Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 53, Issue 5 P311-P317, Copyright © 1998 by The Gerontological Society of America
Longitudinal and genetic effects in the relationship between pulmonary function and cognitive performance
CF Emery, NL Pedersen, M Svartengren and GE McClearn
Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA. [email protected]
Previous studies have found cognitive deficits in patients with impaired
pulmonary function, and recent data from healthy older adults suggest an
association of pulmonary function with cognitive function. This 6-year
longitudinal study evaluated genetic and environmental sources of
covariation in the association of pulmonary function and cognitive
performance. The sample included 222 Swedish twin pairs (60% women) with a
mean age of 62.3 (+/- 7.7) years (age range: 40-84). Hierarchical multiple
regression analyses, controlling for the effects of age, gender, and
height, were employed to predict performance on cognitive tests of fluid
intelligence (Digit Symbol, Block Design, Digit Span-Backward) and
crystallized intelligence (Information) from forced expiratory volume in
one second (FEV1). Bivariate cross-twin correlations were used to evaluate
the contribution of genetic and environmental factors in the association of
pulmonary function and cognitive performance. Results indicated that FEV1
predicted performance on tests of fluid intelligence but not crystallized
intelligence at the initial assessment and at the 6-year follow-up.
Cross-twin correlational analyses indicated that genetic effects accounted
for a greater share of the association of pulmonary function and cognitive
performance than environmental effects, but environment also accounted for
a substantial share of the covariance.
