Table2.

Results from multiple linear mixed models, testing the relationship between longitudinal decline in cognitive performance and faster accumulation of chronic diseases, conceptualized as group with faster accumulation of multi-morbidity (upper quartile of the sample population, 25%) versus the rest of the sample (75%).

Longitudinal analyses
Effect of faster accumulation of multi-morbidities on longitudinal decline in cognitive performance (“Group with faster accumulation of multi-morbidity*time” vs rest of the population), after adjustment for covariates†
		Time		Group with faster accumulation of multi- morbidity *time (Vs rest of the population)
Domain	Neuropsychological Measure	β (SE)	P value	β (SE)	P value
Global cognition	MMSE	−0.07 (0.02)	.015	−0.04 (0.04)	.249
Verbal fluency	Category Fluency	−0.18 (0.03)	<.001	−0.13 (0.05)	.015
	Letter Fluency	−0.02 (0.04)	.658	−0.16 (0.06)	.013
Figural Memory	Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT)	0.37 (0.05)	<.001	0.03 (0.08)	.752
Verbal Memory	California Verbal Language (CVLT) Learning & Immediate Free Recall	−0.24 (0.13)	.079	−0.25 (0.22)	.269
	CVLT Short Delay Free Recall	−0.07 (0.04)	.079	−0.06 (0.07)	.393
	CVLT Long Delay Free Recall	−0.02 (0.04)	.524	−0.05 (0.07)	.448
Attention and Working Memory	Digitspan Forward	−0.11 (0.03)	<.001	0.06 (0.05)	.232
	Digitspan Backward	−0.09 (0.03)	.002	0.07 (0.05)	.179
	Digit Symbol	−1.26 (0.08)	<.001	0.05 (0.13)	.672
Executive functions	Trail Making Test A	0.28 (0.24)	.236	0.71 (0.41)	.084
	Trail Making Test B	1.48 (0.49)	.003	1.46 (0.82)	.075
Spatial Ability	Card Rotations Test	−1.05 (0.25)	<.001	0.53 (0.42)	.208

^†covariates included baseline age, sex, race, education, baseline number of diseases, time, baseline age*time, sex*time, race*time, education*time, baseline number of diseases*time.

β=beta coefficient; SE=standard error