Neuropsychological functioning in older adults with chronic kidney disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a condition that disproportionately affects older adults and is associated with high prevalence of vascular diseases and increased risk for the development of cognitive impairment. In the current study, we examined global cognition, verbal memory and executive functioning in older adults with CKD and compared their performance to age- and education-matched healthy controls. We also assessed the role of potential mediators/moderators of cognitive impairment in CKD, including metabolic disturbances, psychological distress, subclinical dementia and medication usage. Compared to controls, older adults with CKD exhibited worse executive functioning but relatively intact memory retention, a neuropsychological presentation that is consistent with vascular cognitive impairment. Poor cognitive performance in CKD was not associated with metabolic dysfunction or elevated psychological distress, and persisted after controlling for impaired global cognition and differences in medication usage. Future studies investigating the relationship between cerebrovascular pathology and neuropsychological functioning in CKD are warranted.