Social support and verbal interaction are differentially associated with cognitive function in midlife and older age.

ABSTRACT: Social engagement is associated with healthy aging and preserved cognition. Two dimensions of engagement, verbal interactions and perceived support, likely impact cognition via distinct mechanistic pathways. We explored the cognitive benefit of each construct among enrollees (N = 1,052, mean age = 60.2 years) in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention study, who provide neuropsychological and sociobehavioral data at two-year intervals. Outcomes included six cognitive factor scores representing key domains of executive function and memory. Key predictors included self-reported perceived social support and weekly verbal interaction. Results indicated that after adjusting for lifestyle covariates, social support was positively associated with Speed and Flexibility and that verbal in

SUBMITTER: Zuelsdorff ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003840 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature