Effects of age and β-amyloid on cognitive changes in normal elderly people

Age-related decline is common in multiple cognitive domains. β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, is also associated with cognitive changes in many older people. In this study, we examined a wide range of cognitive function in order to differentiate the effect of age and Aβ on cognition during aging. Using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the radiotracer Pittsburgh Compound B (PIB), we classified normal older subjects as High PIB-Old and Low PIB-Old and applied sequential multivariate analyses (i.e., principal components analysis [PCA] and discriminant analysis) to obtain summary measures of cognitive tests encompassing multiple cognitive domains. Among 5 cognitive components, a significant age effect was observed in component scores of visual memory and executive functions, regardless of the level of Aβ. Discriminant scores (weighted scores of the 5 cognitive components) revealed a significant effect of both age and Aβ and were further associated with quantitative PIB counts. The results of the current study highlight both effects of age and Aβ on cognitive changes in normal elderly.