Determinants of verbal fluency trajectories among older adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging

Abstract

Background

Prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment increase creating the need for identifying modifiable risk factors to reduce their burden. The aim of this study was to identify latent groups following similar trajectories in cognitive performance assessed with the verbal fluency test, as well as their determinants.

Methods

Data from English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) were studied. Latent groups of similar course through a 6-year period in the outcome variable (verbal fluency) were investigated, along with their determinants, using Group Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM).

Results

Four latent groups of verbal fluency trajectories were revealed. Education was the strongest predictor for a favorable trajectory, while cardiovascular disease and depression symptoms were associated with lower within each trajectory.

Conclusion

Cardiovascular diseases and depressive symptoms are associated with a worse course of verbal fluency through aging, implying that they might serve as targets for interventions to prevent cognitive decline in the aging population. Contrarily, higher level of education is associated with a more favorable course through aging.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the ATHLOS Consortium for useful discussions and gratefully acknowledge the funding of institutions and the work of people who carried out the studies and provided data for this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

BO’s work is supported by the PERIS program 2016–2020 “Ajuts per a la Incorporació de Científics i Tecnòlegs” [grant number SLT006/17/00066], with the support of the Health Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya.