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"The subjects were divided into three groups -- those not on any medications, those on psychoactive drugs at the start of the study, and those, who were not on medication at the start of the testing but later had to be put on the psychoactive medications," explains Dellasega. "All three groups tested at age 80 and then at age 82 showed a decline in cognitive function. The group that was not on any medication at the start and then later started taking medication showed the most severe drop in cognitive function."

The Penn State researcher adds that about three-quarters of the entire group were on some kind of psychoactive medication. She reports that results clearly show that those on such medications do not function as well with their day-to-day activities.

The group of people aged 80 and over is one of the fastest growing segments of the population, and Dellasega believes they need more attention to their needs.

"Many of these people take multiple medications daily. More research is needed to examine specific medications within classes to assess the long-tern effectiveness of psychoactive medications, " she says.

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Contact: Leilyn Perri
lperri@psu.edu
717-531-8604
Penn State
28-Jun-2000