Cognitive Correlates of Mortality: Evidence from a Population-based Sample of Very Old Adults

The authors examined performance on memory, visuospatial, and verbal tasks and subsequent mortality in adults 75-95 years. The sample consisted of 178 living and 44 deceased participants. Mean-level analyses revealed mortality group differences for all domains of cognitive functioning. A Cox regression analysis, independent of age, gender, education, functional ability, and chronic illness, indicated that measures of word recognition and category fluency were significant predictors of mortality status. The results indicate a relationship between cognitive performance and subsequent mortality status in very old age and suggest that episodic memory and verbal skill may be particularly sensitive in predicting such effects.