Association of positive and negative life events with cognitive performance and psychological status in late life: A cross-sectional study in Northern Portugal.

Objectives: Life events have important effects on psychological well-being. Yet, studies have mainly focused on exploring the impact of traumatic and negative experiences on health and well-being, with positive events receiving marginal attention. In this study, we investigated the association between negative and positive life events, cognitive performance and psychological status in older individuals. Method: A cross-sectional approach with a sample of 97 community-dwelling adults, recruited from a network of 23 centres/institutions in Northern Portugal, and aged between 56 and 85 years, was conducted. All participants were evaluated through a battery of tests assessing for depressive mood, perceived stress, and cognitive functioning. Life events were measured using the Lifetime Experiences Scale (LIFES) which covers 75 life experiences organized in eight domains. Results: A total of 95.9% of the participants reported more positive life events than negative throughout life. Participants reporting more positive experiences had lower scores in the depressive mood and perceived stress measures. At the domain-level of LIFES scale, more negative experiences in the Work and Health domains were associated with a depressed mood and more perceived stress. Significant positive associations were found between positive life experiences and most cognitive measures, after controlling for sex, education, age and depressive symptoms. Namely, more positive experiences at School, Leisure, and Living conditions were positively associated with better performance across cognitive tests. Discussion: This study adds important evidence on the association between of life events, both negative and positive experiences, on cognition and psychological well-being, providing a more balanced view of the field.

Structural laterality is associated with cognitive and mood outcomes: An assessment of 105 healthy aged volunteers.

The human brain presents multiple asymmetries that dynamically change throughout life. These phenomena have been associated with cognitive impairments and psychiatric disorders although possible associations with specific patterns of cognitive aging are yet to be determined. We have therefore mapped and quantified morphological asymmetries in a heterogeneous and aged population (65.2±8.0 years old, 52 male and 53 female) to explore potential associations between the asymmetries in specific brain regions and cognitive performance. The sample was characterized in a battery of neuropsychological tests and in terms of brain structural asymmetries using a ROI-based approach. A substantial number of brain areas presented some degree of asymmetry. Such biases survived a stringent statistical correction and were largely confirmed in a voxel-based analysis. In specific brain areas, like the thalamus and insula, asymmetry was correlated with cognition and mood descriptors as the Stroop words/colors test or depressive mood scale, respectively. Curiously in the latter, the association was independent of its left/right direction. Altogether, results reveal that asymmetry is widespread in the aged brain and that area-specific biases (degree and direction) associate with the functional profile of the individual.