Cardiovascular disease and neurocognition in the elderly

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Research has demonstrated significant impairments in information processing speed, psychomotor speed and learning among individuals with cardiovascular disease compared to healthy elderly. Such impairments have clinical significance, as cognition is known to influence the functional abilities of the elderly. The purpose of this proposal is to examine the link between cardiac function (i.e., ejection fraction), IADLs, and performance on tests of attention/ vigilance, executive functioning, psychomotor speed, and learning. Impairments of these cognitive functions are hypothesized, as cardiovascular disease is expected to exert greatest influence on cognitive components mediated by frontal-subcortical systems. This study aims to (1) demonstrate an association between impaired cardiac functioning and cognitive impairment, (2) demonstrate that functional activities are compromised in patients with impaired cardiac functioning, and (3) demonstrate that functional impairments among cardiac patients are influenced by cognitive impairments such as executive functioning. A thorough examination of ejection fraction may elucidate the relationship between cardiac compromise and cognition among patients who have not undergone prior cardiac surgery and inform treatment and rehabilitation programs for these patients.

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