ArticlePloS one2019
Age and cognitive decline in the UK Biobank.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Optimal type and dose of exercise for improving executive functions in older adults: a systematic review and Bayesian model-based network meta-analysis of RCTs.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Prospective Memory Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation with cognitive training on executive functions in healthy older adults: a secondary analysis from the ACT trial.GeroScience · 2025Trial
- A randomized controlled trial examining the effects of behavioral weight loss treatment on hippocampal volume and neurocognition.Physiology & behavior · 2023Trial
- Association between mild action tremor and cognition in community dwelling older adults: results from the KORA-Age study.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- The association between neurofilament light chain and cognitive function: a UK Biobank cohort study.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Neurophysiological Characteristics Associated with Driving Abilities in Older Adults: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Association of triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) and a body shape index (ABSI) with cognitive decline and dementia risk.PloS one · 2026Article
- Association between activities of daily living and the introduction of home-visit medical care in patients with stroke discharged from a convalescent rehabilitation ward.Japanese journal of comprehensive rehabilitation science · 2026Article
- Associations between perceived excessive maternal control in childhood, well-being, and dorsal striatum volume in older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Role of SLC39A8.p.(Ala391Thr) in Schizophrenia Symptom Severity and Cognitive Ability: Cross-Sectional Studies of Schizophrenia and the General UK Population.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2025Article
- Visual Impairment and Cognitive Function in Aging Adults: Sex and Age Differences in Mediating Effect of Social Isolation and Depression.American journal of ophthalmology · 2025Article
- No Evidence of Interaction Between FADS2 Genotype and Breastfeeding on Cognitive or Other Traits in the UK Biobank.Behavior genetics · 2025Article
- Call up the (cognitive) reserves: how adult socialisation and education influences cognition in the UK Biobank.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- Variation in Adult Cognition Across Domains and Life Course Place Effects in the UK.Journal of aging and health · 2024Article
- SLC39A8.p.(Ala391Thr) is associated with poorer cognitive ability: a cross-sectional study of schizophrenia and the general UK population.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Association of Arterial Stiffness Index and Brain Structure in the UK Biobank: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis.Aging and disease · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesAge-related cognitive decline is a well-known phenomenon after age 65 but little is known about earlier changes and prior studies are based on relatively small samples. We investigated the impact of age on cognitive decline in the largest population sample to date including young to old adults.
methodBetween 100,352 and 468,534 participants aged 38-73 years from UK Biobank completed at least one of seven self-administered cognitive functioning tests: prospective memory (PM), pairs matching (Pairs), fluid intelligence (FI), reaction time (RT), symbol digit substitution, trail making A and B. Up to 26,005 participants completed at least one of two follow-up assessments of PM, Pairs, FI and RT. Multivariable regression models examined the association between age (<45[reference], 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+) and cognition scores at baseline. Mixed models estimated the impact of age on cognitive decline over follow-up (~5.1 years).
resultsFI was higher between ages 50 and 64 and lower at 65+ compared to <45 at baseline. Performance on all other baseline tests was lower with older age: with increasing age category, difference in test scores ranged from 2.5 to 7.8%(P<0.0001). Compared to <45 at baseline, RT and Pairs performance declined faster across all older age cohorts (3.0 and 1.2% change, respectively, with increasing age category, P<0.0001). Cross-sectional results yielded 8 to 12-fold higher differences in RT and Pairs with age compared to longitudinal results.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that declines in cognitive abilities <65 are small. The cross-sectional differences in cognition scores for middle to older adult years may be due in part to age cohort effects.
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