Cognitive Aging Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 28, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 29;12(1):14700. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18928-9.
The association between adversity and cognition varies according to the specific adversity, when the adversity was experienced, and the cognitive domains investigated. Disentangling the effect of adversity and the underlying mechanistic pathway is therefore difficult. The association between adversity (i.e., maltreatment) accumulated over the life course and cognitive flexibility, as well as two potential mediators (i.e., intra-individual variability in reaction time and depression) of this association, were investigated. Data stem from the baseline population of the UK Biobank study (N = 73,489, Mdn = 56, SD = 7.628, 55.740% of women). Cumulative life course adversity (specifically maltreatment) was measured with items based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTS-5) and items adapted from the British Crime Survey. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Intra-individual variability in reaction time was measured with a reaction time test "snap game" and the Trail Making Test A and B were used as a measure of cognitive flexibility. A path analysis was performed on these data. Higher cumulative adverse experiences were associated with lower performance in cognitive flexibility (β = .016, p < .001, 95% CI [0.009, 0.024]), and this effect was partly mediated by the level of depression (22.727% of the total effect of cumulative life course adversity on cognitive flexibility was mediated by depression (β = .005, p < .001, 95% CI [0.004, 0.007])). No association between cumulative life course adverse experiences and intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, nor was any indirect association between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time. The association between cumulative life course adversity, depression, and performance in cognitive flexibility has been highlighted. In contrast, no indirect effect between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, suggesting that it is not a potential mechanism underlying the association between cumulative life course adversity and executive function.
逆境与认知之间的关系因具体的逆境、逆境发生的时间以及所研究的认知领域而异。因此，要理清逆境和潜在机制途径的影响是很困难的。本研究调查了一生中积累的逆境（即虐待）与认知灵活性之间的关系，以及该关联的两个潜在中介因素（即个体内反应时变异性和抑郁）。数据来自英国生物银行研究的基线人群（N=73489，中位数=56，标准差=7.628，55.740%为女性）。累积的生活逆境（特别是虐待）是通过基于儿童创伤问卷（CTS-5）的项目和英国犯罪调查中改编的项目来衡量的。抑郁是用患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）来评估的。个体内反应时变异性是通过反应时测试“快照游戏”来衡量的，而 Trail Making Test A 和 B 则用于衡量认知灵活性。对这些数据进行了路径分析。较高的累积不良经历与认知灵活性表现较差（β=0.016，p<0.001，95%CI[0.009，0.024]）有关，而这种影响部分是由抑郁水平介导的（累积生活经历对认知灵活性的总影响的 22.727%是由抑郁介导的（β=0.005，p<0.001，95%CI[0.004，0.007]））。未发现累积生活经历逆境与反应时个体内变异性之间存在关联，也未发现累积生活经历逆境与认知灵活性表现之间存在通过反应时个体内变异性的间接关联。强调了累积生活经历逆境、抑郁与认知灵活性表现之间的关系。相比之下，未发现累积生活经历逆境与认知灵活性表现之间存在通过反应时个体内变异性的间接影响，这表明反应时个体内变异性不是累积生活经历逆境与执行功能之间关联的潜在机制。
