A 10-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF COGNITIVE CHANGES IN ELDERLY PERSONS

Neuropsychological reexamination of older study participants 10 years after initial assessment indicated that significant cognitive decline was not commonplace, even in participants in their 9th decade. Health status, however, was an important factor: Study participants with chro nic disease and poor health tended to show a moderate degree of cognit ive impairment. The results indicate that in elderly persons in good h ealth, aging per se does not necessarily produce adverse affects on hi gher order mental capacities such as language, intellect, perception, and decision making.