Gunstad John, Paul Robert H, Brickman Adam M, Cohen Ronald A, Arns Martijn, Roe Donald, Lawrence Jeffery J, Gordon Evian
Department of Psychiatry, Brown Medical School, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2006 Jun;19(2):59-64. doi: 10.1177/0891988705284738.
Cognitive decline in speeded abilities, executive function, and memory is believed to typify normal aging. However, there is significant variability in cognitive function with advanced age and some reports of relatively intact cognitive function among a subset of older individuals. The present study consists of a cluster analysis to examine the patterns of cognitive function in middle-aged and older individuals. Analyses revealed 3 clusters of middle-aged adults, including an intact group, persons with poor motor speed, and a group with reduced executive function. Three clusters were also identified for older adults, including a group with poor executive function, persons with reduced speed performance (attention, executive function, motor), and a group with global cognitive decline. No evidence emerged for a cluster of older adults with intact performance in all domains or with isolated memory deficits. Findings generally support the frontal aging hypothesis and may provide important information about healthy cognitive aging.
在快速能力、执行功能和记忆方面的认知衰退被认为是正常衰老的典型特征。然而，随着年龄增长，认知功能存在显著差异，并且有一些报告称在一部分老年人中认知功能相对完好。本研究包括一项聚类分析，以检验中年人和老年人的认知功能模式。分析揭示了中年成年人的3个聚类，包括一个功能完好组、运动速度差的人以及执行功能减退的组。老年人也被分为3个聚类，包括执行功能差的组、速度表现（注意力、执行功能、运动）减退的人以及整体认知衰退的组。没有证据表明存在一个在所有领域表现完好或仅有孤立记忆缺陷的老年人群体。研究结果总体上支持额叶衰老假说，并可能提供有关健康认知衰老的重要信息。
