Association between mental speed and quality of life: age effect in healthy women

Abstract

There are many related evidence association between mental speed and intelligence as well as between intelligence and mortality. Thus, reaction time as the stronger indicator of age-related changes in brain functions may be non invasive alternative tool for regular evaluation of health status in older peoples. We hypothesized negative correlations between reaction time (RT) in a variety of information selection situations both IQ and self-reported mental health. The study included 42 healthy women (19 years) (YG) and 49 senior women (65 years) (OG). RTs were measured using the Attention Network Test (ANT) and a 2-choice reaction time test (CRT). Verbal/figural intelligence (IQv and IQf) and Quality of Life (QoL) were assessed using the Amthauer subtests and the 36-Item Health Survey, correspondingly. The RTs in experimental tasks were significantly shortened in YG when compared with OG, and two of eight QoL scales were significantly lower in OG vs.YG. Simple RT was inversely related to the ‘mental health’ component of QoL only in YG whereas in OG this component negatively correlated with complex RT in the ANT and physical components negatively correlated with processing speed of alertness system but positively with functions of orientation system. IQ was inversely related to the RTs in both groups. Also OG was characterized by negative relationship between IQf and standard deviation of RTs. Obtained results support the concept that high mental speed and its intra-individual invariability are associated with high-quality of life in aging. This work was supported by a grant of the RFHR № 15-06-00052.