[Relationship between performance on the Digital Trail Making Peg test and cognitive function in older adults].

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Cognitive decline is a significant concern in aging populations.
• Objective measures are needed to assess cognitive function in older adults.
• The Digital Trail Making Peg test (DTMP) is a novel tool for evaluating cognitive performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between performance on the Digital Trail Making Peg test (DTMP) and overall cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.
• To identify which specific DTMP performance metrics are most strongly associated with cognitive function.

Main Methods:

• 203 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 76.4 years) were assessed using a five-cog test for cognitive function.
• DTMP performance was measured by completion time, number of errors, and intra-individual variability (CV, IEV).
• Spearman's rank correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to examine associations, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

• DTMP completion time showed a significant negative correlation with cognitive function (ρ = -0.479, P < 0.01).
• Intra-individual variability measures, specifically IEV, also showed a significant negative correlation with cognitive function (ρ = -0.316, P < 0.01).
• Multiple regression confirmed completion time (β = -0.566), CV (β = 0.164), and IEV (β = 2.736) as significant predictors of cognitive function scores.

Conclusions:

• Faster DTMP completion time is indicative of better overall cognitive function in older adults.
• While completion time is a strong indicator, the role of intra-individual variability (CV, IEV) in cognitive function requires further investigation due to inconsistent findings.