Do I lose cognitive function as fast as my twin partner? Analyses based on classes of MMSE trajectories of twins aged 80 and older

Author:

Muniz-Terrera Graciela1,Robitaille Annie2,Goerdten Jantje13,Massa Fernando4,Johansson Boo5

Affiliation:

1. Edinburgh Dementia Prevention & Center for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

2. Department of Psychology, University du Quebec a Montreal, Montreal, Canada

3. Department of Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology–BIPS, Bremen, Germany

4. Instituto de Estadistica, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay

5. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract

Abstract Background Aging is associated with an increasing risk of decline in cognitive abilities. The decline is, however, not a homogeneous process. There are substantial differences across individuals although previous investigations have identified individuals with distinct cognitive trajectories. Evidence is accumulating that lifestyle contributes significantly to the classification of individuals into various clusters. How and whether genetically related individuals, like twins, change in a more similar manner is yet not fully understood. Methods In this study, we fitted growth mixture models to Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores from participants of the Swedish OCTO twin study of oldest-old monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins with the purpose of investigating whether twin pairs can be assigned to the same class of cognitive change. Results We identified four distinct groups (latent classes) whose MMSE trajectories followed different patterns of change over time: two classes of high performing individuals who remained stable and declined slowly, respectively, a group of mildly impaired individuals with a fast decline and a small group of impaired individuals who declined more rapidly. Notably, our analyses show no association between zygosity and class assignment. Conclusions Our study provides evidence for a more substantial impact of environmental, rather than genetic, influences on cognitive change trajectories in later life.

Funder

NIH

NIA

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Geriatrics and Gerontology,Aging,General Medicine

Reference33 articles.

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2. Identical genes, unique environments: a qualitative exploration of persistent monozygotic-twin discordance in literacy and numeracy;Larsen;Front Educ,2019

3. The heritability of cognitive functioning in very old adults: evidence from Danish twins aged 75 years and older;McGue;Psychol Aging,2001

4. Substantial genetic influence on cognitive abilities in twins 80 or more years old;McClearn;Science,1997

5. Low cognitive functioning in nondemented 80+−year-old twins is not heritable;Petrill;Dermatol Int,2001

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