The effect of age on executive functions in adults is not sex specific.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc
; 30(5): 489-498, 2024 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38221864
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Numerous studies have shown a decrease in executive functions (EF) associated with aging. However, few investigations examined whether this decrease is similar between sexes throughout adulthood. The present study investigated if age-related decline in EF differs between men and women from early to late adulthood.METHODS:
A total of 302 participants (181 women) aged between 18 and 78 years old completed four computer-based cognitive tasks at home an arrow-based Flanker task, a letter-based Visual search task, the Trail Making Test, and the Corsi task. These tasks measured inhibition, attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, respectively. To investigate the potential effects of age, sex, and their interaction on specific EF and a global EF score, we divided the sample population into five age groups (i.e., 18-30, 31-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-78) and conducted analyses of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA) with education and pointing device as control variables.RESULTS:
Sex did not significantly affect EF performance across age groups. However, in every task, participants from the three youngest groups (< 55 y/o) outperformed the ones from the two oldest. Results from the global score also suggest that an EF decrease is distinctly noticeable from 55 years old onward.CONCLUSION:
Our results suggest that age-related decline in EF, including inhibition, attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, becomes apparent around the age of 55 and does not differ between sexes at any age. This study provides additional data regarding the effects of age and sex on EF across adulthood, filling a significant gap in the existing literature.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Envelhecimento
/
Caracteres Sexuais
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Função Executiva
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Int Neuropsychol Soc
/
J. Int. Neuropsychol. Soc
/
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá