Profile of elderly patients with advanced dementia from an outpatient geriatric clinic at São Paulo, Brazil

the accumulation ofWMH.Methods: Plasma omega 3 pufas were available in 104 non-demented participants of the Oregon Brain Aging Study (mean age 87 6 10 and MMSE 27 6 3). Linear mixed effects modeling assessed the within-person change in executive function and processing speed by baseline plasma pufas as a predictor after controlling for age, gender, education, ApoE genotype, and hypertension. Mediation by baselineWMHvolume was also examined for both cognitive outcomes. Results: Higher plasma pufas associated with a reduced rate of decline in trail making test B (P1⁄4 0.004) and digit symbol making test (P1⁄4 0.013) over a mean follow up period of 3.4 years. Adding baseline WMH volume to the model significantly attenuated both of these longitudinal relationships. Conclusions: High plasma pufa content (EPA and DHA together) is associated with more stable executive function and processing speed over time in non-demented elders. This association appears to be mediated through vascular mechanisms.