Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
22984797
TITLE
Mediating effects of processing speed and executive functions in age-related differences in episodic memory performance: a cross-validation study.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE NlmCategory: OBJECTIVE
Age differences in episodic memory (memory) have been attributed to a general reduction in processing speed (the "speed mediation hypothesis"), but also to declines in the efficiency of executive functions operations ("executive decline hypothesis"). To test predictions from these competing models, we examined the mediating effects of processing speed (speed) and executive functions (executive) on age and episodic memory in three older adult cohorts.
METHOD NlmCategory: METHODS
The first sample comprised 842 individuals from the Sydney Memory and Aging Study (MAS). The second and third samples included 476 individuals from the Older Australian Twins Study (OATS), with each twin from a pair randomly assigned to form two samples. A series of regression analyses was performed on each of the three samples independently, so as to obtain the sizes and statistical significances of the indirect effects of age on each of the memory variables, mediated by each of the Executive and Speed composites. Sex was a control variable for all analyses. Analyses were repeated with current depression as an additional control variable.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
Data from the MAS sample suggested that both Speed and Executive composites were significant mediators, with the former having a stronger mediation effect. A similar pattern was found in the two OATS samples.
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
These findings are consistent with those of previous studies in which speed had a stronger mediating effect than executive on age-related variation in memory. They provide further support for the speed mediation hypothesis, although not negating the executive decline hypothesis.
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
These findings are consistent with those of previous studies in which speed had a stronger mediating effect than executive on age-related variation in memory. They provide further support for the speed mediation hypothesis, although not negating the executive decline hypothesis.
(c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.
DATE PUBLISHED
2012 Nov
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
aheadofprint 2012/09/17
entrez 2012/09/19 06:00
pubmed 2012/09/19 06:00
medline 2013/05/17 06:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Lee T Lee Teresa T Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia. teresa.lee@unsw.edu.au
Crawford JD Crawford John D JD
Henry JD Henry Julie D JD
Trollor JN Trollor Julian N JN
Kochan NA Kochan Nicole A NA
Wright MJ Wright Margaret J MJ
Ames D Ames David D
Brodaty H Brodaty Henry H
Sachdev PS Sachdev Perminder S PS
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 26
ISSUE: 6
TITLE: Neuropsychology
ISOABBREVIATION: Neuropsychology
YEAR: 2012
MONTH: Nov
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Internet
ISSN:
ISSNTYPE:
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Neuropsychology
COUNTRY: United States
ISSNLINKING: 0894-4105
NLMUNIQUEID: 8904467
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Comparative Study
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twin Study
Validation Studies
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging psychology
Australia epidemiology
Cognition physiology
Cohort Studies physiology
Depression physiopathology
Executive Function physiology
Female physiology
Health Surveys physiology
Humans physiology
Male physiology
Memory, Episodic physiology
Neuropsychological Tests physiology
Registries physiology
Twin Studies as Topic physiology
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's