Aging Associated Less With Mental Decline Today than a Decade Ago: A Study

Individuals in their 90s today fare better mentally than even a decade ago, a new study conducted by Danish researchers shows.

Published in The Lancet, the report was performed, according to the scientists, at least in part to address the concern that current longevity is not being matched by sustained mental aptitude.

To test this theory, the researchers compared the cognitive as well as physical functioning of two cohorts of Danish nonagenarians born 10 years apart.

Those in the first cohort included over 2,000 individuals who were 93 years old at the time of assessment, having been born in 1905. Meanwhile, the second cohort included some 1,500 participants who were assessed at 95 and were born in 1915.

The examination of both groups included surveys and mini-mental state examinations as well as a composite of five cognitive tests sensitive to age-related changes, according to the scientists. Physical functioning was assessed by physical performance tests and what the scientists called "an activities of daily living score," defined by tasks such as one's ability to walk around the house and up stairs.

Based on their analyses, the researchers found that the chance of surviving to age 93 was 28 percent higher in the 1915 cohort than the one born a decade earlier. Furthermore, the scientists discovered that the 1915 group scored significantly better on the mini-mental state examination with a significantly higher portion obtaining maximum scores in addition to an overall improved composite score - despite their being two years older at the time of assessment.

In contrast, the study found that the cohorts did not differ consistently in the physical performance tests, although the 1915 group had better activities of daily living scores overall.

Based on these results, the study "suggests that more people are living to older ages with better overall functioning," the authors conclude.