Processing speed and executive functions in cognitive aging: How to disentangle their mutual relationship?

Brain and Cognition

Volumn 79, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 1-11

  Albinet, Cédric T ^a   Boucard, Geoffroy ^a   Bouquet, Cédric A ^a   Audiffren, Michel ^a  

^a UNIVERSITÉ DE POITIERS   (France)

Author keywords

Cognitive aging; Executive functions; Processing speed

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGE; AGED; ARTICLE; CONTROLLED STUDY; EXECUTIVE FUNCTION; FEMALE; HUMAN; HUMAN EXPERIMENT; LEARNING THEORY; MALE; MENTAL TASK; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST; NORMAL HUMAN; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PSYCHOMETRY; REACTIVE INHIBITION; RESPONSE TIME; STROOP TEST; TASK PERFORMANCE; THEORETICAL MODEL; THEORY OF MIND;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGE FACTORS; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; AGING; COGNITION; EXECUTIVE FUNCTION; FEMALE; HUMANS; INHIBITION (PSYCHOLOGY); MALE; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; REACTION TIME;

EID: 84857530631     PISSN: 02782626     EISSN: 10902147     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.02.001     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. Albinet C., Tomporowski P.D., Beasman K. Aging and concurrent task performance. Cognitive demand and motor control. Educational Gerontology 2006, 32(9):689-706. 10.1080/03601270600835421.
2. Albinet C.T., Boucard G., Bouquet C.A., Audiffren M. Increased heart rate variability and executive performance after aerobic training in the elderly. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2010, 109(4):617-624. 10.1007/s00421-010-1393-y.
3. Allport A. Selection for action: Some behavioral and neurophysiological considerations of attention and action. Perspectives on perception and action 1987, Vol. 5:395-419. Erlbaum, Hilsdalle, NJ.
4. Baddeley A. Random Generation and the Executive Control of Working Memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology: Section A 1998, 51(4):819-852. 10.1080/027249898391413.
5. Baltes P.B., Lindenberger U. Emergence of a powerful connection between sensory and cognitive functions across the adult life span: A new window to the study of cognitive aging?. Psychology and Aging 1997, 12(1):12-21. 10.1037/0882-7974.12.1.12.
6. Baudouin A., Clarys D., Vanneste S., Isingrini M. Executive functioning and processing speed in age-related differences in memory: Contribution of a coding task. Brain and Cognition 2009, 71(3):240-245.
7. Berg E.A. A simple objective technique for measuring flexibility in thinking. The Journal of General Psychology 1948, 39:15-22.
8. Beringer J. ERTS: A flexible software tool for developing and running psychological reaction time experiments on IBM PCs. Behavior Research Methods 1994, 26(3):368-369. 10.3758/bf03204646.
9. Bouazzaoui B., Isingrini M., Fay S., Angel L., Vanneste S., Clarys D., et al. Aging and self-reported internal and external memory strategy uses: The role of executive functioning. Acta Psychologica 2010, 135(1):59-66.
10. Bryan J., Luszcz M.A. Speed of information processing as a mediator between age and free-recall performance. Psychology and Aging 1996, 11(1):3-9.
11. Bryan J., Luszcz M.A. Measurement of executive function: Considerations for detecting adult age differences. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 2000, 22(1):40-55.
12. Bugaiska A., Clarys D., Jarry C., Taconnat L., Tapia G., Vanneste S., et al. The effect of aging in recollective experience: The processing speed and executive functioning hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition 2007, 16(4):797-808.
13. Bugg J.M., Zook N.A., DeLosh E.L., Davalos D.B., Davis H.P. Age differences in fluid intelligence: Contributions of general slowing and frontal decline. Brain and Cognition 2006, 62(1):9-16. 10.1016/j.bandc.2006.02.006.
14. Cabeza R., Nyberg L., Park D. Cognitive neuroscience of aging: Linking cognitive and cerebral aging 2005, Oxford University Press, New-York.
15. Charlton R.A., Landau S., Schiavone F., Barrick T.R., Clark C.A., Markus H.S., et al. A structural equation modeling investigation of age-related variance in executive function and DTI measured white matter damage. Neurobiology of Aging 2008, 29(10):1547-1555. 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.03.017.
16. Clarys D., Bugaiska A., Tapia G., Baudouin A. Ageing, remembering, and executive function. Memory 2009, 17(2):158-168. 10.1080/09658210802188301.
17. Clarys D., Isingrini M., Gana K. Mediators of age-related differences in recollective experience in recognition memory. Acta Psychologica 2002, 109(3):315-329. 10.1016/s0001-6918(01)00064-6.
18. Clarys D., Souchay C., Baudouin A., Fay S., Vanneste S., Taconnat L., et al. Aging and episodic memory: Contributions of executive function and processing speed. L'Annee Psychologique 2007, 107(1):15-38.
19. Collette F. Exploration des fonctions exécutives par imagerie cérébrale. Neuropsychologie des fonctions exécutives 2004, 25-51. Solal, Marseille. T. Meulemans, F. Collette, M. Van der Linden (Eds.).
20. Collette F., Hogge M., Salmon E., Van der Linden M. Exploration of the neural substrates of executive functioning by functional neuroimaging. Neuroscience 2006, 139(1):209-221.
21. Collette F., Van der Linden M., Laureys S., Delfiore G., Degueldre C., Luxen A., et al. Exploring the unity and diversity of the neural substrates of executive functioning. Human Brain Mapping 2005, 25(4):409-423.
22. Deary I.J., Johnson W., Starr J.M. Are processing speed tasks biomarkers of cognitive aging?. Psychology and Aging 2010, 25(1):219-228.
23. Deltour, J. J. (1993). Echelle de vocabulaire de Mill Hill de J.C. Raven. Adaptation française et normes européennes du Mill Hill et du Standard Progressive Matrices de Raven (PM 38) [Mill-Hill vocabulary scale of J.C. Raven. French adaptation and European norms]. Braine-le-Château, Belgium: Editions L'application des techniques modernes.
24. Dempster F.N. The rise and fall of the inhibitory mechanism: Toward a unified theory of cognitive-development and aging. Developmental Review 1992, 12(1):45-75.
25. Duncan J., Seitz R.J., Kolodny J., Bor D., Herzog H., Ahmed A., et al. A neural basis for general intelligence. Science 2000, 289(5478):457-460.
26. Finkel D., McArdle J.J., Reynolds C.A., Pedersen N.L. Age changes in processing speed as a leading indicator of cognitive aging. Psychology and Aging 2007, 22(3):558-568. 10.1037/0882-7974.22.3.558.
27. Fisk J.E., Sharp C.A. Age-related impairment in executive functioning: Updating, inhibition, shifting, and access. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 2004, 26(7):874-890.
28. Fisk J.E., Warr P. Age and working memory: The role of perceptual speed, the central executive, and the phonological loop. Psychology and Aging 1996, 11(2):316-323.
29. Gunning-Dixon F.M., Brickman A.M., Cheng J.C., Alexopoulos G.M. Aging of cerebral white matter: A review of MRI findings. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2009, 24:109-117.
30. Head D., Rodrigue K.M., Kennedy K.M., Raz N. Neuroanatomical and cognitive mediators of age-related differences in episodic memory. Neuropsychology 2008, 22(4):491-507. 10.1037/0894-4105.22.4.491.
31. Hertzog C., Bleckley M.K. Age differences in the structure of intelligence - Influences of information processing speed. Intelligence 2001, 29(3):191-217.
32. Hick W.E. On the rate of gain of information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 1952, 4:11-26.
33. Hull R., Martin R.C., Beier M.E., Lane D., Hamilton A.C. Executive function in older adults: A structural equation modeling approach. Neuropsychology 2008, 22(4):508-522. 10.1037/0894-4105.22.4.508.
34. Hyman R. Stimulus information as a determinant of reaction time. Journal of Experimental Psychology 1953, 45(3):188-196.
35. Jurado M.B., Rosselli M. The elusive nature of executive functions: A review of our current understanding. Neuropsychology Review 2007, 17:213-233. 10.1007/s11065-007-9040-z.
36. Kennedy K.M., Raz N. Aging white matter and cognition: Differential effects of regional variations in diffusion properties on memory, executive functions, and speed. Neuropsychologia 2009, 47(3):916-927.
37. Keys B.A., White D.A. Exploring the relationship between age, executive abilities, and psychomotor speed. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 2000, 6(1):76-82. 10.1017/s1355617700611098.
38. Li S.-C. Connecting the many levels and facets of cognitive aging. Current Directions in Psychological Science 2002, 11(1):38.
39. Logan G.D., Cowan W.B. On the ability to inhibit thought and action: A theory of an act of control. Psychological Review 1984, 91(3):295-327. 10.1037/0033-295x.91.3.295.
40. Logan G.D., Cowan W.B., Davis K.A. On the ability to inhibit simple and choice reaction time responses: A model and a method. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 1984, 10(2):276-291. 10.1037/0096-1523.10.2.276.
41. Madden D.J., Bennett I.J., Song A.W. Cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive aging: Contributions from diffusion tensor imaging. Neuropsychology Review 2009, 19(4):415-435. 10.1007/s11065-009-9113-2.
42. Miyake A., Friedman N.P., Emerson M.J., Witzki A.H., Howerter A., Wager T.D. The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex frontal lobe tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology 2000, 41(1):49-100.
43. Monsell S., Mizon G.A. Can the task-cuing paradigm measure an "endogenous" task-set reconfiguration process?. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 2006, 32:493-516.
44. Morris N., Jones D.M. Memory updating in working memory: The role of the central executive. British Journal of Psychology 1990, 81:111-121.
45. Parkin A.J. Normal age-related memory loss and its relation to frontal lobe dysfunction. Methodology of frontal and executive function 1997, 177-190. Psychology Press, Hove. P. Rabbitt (Ed.).
46. Parkin A.J. The central executive does not exist. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 1998, 4(5):518-522. 10.1017/s1355617798005128.
47. Parkin A.J., Java R.I. Determinants of age-related memory loss. Models of cognitive aging 2000, Oxford University Press, Oxford. T.J. Perfect, E.A. Maylor (Eds.).
48. Penke L., Muñoz Maniega S., Murray C., Gow A.J., Valdés Hernández M.C., et al. A general factor of brain white matter integrity predicts information processing speed in healthy older people. The Journal of Neuroscience 2010, 30(22):7569-7574. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1553-10.2010.
49. Phillips L.H., Henry J.D. Adult aging and executive functioning. Executive functions and the frontal lobes: A lifespan perspective 2008, 57-79. Taylor & Francis, New-York. V. Anderson, R. Jacobs, P.J. Anderson (Eds.).
50. Piccinin A.M., Rabbitt P.M.A. Contribution of cognitive abilities to performance and improvement on a substitution coding task. Psychology and Aging 1999, 14(4):539-551.
51. Rabbitt P. Methodology of frontal and executive function 1997, Psychology Press, Hove.
52. Rabbitt P., Mogapi O., Scott M., Thacker N., Lowe C., Horan M., et al. Effects of global atrophy, white matter lesions, and cerebral blood flow on age-related changes in speed, memory, intelligence, vocabulary, and frontal function. Neuropsychology 2007, 21(6):684-695. 10.1037/0894-4105.21.6.684.
53. Raz N., Rodrigue K.M. Differential aging of the brain: Patterns, cognitive correlates and modifiers. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2006, 30(6):730-748. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2006.07.001.
54. Raz N., Rodrigue K.M., Kennedy K.M., Acker J.D. Vascular health and longitudinal changes in brain and cognition in middle-aged and older adults. Neuropsychology 2007, 21(2):149-157. 10.1037/0894-4105.21.2.149.
55. Reuter-Lorenz P.A., Park D.C. Human neuroscience and the aging mind: A new look at old problems. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2010, 65(4):405-415. 10.1093/geronb/gbq035.
56. Rogers R.D., Monsell S. Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 1995, 124(2):207-231.
57. Salami A., Eriksson J., Nilsson L.-G., Nyberg L. Age-related white matter microstructural differences partly mediate age-related decline in processing speed but not cognition. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2011, 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.09.001.
58. Salthouse T.A. Theoretical perspectives on cognitive aging 1991, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Hillsdale, NJ England.
59. Salthouse T.A. What do adult age differences in the digit symbol substitution test reflect?. The Journals of Gerontology 1992, 47(3):P121-P128.
60. Salthouse T.A. The nature of the influence of speed on adult age differences in cognition. Developmental Psychology 1994, 30(2):240-259.
61. Salthouse T.A. The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychological Review 1996, 103(3):403-428.
62. Salthouse T.A. Aging and measures of processing speed. Biological Psychology 2000, 54(1-3):35-54.
63. Salthouse T.A. Relations between cognitive abilities and measures of executive functioning. Neuropsychology 2005, 19(4):532-545. 10.1037/0894-4105.19.4.532.
64. Salthouse T.A., Atkinson T.M., Berish D.E. Executive functioning as a potential mediator of age-related cognitive decline in normal adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology-General 2003, 132(4):566-594. 10.1037/0096-3445.132.4.566.
65. Schaie K.W., Willis S.L. Handbook of the psychology of aging 2011, Vol. 7. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
66. Schretlen D., Pearlson G.D., Anthony J.C., Aylward E.H., Augustine A.M., Davis A., et al. Elucidating the contributions of processing speed, executive ability, and frontal lobe volume to normal age-related differences in fluid intelligence. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 2000, 6(1):52-61.
67. Shannon C., Weaver W. The mathematical theory of communication 1949, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Il.
68. Stroop J.R. Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology 1935, 18(6):643-662. 10.1037/h0054651.
69. Taconnat L., Baudouin A., Fay S., Clarys D., Vanneste S., Tournelle L., et al. Aging and implementation of encoding strategies in the generation of rhytmes: The role of executive functions. Neuropsychology 2006, 20(6):658-665. 10.1037/0894-4105.20.6.658.
70. Towse J.N., Neil D. Analyzing human random generation behavior: A review of methods used and a computer program for describing performance. Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers 1998, 30(4):583-591.
71. Van der Linden M., Bredart S., Beerten A. Age-related differences in updating working memory. British Journal of Psychology 1994, 85(1):145-152.
72. Vaughan L., Giovanello K. Executive function in daily life: Age-related influences of executive processes on instrumental activities of daily living. Psychology and Aging 2010, 25(2):343-355.
73. Verhaeghen P., Salthouse T.A. Meta-analyses of age-cognition relations in adulthood: Estimates of linear and nonlinear age effects and structural models. Psychological Bulletin 1997, 122(3):231-249.
74. Wechsler D. Wechsler adult intelligence test-revised manual 1981, The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, TX.
75. Wechsler D. WAIS-III administration and scoring manual 1997, The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, TX.
76. West R.L. An application of prefrontal cortex function theory to cognitive aging. Psychological Bulletin 1996, 120(2):272-292.
77. Zimprich D., Martin M. Can longitudinal changes in processing speed explain longitudinal age changes in fluid intelligence?. Psychology and Aging 2002, 17(4):690-695. 10.1037//0882-7974-17.4.690.