Cognition
Conditions
Keywords
tea, cognition, very old, Newcastle 85+, epidemiology
Brief summary
Studies have found a beneficial effect of tea consumption on the reduction of risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older aged populations. However, there is a paucity of data on these associations in the very old defined as individuals aged 85 years and over. Therefore, we hypothesized that higher tea consumption was associated with better global and domain-specific cognitive function. We investigated the relationship between tea consumption in the very old and measures of global cognitive function, memory, attention and psychomotor speed. The Newcastle 85+ Study was a longitudinal (5-years), population-based cohort study of individuals aged 85+ years in North East England, United Kingdom. The final sample included 676 community-dwelling and institutionalized men and women recruited through general medical practices. Baseline tea consumption was assessed through a 2x24-hr multiple pass recall and longitudinal measures of global and domain specific (memory, speed and attention) cognitive function through the standardized mini-mental state examination and the cognitive drug research system. Linear mixed models, controlling for demographic (e.g. age, sex and education) and health variables were used to determine whether tea consumption was protective against cognitive decline.
Interventions
OTHERCognitive performance and cognitive decline
Assess the global and domain specific (memory, speed and attention) cognitive function at baseline and over 5 years in the high vs. low/moderate tea consumption groups
Sponsors
Newcastle University
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
85 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Born in 1921 * Permanently registered with a participating general practice in Newcastle upon Tyne or North Tyneside primary care trusts in the UK
Exclusion criteria
* End-stage illness * Individuals who might pose a safety risk to a nurse visiting alone, with dementia * Clinical diagnosis of dementia at baseline
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Standardized mini-mental state examination | Baseline | Measure of global cognition (Score 0-30) |
| Rate of decline of the standardized mini-mental state examination | Baseline to 5 years follow-up | Measure of global cognition (Score 0-30) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rate of word recognition decline | Baseline to 3 years follow-up | Word recognition was assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box.A list of words is presented on screen for the subject to remember. Immediately after the presentation the subject is asked to recall as many words as possible. 20 minutes later, the same list of words is presented with added distracter words. For each word, the subject is asked to indicate whether or not it belongs to the original list by pressing 'YES' or 'NO'. |
| Simple reaction time | Baseline | Simple reaction time assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box. The participant is instructed to press YES as quickly as possible every time the word YES is presented on the screen. In total, 30 YES stimuli are presented with varying inter-stimulus interval. (ms) |
| Rate of reaction speed decline | Baseline to 3 years follow-up | Simple reaction time assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box.The participant is instructed to press YES as quickly as possible every time the word YES is presented on the screen. In total, 30 YES stimuli are presented with varying inter-stimulus interval. (ms) |
| Rate of digit vigilance task decline | Baseline to 3 years follow-up | Digit vigilance task assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box. Target digit is randomly selected and constantly displayed to the right of the screen. A series of digits (0-9) are presented in the centre of the screen at the rate of 150 per minute. The participant is required to press the YES button as quickly as possible every time the digit in the series matches the target digit. There are 300 digits in the series and the task lasts for 2 minutes. (ms) |
| Rate of reaction choice decline | Baseline to 3 years follow-up | Choice reaction time assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box.Either the word YES or NO is presented on the screen and the participant is instructed to press the corresponding button as quickly as possible. There are 30 trials for each stimulus word, which is chosen randomly with equal probability, with varying inter-stimulus interval. (ms) |
| Digit vigilance task | Baseline | Digit vigilance task assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box. Target digit is randomly selected and constantly displayed to the right of the screen. A series of digits (0-9) are presented in the centre of the screen at the rate of 150 per minute. The participant is required to press the YES button as quickly as possible every time the digit in the series matches the target digit. There are 300 digits in the series and the task lasts for 2 minutes. (ms) |
| Choice reaction time | Baseline | Choice reaction time assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box. Either the word YES or NO is presented on the screen and the participant is instructed to press the corresponding button as quickly as possible. There are 30 trials for each stimulus word, which is chosen randomly with equal probability, with varying inter-stimulus interval. (ms) |
| Word recognition | Baseline | Word recognition was assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerised system. The CDR tasks were presented on a hi-resolution Windows-based laptop computer (Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC with keyboard accessory) and participants responded using a two-button (NO/YES) response box. A list of words is presented on screen for the subject to remember. Immediately after the presentation the subject is asked to recall as many words as possible. 20 minutes later, the same list of words is presented with added distracter words. For each word, the subject is asked to indicate whether or not it belongs o the original list by pressing 'YES' or 'NO'. |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed