The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Xiang N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8392527 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundThe negative impacts of spousal bereavement on the emotional health of the elderly (e.g., depression and anxiety) have been revealed. However, whether widowhood impairs emotional cognition among the elderly is less known. The purpose of this study is to reveal the emotional cognitive deficits among the widowed elderly.MethodsIn this study, we recruited 44 widowed elderly (WE) and 44 elder couples (non-widowed elderly, NWE) and examined their emotional cognition including attention and visual working memory, which were measured by the visual search task and delayed-match-to-sample task, respectively. Three kinds of emotional faces (i.e., sad, angry, and happy) were adopted as the attentional or mnemonic targets.ResultsIt revealed that WE had a general deficit in search efficiency across emotional types, while they showed mnemonic deficits in negative faces but not positive faces. Furthermore, the modeling analysis revealed that the level of depression or state anxiety of the elderly moderated the effects of widowhood on the deficits of mnemonic processing, i.e., the deficits were only evident among WE with the high level of depression or state anxiety.ConclusionThese findings reveal the attentional deficits in sad, angry, and happy faces and the mnemonic deficits in sad and angry faces among elderly who suffer from widowhood and point out the important role of emotional problems such as depression and state anxiety in modulating these emotional cognitive deficits.
| S-EPMC8841410 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify the factors affecting the cognitive function of elderly people in a community by gender.MethodsWe obtained 4,878 secondary data of people aged ≥65 years in 2016 at a dementia prevention center in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Data were obtained through Mini-Mental Status Examination optimized for screening dementia and a questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and hierarchical regression.ResultsThere were significant differences in cognitive function according to gender, and the differences were significant even when age was controlled, but gender differences disappeared when education was controlled. Age, education, social activities, number of comorbid diseases, and alcohol drinking affected cognitive function through interaction with gender, but interaction with gender disappeared when education was controlled. Regression analysis showed that depression, cohabitant, social activities etc., had a significant impact on both men and women under controlled education and age. In men, the effect of social activities was greater than that of women, and hyperlipidemia had the effect only in women.ConclusionsThe differences in gender-related cognitive functions were due to differences in gender education period. The period of education is considered to have a great influence on cognitive function in relation to the economic level, occupation, and social activity.
| S-EPMC5790979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study investigated the gender differences in deception and their neural basis in the perspective of two-person neuroscience. Both male and female dyads were asked to perform a face-to-face spontaneous sender-receiver deception task, while their neural activities in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right temporal parietal junction (rTPJ) were recorded simultaneously using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning. Male and female dyads displayed similar deception rate, successful deception rate, and eye contact in deception trials. Moreover, eye contact in deception trials was positively correlated with the success rate of deception in both genders. The fNIRS data showed that the interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) in PFC was significantly enhanced only in female dyads when performed the deception task, while INS in rTPJ was increased only in male dyads. Such INS was correlated with the success rate of deception in both dyads. Granger causality analysis showed that no significant directionality between time series of PFC (or rTPJ) in each dyad, which could indicate that sender and receiver played equally important role during deception task. Finally, enhanced INS in PFC in female dyads mediated the contribution of eye contact to the success rate of deception. All findings in this study suggest that differential patterns of INS are recruited when male and female dyads perform the face-to-face deception task. To our knowledge, this is the first interbrain evidence for gender difference of successful deception, which could make us a deeper understanding of spontaneous face-to-face deception.
| S-EPMC7643389 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To analyse the independent and combined associations of postlunch napping duration and night-time sleep duration with risk of cognitive impairment among Chinese elderly. DESIGN:A cross-sectional study. SETTING:We analysed the data from Zhejiang Ageing and Health Cohort, a population-based survey of seven counties located in Zhejiang province in eastern China. PARTICIPANTS:10 740 participants aged 60 years or older were included in final analysis. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:Cognitive impairment was assessed through Mini-Mental State Examination. Data on sleep-related characteristics was collected in the behavioural habits section within the questionnaire. RESULTS:Relative to participants with 1-30?min of postlunch napping, those who did not nap and who napped longer had significantly higher risks for cognitive impairment. OR of cognitive impairment were 1.41 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.75) for participants with longer night-time sleep duration (?9?hours), compared with those sleeping 7-8.9?hours. In addition, combined effects were further identified. Participants with both longer night-time sleep duration (?9?hours) and longer postlunch napping duration (>60?min) (OR=2.01, 95%?CI 1.30 to 3.13), as well as those with both longer night-time sleep duration (?9?hours) and appropriate postlunch napping duration (1-30?min) (OR=2.01, 95%?CI 1.20 to 3.38), showed significantly higher risk of cognitive impairment than those with sleeping 7-8?hours and napping 1-30?min. Meanwhile, a 34% increase in odds of cognitive impairment was observed in participants with both shorter night-time sleep duration (5-6.9?hours) and no napping. CONCLUSION:Both postlunch napping duration and night-time sleep duration were independently and jointly associated with cognitive impairment, which needs verification in prospective studies.
| S-EPMC6303738 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives: To explore associations of dietary diversity with cognitive function among Chinese elderly.Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011-2012, data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models.Setting: community-based setting in the 23 provinces in China.Subjects: 8,571 elderly participants, including 2984 younger elderly aged 65-79 and 5587 oldest old aged 80+ participated in this study.Measurement: Intake frequencies of food groups was collected and dietary diversity (DD) was assessed based on the mean of DD score. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and cognitive impairment was defined using education-based cutoffs. Information about socio-demographics, lifestyles, resilience and health status was also collected.Results: Poor dietary diversity was significantly associated with cognitive function, with ? (95% CI) of -0.11(-0.14, -0.08) for -log (31-MMSE score) and odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.29 (1.14, 1.47) for cognitive impairment. Interaction effect of age with DD was observed on cognitive impairment (P interaction=0.018), but not on -log (31-MMSE score) (P interaction=0.08). Further separate analysis showed that poor DD was significantly associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment in the oldest old (p<0.01), with odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.34 (1.17, 1.54), while not in the younger elderly (p>0.05), with OR (95% CI) being 1.09 (0.80, 1.47) in the fully adjusted model. Similar results were obtained when DD was categorized into four groups.Conclusions: Poor dietary diversity was associated with worse global cognitive function among Chinese elderly, and particularly for the oldest old. This finding would be very meaningful for prevention of cognitive impairment.
| S-EPMC5726290 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Few studies has investigated the interrelationship between Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and coronary heart disease (CHD) especially in Asians. AIP is the logarithmically transformed ratio of triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and is thought to be associated with arteriosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Of the 463 patients from Central Hospital of Nanchong in 2011-2014 diagnosed with angiograms, 229 CHD (>50% stenosis in one or more arteries) and the rest 234 were the controls (maximum stenosis < 10% in any artery) according to the world health organization (who) diagnostic criteria. The multiple regression analysis showed that AIP was independently associated with CHD in men (odds ratio (OR) = 4.44, 95%CI 1.62-12.21, P = 0.004) after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose(FBG), homocysteine (Hcy), and smoking, but not in women (OR = 0.47, 95%CI 0.11-2.08, P = 0.318). Subgroup analysis showed that the significant difference in AIP between the CHD and the controls only exists in patients with multi-vessel lesions but not in those with single-vessel lesion. Further large-scale studies with balanced sex ratio and vessel lesion numbers should verify the present findings.
| S-EPMC5643382 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Reefs and people at riskIncreasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere put shallow, warm-water coral reef ecosystems, and the people who depend upon them at risk from two key global environmental stresses: 1) elevated sea surface temperature (that can cause coral bleaching and related mortality), and 2) ocean acidification. These global stressors: cannot be avoided by local management, compound local stressors, and hasten the loss of ecosystem services. Impacts to people will be most grave where a) human dependence on coral reef ecosystems is high, b) sea surface temperature reaches critical levels soonest, and c) ocean acidification levels are most severe. Where these elements align, swift action will be needed to protect people's lives and livelihoods, but such action must be informed by data and science.An indicator approachDesigning policies to offset potential harm to coral reef ecosystems and people requires a better understanding of where CO2-related global environmental stresses could cause the most severe impacts. Mapping indicators has been proposed as a way of combining natural and social science data to identify policy actions even when the needed science is relatively nascent. To identify where people are at risk and where more science is needed, we map indicators of biological, physical and social science factors to understand how human dependence on coral reef ecosystems will be affected by globally-driven threats to corals expected in a high-CO2 world. Western Mexico, Micronesia, Indonesia and parts of Australia have high human dependence and will likely face severe combined threats. As a region, Southeast Asia is particularly at risk. Many of the countries most dependent upon coral reef ecosystems are places for which we have the least robust data on ocean acidification. These areas require new data and interdisciplinary scientific research to help coral reef-dependent human communities better prepare for a high CO2 world.
| S-EPMC5102364 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Numerous benefits of green tea have been reported. However, the effects of green tea on cognitive function remain disputable and the mechanism is still unclear. Objective: To investigate the relationship of green tea consumption with cognitive function and related blood biomarkers among Chinese middle-aged and elderly people. Methods: A total of 264 participants aged 50-70 years old were enrolled from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. They were interviewed about green tea consumption patterns and underwent neuropsychological tests covering five main cognitive domains to assess cognition including Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the other 10 scales. Then we detected serum oxidative stress biomarkers including Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Glutathione Reductase (GR), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) markers including β-amyloid (Aβ)40, Aβ42, and phosphorylated tau-181 (pTau181). Results: In the tea-consuming group, the MoCA scores (P = 0.000), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) immediate recall (P = 0.012) and delayed recall (P = 0.013) were significantly higher while Trail Making Test-B (P = 0.005) and Victoria Stroop test interference (P = 0.000) were lower. In terms of oxidative stress markers, the tea-consuming group had lower serum MDA levels (P = 0.002) and higher serum SOD (P = 0.005) and GPx (P = 0.007) levels. In terms of AD markers, serum pTau181 (P < 0.000), Aβ42 (P = 0.019) and total Aβ levels (P = 0.034) but not serum Aβ40 levels, were lower in the tea-consuming group. In the logistic regression analysis, there was a significant negative correlation between green tea consumption and cognitive impairment (OR = 0.26, 95 % CI 0.13 0.52 for high group). Conclusion: Regular green tea consumption is associated with better cognitive function among Chinese middle-aged and elderly people, mainly reflected in memory and executive function. It may achieve protective effects by reducing AD-related pathology and improving anti-oxidative stress capacity and higher levels of tea consumption have a stronger protective effect.
| S-EPMC9389233 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Previous research has shown that psychometrically assessed cognitive abilities are predictive of achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) even in highly selected samples. Spatial ability, in particular, has been found to be crucial for success in STEM, though its role relative to other abilities has been shown mostly when assessed years before entering higher STEM education. Furthermore, the role of spatial ability for mathematics in higher STEM education has been markedly understudied, although math is central across STEM domains. We investigated whether ability differences among students who entered higher STEM education were predictive of achievements during the first undergraduate year. We assessed 317 undergraduate students in Switzerland (150 from mechanical engineering and 167 from math-physics) on multiple measures of spatial, verbal and numerical abilities. In a structural equation model, we estimated the effects of latent ability factors on students' achievements on a range of first year courses. Although ability-test scores were mostly at the upper scale range, differential effects on achievements were found: spatial ability accounted for achievements in an engineering design course beyond numerical, verbal and general reasoning abilities, but not for math and physics achievements. Math and physics achievements were best predicted by numerical, verbal and general reasoning abilities. Broadly, the results provide evidence for the predictive power of individual differences in cognitive abilities even within highly competent groups. More specifically, the results suggest that spatial ability's role in advanced STEM learning, at least in math-intensive subjects, is less critical than numerical and verbal reasoning abilities.
| S-EPMC6480791 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Numerous epidemiological reports have found that adolescent, young adult, and middle-aged adult girls and women are more likely to be diagnosed with unipolar depression and report greater symptoms of depression when compared to boys and men of similar ages. What is less well-known is whether this gender difference persists into late life. This literature review examines whether the well-known gender difference in unipolar depression continues into old age, and, if it does, whether the variables that are known to contribute to the gender difference in unipolar depression from adolescence through adulthood continue to contribute to the gender difference in the elderly, and/or whether there are new variables that arise in old age and contribute to the gender difference in the elderly. In this review of 85 empirical studies from every continent except for Antarctica, we find substantial support for the gender difference in depression in individuals who are 60 and older. More research is necessary to determine which factors are the strongest predictors of the gender difference in depression in late life, and particularly whether the factors that seem to be responsible for the gender difference in depression in earlier life stages continue to predict the gender difference in the elderly, and/or whether new factors come into play in late life. Longitudinal research, meta-analyses, and model-based investigations of predictors of the gender difference in depression are needed to provide insights into how and why the gender difference in depression persists in older age.
| S-EPMC6371140 | biostudies-literature