Sex/gender differences in cognitive trajectories vary as a function of race/ethnicity

Abstract

Introduction:The present study sought to determine whether cognitive trajectories differ between men and women across and within racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Participants were 5258 non-Hispanic White (NHW), Black, and Hispanic men and women in the Washington/Hamilton Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project who were administered neuropsychological tests of memory, language, and visuospatial abilities at 18-to 24-month intervals for up to 25 years. Multiple-group latent growth curve modeling examined trajectories across sex/gender by race/ethnicity. Results: After adjusting for age and education, the largest baseline differences were between NHW men and Hispanic women on visuospatial and language, and between NHW women and Black men on memory. Memory and visuospatial decline was steeper for Black women compared with Hispanic men and NHW women, respectively. Discussion: This study takes an important first step in understanding interactions between race/ ethnicity and sex/gender on cognitive trajectories by demonstrating variability in sex/gender differences across race/ethnicity.

Education differentially contributes to cognitive reserve across racial/ethnic groups

“…Whites in the 2005 imaging sample had higher rates of incident dementia and MCI than White WHICAP participants who did not receive imaging. This might explain why racial/ethnic differences in rate of decline were inconsistent with previous work in the larger WHICAP sample, showing steeper rates of memory and language decline in Hispanics compared with Whites 44 . However, the relationship between growth parameters and educational attainment was similar for the current sample and larger WHICAP sample within each racial/ethnic group.…”

Sex Differences in Cognitive Decline Among US Adults

“…We did not have information on participants’ instrumental activities of daily living, family history of dementia, and hormone replacement therapy use. While the assumption that participants’ postmortem cognitive data are missing at random might lead to immortal cohort bias and underestimate memory declines, 60 it is valid to answer the research question quantifying sex differences in cognitive trajectories through study follow-up. Women might have had a greater likelihood of regressing to a lower value than men at follow-up because they had higher baseline cognitive function than men.…”

Evaluation of Selective Survival and Sex/Gender Differences in Dementia Incidence Using a Simulation Model

“…Future simulation work could evaluate roles of selective survival and selective study participation on estimates of sex/gender differences in dementia subtypes, pathological mechanisms associated with dementia, and effects of risk factors on dementia and pathological mechanisms associated with dementia. There is limited research on sex/gender differences in dementia in racially/ethnically diverse populations; however, a 2019 study by Avila et al 41 suggested that sex/gender differences in cognitive performance may vary by race/ethnicity. Simulations in this study were calibrated to all-cause dementia incidence from the ACT study, 7 a sample comprising predominantly non-Latino White participants.…”