Analyzing the Effects of Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cell Count on Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between levels of red blood cell count (RBC) and hemoglobin (HGB) and their effect on executive functioning in healthy, non-anemic older individuals. Previous research has investigated the relationship between anemia and cognitive function, yet research on these parameters on executive function in healthy, non-anemic individuals is understudied. Participants consisted of 88 men and women who were seen at an outpatient neuropsychology clinic in Middle Tennessee and who completed a neuropsychological evaluation for the purpose of evaluating memory and cognitive functioning. Participants were not found to have any evidence of memory and cognitive impairment, stroke, dementia, or head injury. As part of the neuropsychological evaluation participants were given the Trail Making Test (TMT), Stroop, and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) as standardized measures of executive functioning. Laboratory values for HGB and RBC were obtained through a review of the participant’s medical records during the neuropsychological evaluation, and values for HGB and RBC were averaged for three years prior to the date of the evaluation. It was predicted that a quadratic relationship exists between hemoglobin, red blood cell count, and performance on tests of executive functioning such that participants with low and high levels will perform lower on these measures than participants with more moderate levels. Overall, there was no significant relationship between RBC, HGB, and executive function in healthy, non-anemic older individuals.