ArticleNeuropsychology2018
Genetic and environmental architecture of executive functions in midlife.
Article in Neuropsychology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed.
- Genetic and Environmental Associations Between Processing Speed and Executive Functions Across Adolescence and Established Adulthood.Behavior genetics · 2026Article
- Young adult urbanicity, late midlife neighborhood disadvantage, and cognitive functioning in community-dwelling older men.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Practice effects persist over two decades of cognitive testing: Implications for longitudinal research.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- History of chronic pain and opioid use is associated with cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS · 2025Article
- GenomicSEM Modelling of Diverse Executive Function GWAS Improves Gene Discovery.Behavior genetics · 2025Article
- Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Older Men With Chronic Pain: Association With Plasma Amyloid Levels and Hippocampal Volume.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024Article
- Brain reserve in midlife is associated with executive function changes across 12 years.Neurobiology of aging · 2024Article
- Associations of plasma neurofilament light chain with cognition and neuroimaging measures in community-dwelling early old age men.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2024Article
- Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Cognitive Decline Among Middle-to-Older Aged Men in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging.Neurotrauma reports · 2024Article
- The Etiology of Executive Functioning Is Nature and Nurture.Biological psychiatry · 2023Article
- Alzheimer's Disease Polygenic Scores Predict Changes in Episodic Memory and Executive Function Across 12 Years in Late Middle Age.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS · 2023Article
- Genome-wide Association Study Shows That Executive Functioning Is Influenced by GABAergic Processes and Is a Neurocognitive Genetic Correlate of Psychiatric Disorders.Biological psychiatry · 2023Article
- Associations Between Ambient Air Pollution and Cognitive Abilities from Midlife to Early Old Age: Modification by APOE Genotype.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2023Article
- Genetic associations between executive functions and intelligence: A combined twin and adoption study.Journal of experimental psychology. General · 2022Article
- Review
- Genetic and environmental influences on executive functions and intelligence in middle childhood.Developmental science · 2022Article
- The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022Review
- Paradoxical cognitive trajectories in men from earlier to later adulthood.Neurobiology of aging · 2022Article
- Differences between young and older adults in unity and diversity of executive functions.Neuropsychology, development, and cognition. Section B, Aging, neuropsychology and cognition · 2021Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveResearch on executive functions (EFs) has revealed evidence for general abilities that underlie performance across multiple EF tasks and domains. This Common EF factor is highly stable in adolescence through young adulthood, correlates with other important cognitive abilities, and is explained largely by genetic influences. However, little is known about Common EF beyond young adulthood. This study examines 3 hypotheses regarding the latent structure, genetic/environmental etiology, and cognitive correlates of Common EF in middle age.
methodWe examined data from 1,284 middle-aged twins (51-60 years) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who completed 7 neuropsychological measures of EFs, as well as measures of general cognitive ability and processing speed.
resultsOur confirmatory factor analysis indicated that Common EF explained variation across all 7 EF tasks. Inhibition and shifting were subsumed entirely under the Common EF factor, and there was an additional working memory span-specific factor. Common EF was heritable in midlife (a2 = .46), with additional evidence for both shared environmental influences (c2 = .41) and nonshared environmental influences (e2 = .13). Higher Common EF was moderately associated with higher general cognitive ability, measured both in early adulthood and midlife, and faster processing speed in midlife. These correlations were primarily driven by shared genetic influences.
conclusionsThese results support the hypothesis that Common EF captures similar EF abilities in midlife as in adolescence and young adulthood. However, environmental influences may explain a larger portion of variance in this construct as individuals age. (PsycINFO Database Record
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