Table 3

Standardised coefficients from multiple linear regressions using retinal vascular parameters to predict cognitive ability in the LBC1936

		Model 1		Model 2		Model 3				Model 1		Model 2		Model 3
Cognitive outcome	Retinal predictor	β‡	p Value	β‡	p Value	β‡	p Value	Cognitive outcome	Retinal predictor	β‡	p Value	β‡	p Value	β‡	p Value
g								Memory
	CRAE	−0.003	0.95	0.012	0.79	−0.001	0.97		CRAE	−0.007	0.87	−0.006	0.88	−0.014	0.71
	CRVE	0.010	0.81	0.020	0.63	0.010	0.74		CRVE	0.030	0.47	0.024	0.57	0.022	0.55
	AVR	−0.017	0.69	−0.013	0.76	−0.013	0.67		AVR	−0.040	0.35	−0.033	0.44	−0.036	0.34
	JEa	−0.048	0.26	−0.056	0.20	−0.026	0.38		JEa	−0.030	0.48	−0.035	0.42	−0.019	0.62
	JEv	0.001	0.98	−0.006	0.89	−0.035	0.25		JEv	0.029	0.50	0.030	0.48	0.014	0.71
	FDa	−0.028	0.51	−0.007	0.88	0.014	0.65		FDa	−0.087	0.04*	−0.080	0.06†	−0.062	0.09†
	FDv	−0.038	0.37	−0.023	0.58	0.016	0.61		FDv	−0.020	0.64	−0.013	0.77	0.019	0.61
	TORTa	0.016	0.70	0.025	0.56	0.014	0.64		TORTa	−0.040	0.34	−0.041	0.33	−0.041	0.27
	TORTv	−0.075	0.07†	−0.067	0.12	0.002	0.96		TORTv	−0.085	0.04*	−0.095	0.02*	−0.053	0.16
	LDRa	0.014	0.80	0.006	0.92	0.033	0.38		LDRa	0.013	0.81	0.002	0.96	0.011	0.81
	LDRv	−0.071	0.20	−0.071	0.20	−0.079	0.04*		LDRv	−0.008	0.88	−0.007	0.90	−0.014	0.78
	BCa	0.060	0.16	0.063	0.14	0.037	0.22		BCa	0.050	0.25	0.054	0.21	0.038	0.32
	BCv	−0.033	0.44	−0.025	0.57	−0.016	0.59		BCv	−0.043	0.31	−0.039	0.36	−0.034	0.36
	Num1stBa	−0.047	0.26	−0.039	0.35	−0.040	0.18		Num1stBa	−0.060	0.15	−0.060	0.16	−0.062	0.09†
	Num1stBv	−0.009	0.84	0.002	0.96	−0.013	0.65		Num1stBv	0.019	0.65	0.024	0.57	0.017	0.65
Visuospatial								Crystallised
	CRAE	−0.019	0.64	−0.002	0.95	−0.008	0.83		CRAE	0.003	0.94	0.002	0.96	0.007	0.81
	CRVE	0.021	0.61	0.031	0.45	0.031	0.39		CRVE	−0.011	0.78	−0.009	0.84	−0.007	0.82
	AVR	−0.048	0.25	−0.040	0.33	−0.043	0.24		AVR	0.008	0.84	0.005	0.91	0.012	0.68
	JEa	−0.052	0.22	−0.059	0.15	−0.040	0.27		JEa	−0.041	0.33	−0.043	0.31	−0.009	0.77
	JEv	0.007	0.86	−0.002	0.95	−0.021	0.57		JEv	0.007	0.86	0.007	0.86	−0.022	0.45
	FDa	−0.008	0.85	0.015	0.71	0.033	0.36		FDa	−0.028	0.50	−0.018	0.67	0.014	0.62
	FDv	−0.019	0.65	0.001	0.98	0.027	0.46		FDv	−0.025	0.55	−0.023	0.59	0.020	0.50
	TORTa	0.021	0.60	0.034	0.40	0.028	0.44		TORTa	0.021	0.62	0.020	0.63	0.014	0.62
	TORTv	−0.032	0.44	−0.018	0.66	0.032	0.38		TORTv	−0.093	0.02*	−0.088	0.04*	−0.011	0.70
	LDRa	0.077	0.14	0.073	0.16	0.092	0.04*		LDRa	−0.027	0.60	−0.033	0.53	−0.012	0.76
	LDRv	−0.046	0.39	−0.045	0.40	−0.053	0.25		LDRv	0.026	0.62	0.030	0.59	0.022	0.56
	BCa	0.070	0.09†	0.073	0.08†	0.056	0.12		BCa	0.032	0.46	0.032	0.45	−0.001	0.97
	BCv	−0.059	0.16	−0.046	0.26	−0.043	0.23		BCv	0.002	0.97	0.002	0.95	0.012	0.69
	Num1stBa	−0.010	0.81	0.004	0.92	0.005	0.89		Num1stBa	−0.052	0.21	−0.046	0.27	−0.044	0.12
	Num1stBv	0.006	0.89	0.014	0.73	0.003	0.92		Num1stBv	−0.004	0.92	0.002	0.97	−0.006	0.84
Speed								IQ change
	CRAE	−0.024	0.56	−0.002	0.97	−0.009	0.81		CRAE	−0.048	0.25	−0.049	0.25	−0.040	0.35
	CRVE	−0.046	0.27	0.030	0.47	−0.033	0.38		CRVE	−0.052	0.22	−0.050	0.24	−0.047	0.27
	AVR	0.021	0.62	0.027	0.52	0.025	0.51		AVR	−0.003	0.94	−0.006	0.89	0.001	0.98
	JEa	−0.033	0.43	−0.043	0.30	−0.026	0.48		JEa	−0.116	0.01*	−0.112	0.01*	−0.101	0.02*
	JEv	0.011	0.80	−0.002	0.96	−0.020	0.59		JEv	−0.069	0.10	−0.069	0.10	−0.073	0.08†
	FDa	0.036	0.39	0.055	0.19	0.070	0.06†		FDa	−0.032	0.44	−0.033	0.44	−0.030	0.48
	FDv	−0.028	0.51	−0.014	0.74	0.014	0.71		FDv	−0.047	0.27	−0.042	0.33	−0.044	0.30
	TORTa	0.013	0.76	0.020	0.62	0.012	0.75		TORTa	−0.017	0.68	−0.012	0.77	−0.023	0.59
	TORTv	−0.037	0.38	−0.025	0.55	0.022	0.56		TORTv	−0.044	0.30	−0.043	0.32	−0.026	0.54
	LDRa	0.014	0.80	0.004	0.95	0.015	0.76		LDRa	−0.048	0.37	−0.050	0.36	−0.042	0.44
	LDRv	−0.112	0.04*	−0.115	0.03*	−0.116	0.01*		LDRv	−0.008	0.89	−0.017	0.76	−0.007	0.91
	BCa	0.034	0.42	0.043	0.32	0.028	0.46		BCa	0.104	0.01*	0.099	0.02*	0.089	0.04*
	BCv	−0.042	0.32	−0.032	0.44	−0.029	0.43		BCv	0.048	0.26	0.048	0.25	0.046	0.27
	Num1stBa	−0.030	0.47	−0.020	0.63	−0.020	0.58		Num1stBa	−0.052	0.21	−0.058	0.17	−0.053	0.21
	Num1stBv	−0.036	0.39	−0.027	0.51	−0.033	0.37		Num1stBv	−0.048	0.25	−0.051	0.23	−0.052	0.21

Negative associations were such that increased retinal vascular measurements were related to lower cognitive ability scores at age 73 and lower relative change in IQ. Positive associations showed that increased retinal vascular measurements were related to higher cognitive ability scores at age 73 and increased IQ after age 11 or less decline in older age. Model 1 adjusted for age and sex; Model 2 adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular history, stroke, current smoking status, apolipoprotein E (APOE) status, visual acuity, depression; Model 3 adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular history, stroke, current smoking status, APOE status, visual acuity, depression, age-11 IQ, years of education and socioeconomic status. No associations survived false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment. N varies due to incomplete range of measurements/missing subtest data: range 553–570 for all retinal parameters except LDR, range: 334–351.
*Significant (p<0.05); **Significant (p<0.01); †Trend (p<0.01).
‡Data are presented as standardised β coefficients (β) reflecting change in cognitive domain score associated with an increase of 1 SD unit in retinal parameters.
Crystallised, crystallised ability; g, general cognitive ability; memory, memory ability; speed, information-processing speed; visuospatial, visuospatial ability.
AVR, arteriole–venular ratio; BCa, arteriolar branching coefficient; BCv, venular branching coefficient; CRAE, central retinal arteriolar equivalent; CRVE, central retinal venular equivalent; FDa, arteriolar fractal dimension; FDv, venular fractal dimension; JEa, arteriolar junctional exponent; JEv, venular junctional exponent; LDRa, arteriolar length-to-diameter ratio; LDRv, venular length-to-diameter ratio; Num1stBa, number of first branching arterioles; Num1stBv, number of first branching venules; TORTa, arteriolar tortuosity TORTv, venular tortuosity.