Comparing the Effects of Two Cardiovascular Health Factors on Working Memory Capacity in Healthy Aging: Separate and Combined Effects of Arterial Elasticity and Physical Fitness.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
; 77(1): 94-103, 2022 01 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33914083
OBJECTIVES: Arterial elasticity and physical fitness are 2 important cardiovascular health factors that influence cognition in older adults. Working memory capacity (WMC), a core component underlying cognitive aging across many cognitive domains, may be affected by individual differences in cardiovascular health in older adults. This study aims to identify in older adults: (a) separate and combined effects of these 2 cardiovascular health factors on WMC and (b) which of the 2 factors is more critical in influencing WMC. METHODS: WMC in 89 healthy older adults was assessed by 2 complex span tasks. Arterial elasticity was assessed by pulse pressure (PsP). Physical fitness was measured by an established proxy of VO2 max (MET). Effects of PsP and MET on WMC were evaluated via step-wise regressions. RESULTS: After controlling for age, sex, and education, PsP and MET were separately predictive of WMC in older adults. Together, the combined effect of PsP and MET was more predictive of WMC than fitness alone, but not more than PsP alone. Mediation analysis indicates that the relationship between MET and WMC was completely mediated by PsP. DISCUSSION: This study innovatively demonstrates that though arterial elasticity and physical fitness separately predict WMC, the former completely mediates the relationship between fitness and WMC. This suggests that biologically based cardiovascular health factors like arterial elasticity are crucial individual difference variables that should be measured and monitored in cognitive aging studies as well as in physical interventions that are designed to improve cognition in healthy aging.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Envejecimiento
/
Aptitud Física
/
Rigidez Vascular
/
Memoria a Corto Plazo
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
Asunto de la revista:
CIENCIAS SOCIAIS
/
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos