Marital status, brain health, and cognitive reserve among diverse older adults.
Ji Hyun Lee, Kiana A Scambray, Emily P Morris, Ketlyne Sol, Jordan D Palms, Afsara B Zaheed, Michelle N Martinez, Nicole Schupf, Jennifer J Manly, Adam M Brickman, Laura B Zahodne
Author Information
Ji Hyun Lee: Department of Human Development and Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA. ORCID
Kiana A Scambray: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ORCID
Emily P Morris: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ORCID
Ketlyne Sol: Social Environment and Health Program, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Jordan D Palms: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ORCID
Afsara B Zaheed: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. ORCID
Michelle N Martinez: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Nicole Schupf: Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Jennifer J Manly: Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. ORCID
Adam M Brickman: Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Laura B Zahodne: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ORCID
OBJECTIVE: Being married may protect late-life cognition. Less is known about living arrangement among unmarried adults and mechanisms such as brain health (BH) and cognitive reserve (CR) across race and ethnicity or sex/gender. The current study examines (1) associations between marital status, BH, and CR among diverse older adults and (2) whether one's living arrangement is linked to BH and CR among unmarried adults. METHOD: Cross-sectional data come from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project ( = 778, 41% Hispanic, 33% non-Hispanic Black, 25% non-Hispanic White; 64% women). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of BH included cortical thickness in Alzheimer's disease signature regions and hippocampal, gray matter, and white matter hyperintensity volumes. CR was residual variance in an episodic memory composite after partialing out MRI markers. Exploratory analyses stratified by race and ethnicity and sex/gender and included potential mediators. RESULTS: Marital status was associated with CR, but not BH. Compared to married individuals, those who were previously married (i.e., divorced, widowed, and separated) had lower CR than their married counterparts in the full sample, among White and Hispanic subgroups, and among women. Never married women also had lower CR than married women. These findings were independent of age, education, physical health, and household income. Among never married individuals, living with others was negatively linked to BH. CONCLUSIONS: Marriage may protect late-life cognition via CR. Findings also highlight differential effects across race and ethnicity and sex/gender. Marital status could be considered when assessing the risk of cognitive impairment during routine screenings.
