ArticleAge and ageing2024
Sex differences in cognitive decline among middle-aged and older adults: a cohort study in Europe.
Article in Age and ageing, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neuropeptide Y and brain ageing: an updated scoping review on the role of autophagy.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Sex-Specific Differences in Nutritional Status and Olfaction in Association with Cognitive Impairment Amongst Older Adults with Long COVID Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between cognitive function and frailty in middle-aged and older adults Chinese adults: evidence from the CHARLS database.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Dual group-based trajectories of physical activity and cognitive function in aged over 55: a nationally representative cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPrevious studies on sex differences in cognitive decline provide inconsistent findings, with many European countries being underrepresented. We determined the association between sex and cognitive decline in a sample of Europeans and explored differences across birth cohorts and regions.
methodsParticipants 50+ years old enrolled in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe had their cognition measured by tests of immediate recall, delayed recall and verbal fluency biennially up to 17 years of follow-up (median 6, interquartile range 3-9 years). We used linear mixed-effects models to assess the relationship between sex and the rate of cognitive decline, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics.
resultsOf 66,670 participants (mean baseline age 63.5 ± standard deviation 9.4), 55% were female. Males and females had similar rates of decline in the whole sample in immediate recall (beta for interaction sex × time B = 0.002, 95% CI -0.001 to 0.006), delayed recall (B = 0.000, 95% CI -0.004 to 0.004), and verbal fluency (B = 0.008, 95% CI -0.005 to 0.020). Females born before World War II had a faster rate of decline in immediate recall and delayed recall compared to males, while females born during or after World War II had a slower rate of decline in immediate recall. Females in Central and Eastern Europe had a slower rate of cognitive decline in delayed recall compared to males. DISCUSSION: Our study does not provide strong evidence of sex differences in cognitive decline among older Europeans. However, we identified heterogeneity across birth cohorts and regions.
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Registered trials
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.