Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39014131›Full record

ArticleGeroScience2025

Relationship between frailty and executive function by age and sex in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Molly K Courish, Myles W O'Brien, Selena P Maxwell, Said Mekari, Derek S Kimmerly, Olga Theou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in GeroScience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
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

6 authors.

Molly K CourishDivision of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Myles W O'BrienGeriatric Medicine Research, Dalhousie University & Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Selena P MaxwellGeriatric Medicine Research, Dalhousie University & Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Said MekariDepartment of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Derek S KimmerlyDivision of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Olga TheouGeriatric Medicine Research, Dalhousie University & Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada. Olga.Theou@dal.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Frailty reflects age-related damage to multiple physiological systems. Executive dysfunction is often a presenting symptom of diseases characterized by cognitive impairment. A decline in cardiovascular health is associated with worse executive function. We tested the hypothesis that higher frailty would be associated with executive dysfunction and that cardiovascular health would mediate this relationship. Middle- and older-aged adults at baseline (n = 29,591 [51% female]) and 3-year follow-up (n = 25,488 [49% females]) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (comprehensive cohort) were included. Frailty was determined at baseline from a 61-item index, a cumulative cardiovascular health score was calculated from 30 variables at baseline, and participants completed a word-color Stroop task as an assessment of executive function. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses of cardiovascular health were conducted between frailty, Stroop interference-condition reaction time, and cardiovascular health in groups stratified by both age and sex (middle-aged males [MM], middle-aged females [MF], older-aged males [OM], older-aged females [OF]). Frailty (MM, 0.15 ± 0.05; MF, 0.16 ± 0.06; OM, 0.21 ± 0.06; OF, 0.23 ± 0.06) was negatively associated with cardiovascular health (MM, 0.12 ± 0.08; MF, 0.11 ± 0.07; OM, 0.20 ± 0.10; OF, 0.18 ± 0.09; β > 0.037, p < 0.001), as well as the Stroop reaction time at 3-year follow-up (MM, 23.7 ± 7.9; MF, 23.1 ± 7.3; OM, 32.9 ± 13.1; OF, 30.9 ± 12.0; β > 2.57, p < 0.001) across all groups when adjusted for covariates. Cardiovascular health was a partial (~ 10%) mediator between frailty and reaction time, aside from MFs. In conclusion, higher frailty levels are associated with executive dysfunction, which was partially mediated by cardiovascular health. Strategies to improve frailty and better cardiovascular health may be useful for combatting the age-related decline in executive function.

Indexed as

AgingExecutive FunctionFrailtyAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsCanadaCardiovascular DiseasesCognitive DysfunctionFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedSex FactorsBrain agingCardiovascular diseaseCLSACognitionFrailty index

Identifiers

PMID39014131
PMCPMC11872951

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.