Cardiometabolic burden and cognitive profiles in adults 55

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiometabolic risk factors are common in the U.S. and linked to cognitive decline.
• Understanding the impact of cardiometabolic burden on cognition is crucial for scientific and clinical insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the unique and combined effects of cardiometabolic burden on cognitive performance in older adults.
• To examine how increasing cardiometabolic burden influences specific cognitive domains.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 4222 older adults from the National Neuropsychology Network.
• Defined cardiometabolic burden using ICD-10 codes and assessed cognitive performance.
• Employed multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to analyze associations.

Main Results:

• Cognitive performance decreased with increasing cardiometabolic conditions.
• Attention, working memory, executive function, and visuoperceptual abilities were significantly impacted.
• Higher education was consistently associated with better cognitive scores across domains.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive function deteriorates with greater cardiometabolic burden.
• Educational attainment may play a protective role in cognitive health.
• Findings support the link between cardiometabolic risk management and cognitive well-being.