Lifestyle and factors of vascular and metabolic health and inflammation are associated with sensorineural-neurocognitive aging in older adults.

This study's aim was to identify risk factors associated with sensorineural and neurocognitive function (brain aging) in older adults. In N = 1,478 Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study participants (aged 64-100 years, 59% women), we conducted sensorineural and cognitive tests, which were combined into a summary measure using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Participants with a PCA score <-1 standard deviation (SD) were considered to have brain aging. Incident brain aging was defined as PCA score <-1 SD at 5-year follow-up among participants who had a PCA score ≥-1 SD at baseline. Logistic regression and Poisson models were used to estimate associations between baseline risk factors of lifestyle, vascular and metabolic health, and inflammation and prevalent or incident brain aging, respectively. In an age-sex adjusted multivariable model, not consuming alcohol (odds ratio(OR) = 1.77, 95% confidence Interval (CI) = 1.18,2.66), higher interleukin-6 levels (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03,1.64), and depressive symptoms (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.63,3.67) were associated with a higher odds of having brain aging, while higher education had protective effects (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.33,0.94). A history of stroke, arterial stiffness, and obesity were associated with an increased risk of developing brain aging during the five years of follow-up. Lifestyle, vascular, metabolic and inflammatory factors were associated with brain aging in older adults, which adds to the evidence of shared pathways for sensorineural and neurocognitive declines in aging. Targeting these shared central processing etiological factors with interventions may lead to retention of better neurological function, benefiting multiple systems, i.e., hearing, smell, and cognition, ultimately helping older adults retain independence and higher quality of life longer.

The Association of Psychological Well-Being With Sensory and Cognitive Function and Neuronal Health in Aging Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Psychological well-being (PWB) may be a potential modifiable risk factor of age-related diseases. We aimed to determine associations of PWB with sensorineural and cognitive function and neuronal health in middle-aged adults. METHODS: This study included 2039 Beaver Dam Offspring Study participants. We assessed PWB, hearing, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity impairment, olfactory impairment, cognition, and retinal (macular ganglion cell inner-plexiform layer, mGCIPL) thickness. Age-sex-education-adjusted multivariable linear, logistic regression, and generalized estimating equation models were used and then further adjusted for health-related confounders. RESULTS: Individuals with higher PWB had better hearing functions, visual acuity, and thicker mGCIPL and reduced odds for hearing, contrast sensitivity and olfactory impairment in age-sex-education-adjusted models. Effects on mGCIPL and visual and olfactory measures decreased with adjustment. Higher PWB was associated with better cognition, better combined sensorineural-cognitive function, and decreased cognitive impairment. DISCUSSION: Psychological well-being was associated with sensorineural-cognitive health indicating a potential of PWB interventions for healthy aging.