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Sustained attention is associated with left ventricular ejection fraction in older adults with heart disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2009

BETH A. JERSKEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
RONALD A. COHEN*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
ANGELA L. JEFFERSON
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
KARIN F. HOTH
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Division of Psychosocial Medicine, National Jewish Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado
ANDREANA P. HALEY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
JOHN J. GUNSTAD
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
DANIEL E. FORMAN
Affiliation:
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Care, VAMC of Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
LAWRENCE H. SWEET
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
ATHENA POPPAS
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Ronald A. Cohen, Miriam Hospital Neuropsychology Clinic, The CORO Building, 3rd Floor, One Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903. E-mail: rcohen@lifespan.org; beth_jerskey@brown.edu

Abstract

Poor cardiac pumping efficiency has shown to lead to cognitive impairments in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The current study examined the relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction and sustained attention and inhibitory processes measured by the Adaptive Rate Continuous Performance Task and the Go/No-go test. Participants were 67 older outpatients (age 68.5 ± 7.4) with a range of CVD. Associations between cognition and ejection fraction were examined via linear regression analysis. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that lower ejection fraction is significantly associated with decrements in sustained attention and vigilance. Overall, the results provide support for the hypothesis that a change in cardiac pumping leads to decrements in some aspects of attention; however, inhibitory processes are relatively spared. (JINS, 2009, 15, 137–141.)

Type
Brief Communications
Copyright
Copyright © INS 2009

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