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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Human aging magnifies genetic effects on executive functioning and working memory.

Irene E Nagel1, Christian Chicherio, Shu-Chen Li

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin, Germany.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|October 30, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic variations in COMT and BDNF influence cognitive decline in aging. Specific COMT Val/Met polymorphisms, interacting with BDNF genotype, significantly impact executive functions and memory in older adults.

Keywords:
agingdopamineexecutive functionsgenesprefrontal cortex

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Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

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Published on: September 20, 2020

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Cognitive Aging

Background:

  • Cognitive functioning shows significant heterogeneity in old age.
  • Genetic factors are increasingly recognized for their role in cognitive aging.
  • Dopamine (DA) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are crucial for cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of common genetic polymorphisms to cognitive heterogeneity in aging.
  • To examine the effects of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) and BDNF genotypes on cognitive performance in older adults.
  • To explore the interaction between COMT and BDNF genotypes in modulating cognitive functions.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed two common Val/Met polymorphisms: one affecting the COMT enzyme and another influencing BDNF protein.
  • Utilized two cognitive tasks: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and spatial working memory.
  • Analyzed the interaction between COMT and BDNF genotypes and their effects on cognitive performance in an aging cohort.

Main Results:

  • COMT genotype effects on cognitive performance were magnified in old age.
  • BDNF genotype modulated the effects of COMT on cognitive performance.
  • Older individuals with COMT Val homozygotes and BDNF Met carriers exhibited particularly low performance.

Conclusions:

  • Common genetic polymorphisms, specifically COMT and BDNF, contribute significantly to cognitive heterogeneity in aging.
  • The age-associated magnification of COMT effects highlights the inverted U-shaped relationship between prefrontal cortex (PFC) dopamine and cognition.
  • Gene-gene interactions between COMT and BDNF provide insights into the interplay of frontal and medial-temporal circuitries in executive functions and working memory.