Abstract
Objective: Older adults with exceptional memory function, designated SuperAgers, include individuals over age 80, with episodic memory at least as good as individuals ages 50s-60s. The Northwestern University SuperAging cohort is defined by performance on an established test of verbal memory. The purpose of this study was to determine if superior verbal memory extends to nonverbal memory in SuperAgers by examining differences in the National Institutes of Health Toolbox® (NIHTB) between older adults with exceptional memory and those with average-for-age cognition. Method: SuperAgers (n = 46) and cognitively average-for-age older adults (n = 31) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and the NIHTB Cognition module. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine differences on subtests between groups. Results: There was a significant effect of group on the Picture Sequence Memory score, (p = .007), such that SuperAgers had higher scores than cognitively average-for-age older adults. There were no other group effects across other non-episodic memory NIHTB Cognition measures. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrated stronger performance on the memory measure of the NIHTB in SuperAgers compared to cognitively average-for-age older adults demonstrating superior memory in not only verbal but also nonverbal episodic memory in this group. Additionally, this study adds to the literature validating the NIHTB in older adults, particularly in a novel population of adults over age 80 with exceptional memory.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 230-234 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 28 2023 |
Funding
Research reported in this publication was supported, in part, by the following National Institutes of Health (NIH): the National Institute on Aging [NIA; award numbers R01AG045571, R56AG045571, R01AG067781, E. Rogalski; P30 AG13854, R. Vassar), the Institutional National Research Service Award (T32 AG020506, R. Vassar, trainee: T. Karpouzian-Rogers), and the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS; award number U54 NS092089, R. D’Aquila). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Keywords
- NIH Toolbox
- SuperAgers
- cognition
- dementia
- memory
- normal aging
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Clinical Psychology
- General Neuroscience