Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T05:57:33.909Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Sydney Centenarian Study: methodology and profile of centenarians and near-centenarians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2013

Perminder S. Sachdev ,
Charlene Levitan ,
John Crawford ,
Mamta Sidhu ,
Melissa Slavin ,
Robyn Richmond ,
Nicole Kochan ,
Henry Brodaty ,
Wei Wen  and
Kristan Kang
...Show all authors
Perminder S. Sachdev*
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Charlene Levitan
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
John Crawford
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Mamta Sidhu
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Melissa Slavin
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Robyn Richmond
Affiliation:
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Nicole Kochan
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Henry Brodaty
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Avoca Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Wei Wen
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Kristan Kang
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Karen A. Mather
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
the Sydney Centenarian Study Team
Affiliation:
Brain & Ageing Research Program, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Perminder S. Sachdev, UNSW School of Psychiatry, NPI, Euroa Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia. Phone: +612-9382-3763; Fax: +612-9382-3774. Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Background: The study of exceptionally long-living individuals can inform us about the determinants of successful aging. There are few population-based studies of centenarians and near-centenarians internationally, but none in Australia.

Methods: Individuals 95 years and older were recruited from seven electoral districts in Sydney using the electoral roll, Medicare lists, and multiple other strategies to obtain a representative sample. Physical and mental health and cognitive status were assessed using standard instruments in multiple sessions, with assessments individually adapted. An informant was interviewed, and participants were invited to donate a blood sample, undergo an MRI scan, and enrol into the brain donation program.

Results: Preliminary data on the first 200 participants are reported. Mean age was 97.4 years (range 95–106), with 29.5% being men, and 58.5% living in a private dwelling. Rates of heart disease and diabetes were lower than in octogenarians, but hearing and visual deficits were common. The mean mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score was 21.1, with men performing better. Rates of psychological distress were low and satisfaction with life high (mean 5.91 out of a maximum of 7); 54% scored <24 on MMSE; 39.5% were impaired on both MMSE and a functional measure; and 20% had previous diagnosis of dementia.

Conclusions: This is a preliminary report describing the methodology of the study. It provides further evidence that dementia is not inevitable at this age and independent living is common. The study provides an excellent resource to determine the genetic and environmental contributions to long and successful cognitive aging.

Keywords

centenariansaginglongevitydementiaMRImethodologygenetics
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 6 , June 2013 , pp. 993 - 1005
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1991). Census of Population and Housing. Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au; last accessed 3 August 2012.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001). Census of Population and Housing. Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au; last accessed 3 August 2012.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006). Census of Population and Housing. Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au; last accessed 3 August 2012.Google Scholar
Benton, A. L. (1967). Problems of test construction in the field of aphasia. Cortex, 3, 32–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blansjaar, B. A., Thomassen, R. and Van Schaick, H. W. (2000). Prevalence of dementia in centenarians. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15, 219–225.3.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bohannon, R. W. (1995). Sit-to-stand test for measuring performance of lower extremity muscles. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 80, 163–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brandt, J. and Benedict, R. H. B. (2001). Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Brodaty, H.et al. (2002). The GPCOG: a new screening test for dementia designed for general practice. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50, 530–534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cherbuin, N.et al. (2009). Risk factors of transition from normal cognition to mild cognitive disorder: the PATH through life study. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 28, 47–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J. and Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Esiri, M. M. (2000). Which vascular lesions are of importance in vascular dementia? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 903, 239–243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folquitto, J. C.et al. (2007). The Bayer: Activities of Daily Living Scale (B-ADL) in the differentiation between mild to moderate dementia and normal aging. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 29, 350–353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frederiksen, H., Hjelmborg, J., Mortensen, J., McGue, M., Vaupel, J. W. and Christensen, K. (2006). Age trajectories of grip strength: cross-sectional and longitudinal data among 8,342 Danes aged 43 to 102. Annals of Epidemiology, 16, 554–562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardner, R. M.et al. (1986). Quality assurance in pulmonary function laboratories. American Review of Respiratory Disease, 134, 625–627.Google ScholarPubMed
Gondo, Y. and Poon, L. W. (2008). Cognitive function of centenarians and its influence on longevity. In Poon, L. W. and Perls, T. (eds.), Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, vol. 27: Biopsychosocial Approaches to Longevity (pp. 129–150). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Halliday, G.et al. (2002). Consensus neuropathological diagnosis of common dementia syndromes: testing and standardising the use of multiple diagnostic criteria. Acta Neuropathologica, 104, 72–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hindmarch, I., Lehfeld, H., de Jongh, P. and Erzigkeit, H. (1998). The Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale (B-ADL). Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 9, 20–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jeune, B.et al. (2006). Handgrip strength among nonagenarians and centenarians in three European regions. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 61, 707–712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorm, A. F., Scott, R. and Jacomb, P. A. (1989). Assessment of cognitive decline in dementia by informant questionnaire. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 4, 35–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, E., Goodglass, H. and Weintraub, S. (2001). The Boston Naming Test. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Katz, S., Downs, T. D., Cash, H. R. and Grotz, R. C. (1970). Progress in development of the index of ADL. Gerontologist, 10, 20–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, M. P. and Brody, E. M. (1969). Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist, 9, 179–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maguire, E. A. and Frith, C. D. (2003). Aging affects the engagement of the hippocampus during autobiographical memory retrieval. Brain, 126, 1511–1523.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathuranath, P. S., Nestor, P. J., Berrios, G. E., Rakowicz, W. and Hodges, J. R. (2000). A brief cognitive test battery to differentiate Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Neurology, 55, 1613–1620.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, J. C. (1993). The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR): current version and scoring rules. Neurology, 43, 2412–2414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, H. E. and Willison, J. (1991). National Adult Reading Test (NART): Test Manual, 2nd edn.Windsor, UK: NFER Nelson.Google Scholar
Perls, T. (2004). Dementia-free centenarians. Experimental Gerontology, 39, 1587–1593.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Podsiadlo, D. and Richardson, S. (1991). The timed “Up & Go”: a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 39, 142–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richmond, R. L. (2008). The changing face of the Australian population: growth in centenarians. Medical Journal of Australia, 188, 720–723.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ricker, J. H. and Axelrod, B. N. (1994). Analysis of an oral paradigm for the Trail Making Test. Assessment, 1, 51–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ritchie, K. (1995). Mental state examination of an exceptional case of longevity J. C. aged 118 years. British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 229–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robine, J.-M. and Jagger, C. (2003). What do we know about the cognitive function of supercentenarians? In Finch, C. E., Robine, J.-M. and Christen, Y. (eds.), Brain and Longevity (Research and Perspectives in Longevity) (pp. 145–152). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.Google Scholar
Rosen, W. G., Mohs, R. C. and Davis, K. L. (1984). A new rating scale for Alzheimer's disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 1356–1364.Google ScholarPubMed
Sachdev, P.et al. (2010). The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS): methodology and baseline medical and neuropsychiatric characteristics of an elderly epidemiological non-demented cohort of Australians aged 70–90 years. International Psychogeriatrics, 22, 1248–1264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sachdev, P., Levitan, C. and Crawford, J. (2012). Methodological issues in centenarian research: pitfalls and challenges. Asian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 7, 44–48.Google Scholar
Samuelsson, S. M.et al. (1997). The Swedish Centenarian Study: a multidisciplinary study of five consecutive cohorts at the age of 100. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 45, 223–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sheikh, J. I. and Yesavage, J. A. (1986). Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): recent evidence and development of a shorter version. In Brink, T. L. (ed.), Clinical Gerontology: A Guide to Assessment and Intervention (pp. 165–173). New York: The Haworth Press.Google Scholar
Thomassen, R., van Schaick, H. W. and Blansjaar, B. A. (1998). Prevalence of dementia over age 100. Neurology, 50, 283–286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valenzuela, M. and Sachdev, P. (2007). Assessment of complex mental activity across the lifespan: development of the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ). Psychological Medicine, 37, 1015–1025.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WareJ. E., Jr. J. E., Jr., Kosinski, M. and Keller, S. D. (1996). A 12-item short form health survey: construction of scales and preliminary tests of reliability and validity. Medical Care, 34, 220–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wechsler, D. (1997a). Wechsler Memory Scale, WMS-III, 3rd edn.New York: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1997b). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Wen, W., Sachdev, P. S., Li, J. J., Chen, X. and Anstey, K. J. (2009). White matter hyperintensities in the forties: their prevalence and topography in an epidemiological sample aged 44–48. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 1155–1167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, S. L. (1993). Test Manual for the Everyday Problems Test for Cognitively Challenged Elderly. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.Google Scholar
Wimo, A. and Winblad, B. (2003). Resource utilisation in dementia: RUD Lite. Brain Aging, 3, 48–49.Google Scholar