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Cognitive reserve as a moderator of the negative association between mood and cognition: evidence from a population-representative cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2017

C. Opdebeeck ,
F. E. Matthews ,
Y-T. Wu ,
R. T. Woods ,
C. Brayne  and
L. Clare
C. Opdebeeck*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
F. E. Matthews
Affiliation:
Institute for Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK
Y-T. Wu
Affiliation:
REACH: The Centre for Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK PenCLAHRC, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
R. T. Woods
Affiliation:
DSDC Wales, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
C. Brayne
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
L. Clare
Affiliation:
REACH: The Centre for Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK PenCLAHRC, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK Centre for Research Excellence in Promoting Cognitive Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr C. Opdebeeck, Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Brooks Building, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester, M15 6GX, UK. (Email: c.opdebeeck@mmu.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

Cognitive reserve (CR) has been associated with better cognitive function and lower risk of depression in older people, yet it remains unclear whether CR moderates the association between mood and cognition. This study aimed to investigate whether a comprehensive indicator of CR, including education, occupation and engagement in cognitive and social activities, acts as a moderator of this association.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study utilising baseline data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II (CFAS II), a large population-based cohort of people aged 65+ in England. Complete data on the measures of CR, mood and cognition were available for 6565 dementia-free individuals. Linear regression models were used to investigate the potential modifying effect of CR on the association between cognition and mood with adjustment for age, sex and missing data.

Results

Levels of CR did moderate the negative association between mood and cognition; the difference in cognition between those with and without a clinical level mood disorder was significantly smaller in the middle (−2.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) −3.65 to −0.90) and higher (−1.30; 95% CI −2.46 to −0.15) CR groups compared with the lower CR group (−4.01; 95% CI −5.53 to −2.49). The individual components of CR did not significantly moderate the negative association between mood and cognition.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that CR, indexed by a composite score based on multiple indicators, can moderate the negative association between lowered mood and cognition, emphasising the importance of continuing to build CR across the lifespan in order to maintain cognitive health.

Keywords

Anxietycognitive activitydepressioneducationoccupationsocial activity
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 61 - 71
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

†

See CFAS collaborators at the end of the paper.

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