TY - JOUR
T1 - Age-moderation of genetic and environmental contributions to cognitive functioning in mid- and late-life for specific cognitive abilities
AU - Pahlen, Shandell
AU - Hamdi, Nayla
AU - Dahl Aslan, Anna
AU - Horwitz, Briana
AU - Panizzon, Matthew
AU - Petersen, Inge
AU - Zavala, Catalina
AU - Christensen, Kaare
AU - Finkel, Deborah
AU - Franz, Carol
AU - Gatz, Margaret
AU - Johnson, Wendy
AU - Kremen, William
AU - Krueger, Robert
AU - Neiderhiser, Jenae
AU - Reynolds, Chandra
AU - Pedersen, Nancy
AU - McGue, Matt
PY - 2018/3/23
Y1 - 2018/3/23
N2 - Age moderation of genetic and environmental contributions to Digits Forward, Digits Backward, Block Design, Symbol Digit, Vocabulary, and Synonyms was investigated in a sample of 14,534 twins aged 26 to 98 years. The Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium contributed the sample, which represents nine studies from three countries (USA, Denmark, and Sweden). Average test performance was lower in successively older age groups for all tests. Significant age moderation of additive genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental variance components was observed, but the pattern varied by test. The genetic contribution to phenotypic variance across age was smaller for both Digit Span tests, greater for Synonyms, and stable for Block Design and Symbol Digit. The non-shared environmental contribution was greater with age for the Digit Span tests and Block Design, while the shared environmental component was small for all tests, often more so with age. Vocabulary showed similar age-moderation patterns as Synonyms, but these effects were nonsignificant. Findings are discussed in the context of theories of cognitive aging.
AB - Age moderation of genetic and environmental contributions to Digits Forward, Digits Backward, Block Design, Symbol Digit, Vocabulary, and Synonyms was investigated in a sample of 14,534 twins aged 26 to 98 years. The Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium contributed the sample, which represents nine studies from three countries (USA, Denmark, and Sweden). Average test performance was lower in successively older age groups for all tests. Significant age moderation of additive genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental variance components was observed, but the pattern varied by test. The genetic contribution to phenotypic variance across age was smaller for both Digit Span tests, greater for Synonyms, and stable for Block Design and Symbol Digit. The non-shared environmental contribution was greater with age for the Digit Span tests and Block Design, while the shared environmental component was small for all tests, often more so with age. Vocabulary showed similar age-moderation patterns as Synonyms, but these effects were nonsignificant. Findings are discussed in the context of theories of cognitive aging.
KW - aging
KW - behaviour genetics
KW - cognitive ability
KW - adult development
U2 - 10.1016/j.intell.2017.12.004
DO - 10.1016/j.intell.2017.12.004
M3 - Article
SN - 0160-2896
VL - 68
SP - 70
EP - 81
JO - Intelligence
JF - Intelligence
ER -