Centre for Research in Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement, Coventry University, UK.
School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Coventry University, UK.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Jan 1;74(1):47-51. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx065.
This study replicates and extends the findings of previous research (Wright, H., & Jenks, R. A. (2016). Sex on the brain! Associations between sexual activity and cognitive function in older age. Age and Ageing, 45, 313-317. doi:10.1093/ageing/afv197) which found a significant association between sexual activity (SA) and cognitive function in older adults. Specifically, this study aimed to generalize these findings to a range of cognitive domains, and to assess whether increasing SA frequency is associated with increasing scores on a variety of cognitive tasks.
Seventy-three participants aged 50-83 years took part in the study (38.4% male, 61.6% female). Participants completed the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III) cognitive assessment and a questionnaire on SA frequency (never, monthly, or weekly), and general health and lifestyle.
Weekly SA was a significant predictor of total ACE-III, fluency, and visuospatial scores in regression models, including age, gender, education, and cardiovascular health.
Greater frequency of SA was associated with better overall ACE-III scores and scores on subtests of verbal fluency and visuospatial ability. Both of these tasks involve working memory and executive function, and links between sexual behavior, memory, and dopamine are discussed. The findings have implications for the maintenance of intimate relationships in later life.
本研究复制并扩展了先前研究（Wright，H.，& Jenks，R. A.（2016）。大脑中的性！老年性行为与认知功能的关联。年龄与衰老，45，313-317.doi：10.1093/ageing/afv197）的发现，即性行为（SA）与老年人的认知功能之间存在显著关联。具体而言，本研究旨在将这些发现推广到一系列认知领域，并评估增加 SA 频率是否与各种认知任务得分的增加相关。
73 名年龄在 50-83 岁的参与者参加了这项研究（38.4%为男性，61.6%为女性）。参与者完成了 Addenbrooke 的认知测验-III（ACE-III）认知评估以及关于 SA 频率（从未、每月或每周）以及一般健康和生活方式的问卷。
在回归模型中，每周 SA 是 ACE-III 总分、流畅性和视空间分数的显著预测因子，包括年龄、性别、教育和心血管健康。
SA 频率越高，ACE-III 总分和言语流畅性及视空间能力测验的分数越高。这两个任务都涉及工作记忆和执行功能，讨论了性行为、记忆和多巴胺之间的联系。研究结果对晚年保持亲密关系具有启示意义。
