Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41045080›Full record

ArticleResearch on aging

Is There a Cognitive Footprint of Political Systems? The Case of Separation and Reunification of East and West Germany and Its Association With Later Life Cognitive Health.

Ariane Bertogg, Jeffrey E Stokes

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research on aging. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

2 authors.

Ariane BertoggDepartment of History, Sociology, Sports Science and Empirical Educational Research, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9959-618X
Jeffrey E StokesDepartment of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3630-0959

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Germany's division into the GDR (East) and FRG (West) in 1946, and subsequent reunification in 1989, had lasting impacts on individual life courses. While East-West differentials in physical health and mortality have been well-studied, cognitive health differences remain underexplored. This study examines cognitive trajectories among individuals living in the GDR and FRG, focusing on exposure duration and age at reunification. We find that former GDR residents perform better in memory, verbal fluency, numeracy, and orientation. Cognitive advantages for East Germans are most pronounced among individuals who experienced reunification in their twenties, suggesting a critical period during young adulthood. In contrast, West Germans who experienced reunification in their forties show relative disadvantages. No significant differences are observed among those near retirement age at the time of reunification. These findings contribute to understanding how political regimes shape cognitive aging and highlight the long-term effects of sociopolitical contexts on aging processes.

Indexed as

AgingCognitionPolitical SystemsPoliticsAgedFemaleGermanyGermany, EastGermany, WestHumansMaleMiddle Agedagingcognitive functioningEast and West Germanypolitical systemssocialization

Identifiers

PMID41045080
PMCPMC13260745

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.