Correspondence should be addressed to Aisling O'Halloran, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), Department of Medical Gerontology, Lincoln Gate, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland. E-mail:
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2014 Mar;69(2):147-56. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbt009. Epub 2013 Mar 22.
We investigated whether sustained attention performance and variability were associated with prefrailty and frailty in the older adult population.
A total of 4,317 participants aged 50 years and over from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) completed a comprehensive health assessment. Frailty was defined by low gait speed, low grip strength, unintentional weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, and low physical activity. Scores of greater than or equal to 3, 1-2, and 0 indicated that participants were frail, prefrail, and nonfrail, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression computed associations between frailty state and measures of performance and variability on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). Cognitive processing speed and executive function were also measured.
Mean reaction time (RT; odds ratio [OR] = 1.13, p < .05) and RT variability reflective of the top-down aspect of sustained attention (OR = 1.11, p < .05) were associated with prefrailty in the 50-64 age group. Mean RT (OR = 1.72, p < .05) was associated with frailty and RT variability (OR = 1.22, p < .01) with prefrailty in the 65+ age group. Results remained significant following adjustments for cognitive processing speed, executive function, chronic conditions, medications, age, and gender.
Sustained attention performance and variability were associated with prefrailty and frailty in the older adult population and may represent a novel, objective, and modifiable cognitive marker of frailty progression.
我们研究了在老年人中，持续注意力表现和变异性是否与虚弱前期和虚弱有关。
共有 4317 名年龄在 50 岁及以上的参与者完成了爱尔兰老龄化纵向研究（TILDA）的全面健康评估。虚弱由低步速、低握力、非故意体重减轻、自我报告的疲劳和低体力活动定义。得分大于或等于 3、1-2 和 0 分别表示参与者是虚弱、虚弱前期和非虚弱。多项逻辑回归计算了虚弱状态与持续注意力反应任务（SART）的表现和变异性测量值之间的关联。还测量了认知处理速度和执行功能。
平均反应时间（RT；优势比[OR] = 1.13，p <.05）和反映持续注意力自上而下方面的 RT 变异性（OR = 1.11，p <.05）与 50-64 岁年龄组的虚弱前期有关。平均 RT（OR = 1.72，p <.05）与虚弱以及 RT 变异性（OR = 1.22，p <.01）与 65 岁及以上年龄组的虚弱前期有关。在调整认知处理速度、执行功能、慢性疾病、药物、年龄和性别后，结果仍然显著。
持续注意力表现和变异性与老年人的虚弱前期和虚弱有关，可能代表一种新的、客观的、可改变的虚弱进展认知标志物。
