Normative Values of Cognitive and Physical Function in Older Adults: Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

Abstract

Objectives To provide normative values of tests of cognitive and physical function based on a large sample representative of the population of Ireland aged 50 and older. Design Data were used from the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a prospective cohort study that includes a comprehensive health assessment. Setting Health assessment was undertaken at one of two dedicated health assessment centers or in the study participant's home if travel was not practicable. Participants Five thousand eight hundred ninety‐seven members of a nationally representative sample of the community‐living population of Ireland aged 50 and older. Those with severe cognitive impairment, dementia, or Parkinson's disease were excluded. Measurements Measurements included height and weight, normal walking speed, Timed Up‐and‐Go, handgrip strength, Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Color Trails Test, and bone mineral density. Normative values were estimated using generalized additive models for location shape and scale (GAMLSS) and are presented as percentiles, means, and standard deviations. Results Generalized additive models for location shape and scale fit the observed data well for each measure, leading to reliable estimates of normative values. Performance on all tasks decreased with age. Educational attainment was a strong determinant of performance on all cognitive tests. Tests of walking speed were dependent on height. Distribution of body mass index did not change with age, owing to simultaneous declines in weight and height. Conclusion Normative values were found for tests of many aspects of cognitive and physical function based on a representative sample of the general older Irish population.

[P3–284]: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Normative Data From a Large Swedish Population‐based Cohort

“…Consistent with previous findings, older age was associated with lower scores [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][31][32][33][34][35]. We found a 1.0-point difference between the youngest (65-75) and oldest (75-85) groups; other studies have reported a difference of 0.6-2.4 points between similar age groups [13,[15][16][17]31].…”

“…We found a 1.0-point difference between the youngest (65-75) and oldest (75-85) groups; other studies have reported a difference of 0.6-2.4 points between similar age groups [13,[15][16][17]31]. Lower level of education was significantly associated with lower scores, correlating with results from other studies [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][31][32][33][34][35]. The difference in mean score was 1.4 points between the least and highest educated groups, in agreement with the original suggested method of adding an extra point for low education (≤12 years).…”

“…In a study by Larouche et al, in which mean scores were not presented, male sex was also a negative predictive factor in their regression model [12]. The Irish study by Kenny et al also found differences between men and women were statistically significant, however, relatively minor why they chose not to stratify after sex [35]. Given the effects of age, education, and gender, a sharp cut-off point as suggested in the original MoCA study [3] is not as optimal as when all factors are taken into account to evaluate the result.…”

Educational status influences cognitive-motor learning in older adults: going to university provides greater protection against aging than going to high school

“…dementia) 7 . The complex abilities of processing internal and environmental information, establishing and achieving goals, solving problems and making decisions are known as executive functions 12,13,14,15 . Highly-educated individuals have better performances on executive function tasks.…”

Variations in vitamin B12 and folate balance: implications for cognitive function? Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

“…Four categories were defined: normal B12/normal folate (total cobalamin >258 pmol/L, folate < = 45·3 nmol/L) low B12/normal folate (total cobalamin < = 258 pmol/L, folate < = 45·3 nmol/L), low B12/high folate (total cobalamin < = 258 pmol/L, folate >45·3 nmol/L), and normal B12/high folate (total cobalamin >258 pmol/L, folate >45·3 nmol/L). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and verbal fluency were used was used to assess cognitive performance (3) . Multiple regression analyses were used to examine relationship of each category with these measures of cognitive function.…”