Midlife risk factors for late-life cognitive decline

Cognitive aging is a distinct process of gradual change in cognitive function throughout the lifespan, with the most pronounced decline occurring in memory and reaction time during old age (Blazer, Yaffe, & Karlawish, 2015). A multitude of factors in midlife predict subsequent cognitive decline. This paper reviews research from five areas of midlife functioning that are associated with late-life cognitive impairment, ranging from mild decline to clinical manifestations of dementia. Within each area, risk and protective factors are discussed, and particular emphasis is placed on the ways in which these factors interact with the APOE genotype, a well-validated risk factor for cognitive decline (Poirier et al., 1993).