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Neuroticism in Adolescence and Cognitive Function in Midlife in the British 1946 Birth Cohort: The HALCyon Program

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  • Catharine R. Gale
  • Ian J. Deary
  • Diana Kuh
  • Felicia Huppert
  • Marcus Richards

Abstract

We examined whether higher levels of neuroticism in adolescence were associated with poorer cognitive function in midlife in 2,071 members of the British 1946 birth cohort. Higher neuroticism at age 13 was associated with poorer performance on tests of verbal ability, verbal fluency, and verbal memory at age 53 in sex-adjusted analyses. However, higher neuroticism was also associated with poorer cognitive performance at age 8. After adjustment for childhood cognition or educational attainment, the associations between neuroticism at age 13 and midlife cognition ceased to be statistically significant. The link between neuroticism and subsequent cognitive ability may be a reflection of a long-standing correlation between the stable aspects of these traits since childhood, but further measurements of both traits are needed to confirm this. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Catharine R. Gale & Ian J. Deary & Diana Kuh & Felicia Huppert & Marcus Richards, 2009. "Neuroticism in Adolescence and Cognitive Function in Midlife in the British 1946 Birth Cohort: The HALCyon Program," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 65(1), pages 50-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:65b:y:2009:i:1:p:50-56
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbp082
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