TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of early-life adversity on cognitive decline in older African Americans and whites
AU - Barnes, Lisa L.
AU - Wilson, Robert S.
AU - Everson-Rose, Susan A.
AU - Hayward, Mark D.
AU - Evans, Denis A.
AU - De Leon, Carlos F.Mendes
PY - 2012/12/11
Y1 - 2012/12/11
N2 - Objectives: Early-life adversity is related to adult health in old age but little is known about its relation with cognitive decline. Methods: Participants includedmore than 6,100 older residents (mean age574.9 [7.1] years; 61.8% African American) enrolled in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a geographically defined, population- based study of risk factors for Alzheimer disease. Participants were interviewed at approximately 3-year intervals for up to 16 years. The interview included a baseline evaluation of early-life adversity, and administration of 4 brief cognitive function tests to assess change in cognitive function. We estimated the relation of early-life adversity to rate of cognitive decline in a series of mixed-effectsmodels. Results: Inmodels stratified by race, and adjusted for age and sex, early-life adversitywas differentially related to decline in African Americans and whites. Whereas no measure of early-life adversity related to cognitive decline in whites, both food deprivation and being thinner than average in early life were associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in African Americans. The relations were not mediated by years of education and persisted after adjustment for cardiovascular factors. Conclusions: Markers of early-life adversity had an unexpected protective effect on cognitive decline in African Americans.
AB - Objectives: Early-life adversity is related to adult health in old age but little is known about its relation with cognitive decline. Methods: Participants includedmore than 6,100 older residents (mean age574.9 [7.1] years; 61.8% African American) enrolled in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a geographically defined, population- based study of risk factors for Alzheimer disease. Participants were interviewed at approximately 3-year intervals for up to 16 years. The interview included a baseline evaluation of early-life adversity, and administration of 4 brief cognitive function tests to assess change in cognitive function. We estimated the relation of early-life adversity to rate of cognitive decline in a series of mixed-effectsmodels. Results: Inmodels stratified by race, and adjusted for age and sex, early-life adversitywas differentially related to decline in African Americans and whites. Whereas no measure of early-life adversity related to cognitive decline in whites, both food deprivation and being thinner than average in early life were associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in African Americans. The relations were not mediated by years of education and persisted after adjustment for cardiovascular factors. Conclusions: Markers of early-life adversity had an unexpected protective effect on cognitive decline in African Americans.
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U2 - 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318278b607
DO - 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318278b607
M3 - Article
C2 - 23233682
AN - SCOPUS:84871344652
VL - 79
SP - 2321
EP - 2327
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
SN - 0028-3878
IS - 24
ER -