14 centenarian superagers (mean age 101.6 ± 1.7 years, range 100-107, 64% female, 100% non-Hispanic White), none met the criteria for dual-domain cognitive superaging. Of 31 offspring superagers (mean age 70.9 ± 5.6 years, range 60-85, 87% female, 100% non-Hispanic White), eight (26%) performed at or above the mean for someone 30 years younger on the episodic memory test and the three executive function tests and therefore could be classified as dual-domain superagers.
Conclusions:
Dual-domain cognitive superaging is prevalent among superagers in the offspring generation. This subclassification may reduce heterogeneity within the superaging cohort thereby increasing power to identify correlates of exceptional cognitive aging and resilience to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Neuroimaging, biomarker, and neuropathological studies are needed to determine whether the constructs of single-domain and dual-domain superaging have distinct underlying biological and functional mechanisms for preserving cognitive function. Dual-domain cognitive superaging could not be identified among the centenarians potentially due to the visual demands and timed nature of executive function tests which are affected by sensory impairments and slower motor speed common at these advanced ages. Alternatively, youthful executive function performance may be more difficult to maintain to extreme old ages than youthful memory function.
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