Cognition across the lifespan: Aging and gender differences

Maintaining cognitive health across the lifespan has been the focus of a multi-billion-dollar industry. In order to guide treatment and interventions, a clear understanding of the way that proficiency in different cognitive domains develops and declines across the lifespan is necessary. Additionally, there are gender differences in a range of other factors, such as anxiety and substance use, that are also known to affect cognition, although the scale of this interaction is unknown. Our objective was to assess differences in cognitive function across the lifespan in men and women in a large, representative sample. Leveraging online cognitive testing, a sample of 18,902 men and women ranging in age from 12-69 matched on socio-demographic factors were studied. Segmented regression was used to model three cognitive domains - short-term memory, verbal abilities, and reasoning. Gender differences in all three domains were minimal; however, after broadening the sample in terms of socio-demographic factors, gender differences appeared. These results suggest that cognition across the lifespan differs for men and women, but is greatly influenced by environmental factors. We discuss these findings within a framework that describes gender differences in cognition as likely guided by a complex interplay between biology and environment.