We examined cognition on a wide range of standardized neuropsychologic
al tests in two groups of optimally healthy, elderly volunteers. One w
as composed of community-dwelling, functionally independent individual
s aged 84 years and older, and the other group was nearly 20 years you
nger. The effect of aging was greatest on visual perceptual and constr
uctional tasks rather than on memory tasks. Many cognitive functions w
ere relatively well preserved in the optimally healthy oldest old.