Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33196771›Full record

ArticleAge and ageing2021

Cognitive dispersion and ApoEe4 genotype predict dementia diagnosis in 8-year follow-up of the oldest-old.

Tam Watermeyer, Jantje Goerdten, Boo Johansson, Graciela Muniz-Terrera

Open access · bronzeAbstract readTwin Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Age and ageing, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Characterizing Cognitive Dispersion and Its Correlates Across the Adult Lifespan in MIDUS.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
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  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Tam WatermeyerEdinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Jantje GoerdtenEdinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Boo JohanssonDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Ageing and Health (AgeCap), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Graciela Muniz-TerreraEdinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS · DENorthumbria University · GBUniversity of Edinburgh · GBUniversity of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive dispersion, or inconsistencies in performance across cognitive domains, has been posited as a cost-effective tool to predict conversion to dementia in older adults. However, there is a dearth of studies exploring cognitive dispersion in the oldest-old (>80 years) and its relationship to dementia incidence.

objectiveThe main aim of this study was to examine whether higher cognitive dispersion at baseline was associated with dementia incidence within an 8-year follow-up of very old adults, while controlling for established risk factors and suggested protective factors for dementia.

methodsParticipants (n = 468) were from the Origins of Variance in the Old-Old: Octogenarian Twins study, based on the Swedish Twin Registry. Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the association between baseline cognitive dispersion scores and dementia incidence, while controlling for sociodemographic variables, ApoEe4 carrier status, co-morbidities, zygosity and lifestyle engagement scores. An additional model included a composite of average cognitive performance.

resultsCognitive dispersion and ApoEe4 were significantly associated with dementia diagnosis. These variables remained statistically significant when global cognitive performance was entered into the model. Likelihood ratio tests revealed that cognitive dispersion and cognitive composite scores entered together in the same model was superior to either predictor alone in the full model.

conclusionsThe study underscores the usefulness of cognitive dispersion metrics for dementia prediction in the oldest-old and highlights the influence of ApoEe4 on cognition in very late age. Our findings concur with others suggesting that health and lifestyle factors pose little impact upon cognition in very advanced age.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDementiaAged, 80 and overCognitionFollow-Up StudiesGenotypeHumansNeuropsychological TestsSwedenAlzheimer’s diseaseApoE4cognitive dispersiondementia predictiondementia risksolder people

Identifiers

PMID33196771
PMCPMC8099013
OpenAlexW3098989443

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.