PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - E. S. Nichols
AU  - C. J. Wild
AU  - A. M. Owen
AU  - A. Soddu
TI  - Cognition across the lifespan: age, gender, and sociodemographic influences
AID  - 10.1101/804765
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 804765
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/24/804765.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/24/804765.full
AB  - Maintaining cognitive health across the lifespan has been the focus of a multi-billion-dollar industry. In order to guide treatment and interventions, a clear understanding of the way that proficiency in different cognitive domains develops and declines across the lifespan is necessary. Additionally, there are gender differences in a range of other factors, such as anxiety and substance use, that are also known to affect cognition, although the scale of this interaction is unknown. Our objective was to assess differences in cognitive function across the lifespan in men and women in a large, representative sample. Leveraging online cognitive testing, a sample of 18,902 men and women ranging in age from 12-69 matched on socio-demographic factors were studied. Segmented regression was used to model three cognitive domains – short-term memory, verbal abilities, and reasoning. Gender differences in all three domains were minimal; however, after broadening the sample in terms of socio-demographic factors, gender differences appeared. These results suggest that cognition across the lifespan differs for men and women, but is greatly influenced by environmental factors. We discuss these findings within a framework that describes gender differences in cognition as likely guided by a complex interplay between biology and environment.Competing Interest StatementThe cognitive tests used in this study are marketed by Cambridge Brain Sciences Inc., of which Dr. Owen is the Chief Scientific Officer. Under the terms of the existing licensing agreement, Dr. Owen and his collaborators are free to use the platform at no cost for their scientific studies and such research projects neither contribute to, nor are influenced by, the activities of the company. As such, there is no overlap between the current study and the activities of Cambridge Brain Sciences Inc., nor was there any cost to the authors, funding bodies or participants who were involved in the study.