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ERIC Number: EJ733943
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 23
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0091-4150
EISSN: N/A
Surprising Lack of Sex Differences in Normal Cognitive Aging in Twins
Finkel, Deborah; Reynolds, Chandra A.; Berg, Stig; Pedersen, Nancy L.
International Journal of Aging and Human Development, v62 n4 p335-357 2006
Sex differences in the etiology of normal cognitive functioning in aging remain largely unexplored. We conducted an investigation of genetic and environmental contributions to sex differences in level of cognitive performance and rate of decline in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) (Finkel & Pedersen, 2004) data set. Behavioral genetic parameterizations of a latent growth curve model were fit to longitudinal data on 11 cognitive measures. Seven hundred and ninety-eight non-demented individuals had cognitive data across four waves of measurement covering 13 years. Participants ranged in age from 44 to 88 at first testing wave; 60% were female. Results indicated sex differences in mean performance for five cognitive measures and in rates of decline for Information and Card Rotations. Only Synonyms demonstrated sex differences in genetic and environmental contributions to mean performance: heritability was higher in men than women. Despite differential longevity and susceptibility to disease, there are no consistent indications that men and women show different patterns of cognitive aging.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A