Abstract
Objectives: To examine associations between age at natural menopause, childhood IQ and cognition
at age 65 years. To determine if lower age at menopause partly mediates the effect
of childhood IQ on cognition at age 65 years. Methods: Data were provided by a sub-cohort of women participating in a longitudinal study
of brain ageing and health. Main variables were childhood IQ from a 1947 national
survey of children born in 1936, age at natural menopause and five cognitive tests
measured in 2000–2001. Results: Age at menopause was associated with childhood IQ (r=0.221, P=0.008) and with general cognitive function age 65 years (r=0.246, P=0.004). Multiple regression showed 44.4% of the reliable variance in cognitive ability
age 65 years is contributed by IQ at an age of 11 years to which, years of education
contributed an additional 3.9%. Structural equation modelling suggested that childhood
IQ differences contribute 4.8% of the variance to age at natural menopause and that
the relation between age at menopause and cognition at age 65 years was accounted
for by childhood IQ. Conclusion: Childhood IQ and age at menopause each have significant relations with general cognitive
function age 65 years but the link between cognition age 65 years and age at menopause
might be wholly explained by childhood IQ. The association between childhood IQ and
age at menopause may be attributed to central neural mechanisms or, as argued here,
to the effects of childhood IQ on adult general health.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 22,
2003
Received in revised form:
November 20,
2003
Received:
May 27,
2003
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
