Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life - Findings from the Nun Study
Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life - Findings from the Nun Study
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DOI：
10.1001/jama.275.7.528
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发表时间：
1996-02-21
影响因子：
120.7
通讯作者：
Markesbery, WR
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Snowdon, DA;Kemper, SJ;Markesbery, WR
目标。目的：确定生命早期的语言能力是否与晚年的认知功能和阿尔茨海默病有关。对早期语言能力的两项衡量标准——思想密度和语法复杂性——来自平均22岁时写的自传。大约58年后，写这些自传的女性参加了一项认知功能评估，随后死亡的女性接受了神经病理学评估。-参与修女研究的美国修道院；主要是威斯康星州密尔沃基地区的修道院。研究人员调查了93名年龄在75岁至95岁之间的参与者的认知功能，并调查了14名年龄在79岁至96岁之间死亡的参与者的阿尔茨海默病。主要结果测量。-七项神经心理学测试和神经病理学证实阿尔茨海默病。-早年写的自传的低思想密度和低语法复杂性与晚年的认知测试分数低相关，与低语法复杂性相比，早年的低思想密度与认知功能差有更强、更一致的联系。在死亡的14名姐妹中，神经病理学证实，所有早期思想密度低的人都患有阿尔茨海默病，而思想密度高的人则没有。-早期语言能力低下是晚年认知功能低下和阿尔茨海默病的重要预测因素。
Objective.-To determine if linguistic ability in early life is associated with cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life.Design.- Two measures of linguistic ability in early life, idea density and grammatical complexity, were derived from autobiographies written at a mean age of 22 yearr. Approximately 58 years later, the women who wrote these autobiographies participated in an assessment of cognitive function, and those who subsequently died were evaluated neuropathologically,Setting.-Convents in the United States participating in the Nun Study; primarily convents in the Milwaukee, Wis, area.Participants.-Cognitive function was investigated in 93 participants who were aged 75 to 95 years at the time of their assessments, and Alzheimer's disease was investigated in the 14 participants who died at 79 to 96 years of age.Main Outcome Measures.-Seven neuropsychological tests and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease.Results.-Low idea density and low grammatical complexity in autobiographies written in early life were associated with low cognitive test scores in late life, Low idea density in early life had stronger and more consistent associations with poor cognitive function than did low grammatical complexity. Among the 14 sisters who died, neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease was present in all of those with low idea density in early life and in none of those with high idea density.Conclusions.-Low linguistic ability in early life was a strong predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life.