Jerri D Edwards

• Ph.D.
• Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham

To examine the efficacy of cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT) among individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). Moderators of SOPT were also examined. Eighty-seven adults, 40 years of age or older, with a diagnosis of idiopathic PD in Hoehn & Yahr stages 1-3 and on a stable medication regimen were randomized to either 20 hours of self-admin...

OBJECTIVE: Age-related deficits in selective attention are hypothesized to result from decrements in inhibition of task-irrelevant information. Speed of processing (SOP) training is an adaptive cognitive intervention designed to enhance processing speed for attention tasks. The effectiveness of SOP training to improve cognitive and everyday functio...

The purpose of these analyses was to examine mediators of the transfer of cognitive speed of processing training to improved everyday functional performance (J. D. Edwards, V. G. Wadley,, D. E. Vance, D. L. Roenker, & K. K. Ball, 2005, The impact of speed of processing training on cognitive and everyday performance. Aging & Mental Health, 9, 262-27...

As our population ages, interventions that can prolong safe driving for older adults will be increasingly important. Data from two studies were combined in order to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive training in delaying driving cessation. Stratified Cox hazard regressions were used to examine risk of driving cessation as a function of trai...

To examine how cognitive speed of processing training affects driving mobility across a 3-year period among older drivers. Older drivers with poor Useful Field of View (UFOV) test performance (indicating greater risk for subsequent at-fault crashes and mobility declines) were randomly assigned to either a speed of processing training or a social an...

Purpose Impairments of hearing and auditory processing (AP) have been indicated as risk factors for dementia, but it remains unclear if persons with clinically diagnosed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show such impairments. The objective of these analyses was to compare AP between those with and without a clinical diagnosis of MCI using a battery...

Objective: This study aims to examine indicators of crash risk longitudinally in older adults (n = 486). Method: This study applied secondary data analyses of the 10 years of follow-up for the ACTIVE study combined with state-recorded crash records from five of the six participating sites. Cox proportional hazards models were first used to examine...

Learning to play a musical instrument is commonly recommended to avoid cognitive decline and dementia, but experimental evidence is lacking. In this Keys to Staying Sharp study, we investigated the efficacy of piano training as compared to music listening instruction to improve auditory processing, cognition, and everyday function among older adult...

Background To address the rising prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, effective interventions that can be widely disseminated are warranted. The Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training study (PACT) investigates a commercially available computerized cognitive training program targeting improved Useful Field of View Trainin...

Useful Field of View (UFOV) computerized cognitive training improves older adults’ gait speed and balance and reduces dementia risk. We investigated a new form of UFOV training requiring physical movement, Training Under Cognitive Kinematics (TUCK). We hypothesized TUCK would be acceptable, feasible, and potentially efficacious to improve UFOV Test...

On 11 September 2001 the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York was attacked by terrorists, causing the collapse of multiple buildings including the iconic 110-story ‘Twin Towers’. Thousands of people died that day from the collapse of the buildings, fires, falling from the buildings, falling debris, or other related accidents. Survivors of the attac...

Background Evidence on effective engagement of diverse participants in AD prevention research is lacking.Objectives To quantify recruitment source in relation to race, ethnicity, and retention.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingUniversity lab.ParticipantsParticipants included older adults (N=1170) who identified as White (86%), Black (8%), and H...

Despite the demonstrated benefits of computerized cognitive training for older adults, little is known about the determinants of training behavior. We developed and tested scales to quantify expectations about such training, examine whether expectations predicted training adherence, and explore if training expectations changed from pre- to post-tra...

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize and quantify the effects of different driving interventions among older adults on outcomes of crashes, on-road driving performance, self-reported outcomes of errors and crashes, and driving simulator performance. Randomized controlled trials examining the effects of a driving...

Objective Auditory processing predicts cognitive decline, including dementia, in older adults. Auditory processing involves the understanding, interpretation, and communication of auditory information. Cognition is linked to auditory processing; however, it is disputed whether auditory processing is a separate construct distinct from cognition. The...

This study examined the effectiveness of two commercially available cognitive interventions to enhance memory performance among older adults, an adaptive computerized program, Dakim BrainFitness, and a non-adaptive program of pencil-and-paper exercises, Mind Your Mind. Older adults were randomized to Dakim BrainFitness (n = 18), Mind Your Mind (n =...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered an intermediate transitional stage for the development of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. The identification of neurophysiological biomarkers for MCI will allow improvement in detecting and tracking the progression of cognitive impairment. The primary objective of this study was to compare cor...

Background: The prevalence of dementia, the most expensive medical condition (Kirschstein, 2000 and Hurd et al., 2013 [1,2]), and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are increasing [3]. Finding effective intervention strategies to prevent or delay dementia is imperative to public health. Prior research provides compelling evidence that...

Objective: The aim of these secondary analyses was to examine cognitive speed of processing training (SPT) gains in cognitive and everyday functioning among older adults with psychometrically defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method: A subgroup of participants from the Staying Keen in Later Life (SKILL) study with psychometrically defined MC...

There is substantial interest in the possibility that cognitive skills can be improved by dedicated behavioral training. Yet despite the large amount of work being conducted in this domain, there is not an explicit and widely agreed upon consensus around the best methodological practices. This document seeks to fill this gap. We start from the pers...

There is substantial interest in the possibility that cognitive skills can be improved by dedicated behavioral training. Yet despite the large amount of work being conducted in this domain, there is not an explicit and widely agreed upon consensus around the best methodological practices. This document seeks to fill this gap. We start from the pers...

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their care partners frequently report cognitive decline as one of their greatest concerns. Mild cognitive impairment affects approximately 20-50% of people with PD, and longitudinal studies reveal dementia in up to 80% of PD. Through the Parkinson's Disease Foundation Community Choice Research Award Program,...

The majority of published reviews of cognitive training do not differentiate types of training despite evidence that specific cognitive training approaches demonstrate unique effects. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effects of one specific cognitive training approach, Useful Field of View (UFOV®) cognitive...

The number of commercially-available computerized cognitive training programs aimed at countering age-related cognitive decline has rapidly expanded over the past decade. Some researchers have questioned the efficacy of such programs. This systemic literature review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of commercially available, cognitive train...

Purpose The aims of the study were to compare the Cognitive Self-Report Questionnaire (CSRQ; Spina, Ruff, & Mahncke, 2006) Hearing and Cognitive subscale ratings among older adults with and without probable mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to examine whether self-report, as measured by the CSRQ, is associated with objective measures of hearing,...

Researchers have explored a variety of interventions to improve cognition among older adults. One of which is computerized cognitive training programs. The number of commercially available, cognitive training programs has increased greatly, but scientists debate their value. The purposes of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis were t...

Cognitive dysfunction is a predictor of driving cessation in older adults and a common sequela of heart failure (HF). Although HF has been associated with an increased risk of driving cessation, the independent relationship between HF and driving cessation after cognitive function is considered remains to be established. The objective of these anal...

Introduction Cognitive training improves cognitive performance and delays functional impairment, but its effects on dementia are not known. We examined whether three different types of cognitive training lowered the risk of dementia across 10 years of follow-up relative to control and if greater number of training sessions attended was associated w...

Systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted of Useful Field of View (UFOV) training, which was evaluated by Institute of Medicine criteria. Forty-four studies of UFOV training from 17 randomized trials conducted among adults were identified in systematic review. Results addressing the Institute of Medicine criteria indicated that: (a) UFOV t...

Auditory cognitive training (ACT) improves attention in older adults; however, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are still unknown. The present study examined the effects of ACT on the P3b event-related potential reflecting attention allocation (amplitude) and speed of processing (latency) during stimulus categorization and the P1-N1-P2...

This current study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Geriatric Fear of Falling Measure (GFFM) among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Eighty-eight participants were assessed on the GFFM together with demographics, falls, and fear of falling and falls-efficacy measures at baseline and an 8-week follow-up...

Purpose Studies suggest that deficits in auditory processing predict cognitive decline and dementia, but those studies included limited measures of auditory processing. The purpose of this study was to compare older adults with and without probable mild cognitive impairment (MCI) across two domains of auditory processing (auditory performance in co...

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the relationships among depressive symptoms, cognition, and functional performance in a community-based sample of older adults. Method: Older adults (N = 885) from the Staying Keen in Later Life study completed tests of executive function, speed of processing, and memory. The Center for Epidemiolog...

Introduction: Recent research indicated that cognitive speed of processing training (SPT) improved Useful Field of View (UFOV) among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). The effects of SPT in PD have not been further examined. The objectives of the current study were to investigate use, maintenance, and dose effects of SPT among individuals...

Driving cessation can result in declines of autonomy and quality of life in older adults. Cognitive dysfunction is a predictor of driving cessation in older adults and a common sequela of heart failure (HF). The current study aimed to investigate HF as a predictor of driving cessation among a cohort of community-dwelling older drivers and to determ...

Purpose of the Study Driving is important for older adults’ health and well-being, yet little research has examined interventions to maintain driving mobility. As fluid cognitive abilities are strongly linked to driving, targeted cognitive training interventions may impact driving mobility longitudinally. This study assessed the effects of three di...

Objective: This study examined the cross-sectional association between phytoestrogens and speed of processing. We hypothesized that higher levels of phytoestrogens would be related to better cognitive performance among older women. Methods: Participants were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and consisted of 200 older wom...

Purpose of the study: Hearing impairment (HI) is associated with driving safety (e.g., increased crashes and poor on-road driving performance). However, little is known about HI and driving mobility. This study examined the longitudinal association of audiometric hearing with older adults' driving mobility over 3 years. Design and methods: Secon...

Introduction: The Useful Field of View Test (UFOV®) is a cognitive measure that predicts older adults' ability to perform a range of everyday activities. However, little is known about the individual contribution of each subtest to these predictions, and the underlying constructs of UFOV performance remain a topic of debate. Method: We investiga...

The effects of the A Matter of Balance program on falls and physical risk of falls.

Objective: Hearing loss has been well-documented as a risk factor for cognitive impairment, but the simple presence of hearing loss is not a sufficient predictor of cognitive decline. Although auditory behavioral research has not revealed an effective indicator of early cognitive impairment, a limited number of studies using cortical auditory evok...

Parkinson disease (PD) is a movement disorder with cardinal motor symptoms of resting tremor, bradykinesia, freezing of gait, and rigidity.(1) Most PD treatments aim to manage motor symptoms through pharmacologic and surgical interventions such as deep brain stimulation. Although these treatments can improve or slow decline in motor symptoms, they...

Introduction: This study investigated the effects of the A Matter of Balance (MOB) program on falls and physical risk factors of falling among community-dwelling older adults living in Tampa, Florida, in 2013. Methods: A total of 110 adults (52 MOB, 58 comparison) were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Data on falls, physical risk of fa...

Physical activity (PA) is believed to preserve cognitive function in older adulthood, though little is known about these relationships within the context of daily life. The present microlongitudinal pilot study explored within- and between-person relationships between daily PA and cognitive function and also examined within-person effect sizes in a...

The Useful Field of View Test (UFOV) is often used as a behavioral assessment of age-related decline in visual perception and cognition. Poor performance may reflect slowed processing speed, difficulty dividing attention, and difficulty ignoring irrelevant information. However, the underlying neural correlates of UFOV performance have not been iden...

This review provides a description of age-related changes in hearing and cognition, the relationship between hearing and cognition, and several potential mechanisms that underlie the relationship. Several studies have shown a significant relationship between peripheral hearing loss and cognitive impairment/decline but other studies have not. Furthe...

Multilevel models assessed the effects of cognitive speed of processing training (SPT) on older adults' self-reported driving using intention-to-treat (ITT, randomization to training or control conditions) and dosage (treatment-received via number of training sessions) analyses across 5 years. Participants randomized to SPT (n = 598) were compared...

Research has increasingly suggested a consistent relationship between peripheral hearing and selected measures of cognition in older adults. However, other studies yield conflicting findings. The primary purpose of the present study was to further elucidate the relationship between peripheral hearing and three domains of cognition and one measure o...

Background: The etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear, and environmental risk-factors such as occupation have attracted interest. Objective: The goal was to investigate occupational complexity in relation to PD. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study based on the Swedish Twin Registry that included 28,778 twins bo...

PurposeTo examine whether older adults with vision impairment differentially benefit from cognitive speed of processing training (SPT) relative to healthy older adults.Methods Secondary data analyses were conducted from a randomised trial on the effects of SPT among older adults. The effects of vision impairment as indicated by (1) near visual acui...

Objective: Older adults with higher self-efficacy may be more likely to benefit from some cognitive training approaches. We examined whether self-efficacy serves as a mediator or moderator of responsiveness to cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT). Method: We used data from the Staying Keen in Later Life (SKILL) study (N = 128) and the Adva...

Objective: Cognitive deficits pose serious problems for older adults with heart failure (HF). Cognitive speed of processing training improves cognition among older adults but has not been examined among older adults with HF. Method: Data from the ACTIVE study were used to examine the effects of cognitive speed of processing training on cognitive an...

Objective: Secondary data analyses were conducted to examine cognitive function and longitudinal cognitive decline among older adults with and without heart failure (HF). Method: Data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study were used to compare baseline (N = 2,790) and longitudinal (n = 692) changes in memory, r...

Objective: The present study examined health and physical performance as mediators of the association between driving cessation and mortality among older residents of small and large cities. Method: Participants (N = 2,793) were from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. Participants’ driving status and h...

Objectives: Cognitive training has been shown to improve both cognitive and everyday abilities in older adults; however, little is known concerning the amount of training needed or the characteristics of those who benefit. These analyses examined the longitudinal impact of dosage (number of training sessions) on the improvement and maintenance of c...

Objectives: To longitudinally examine gender and racial disparities in driving cessation among older adults. Methods: Data came from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) Study (N = 1,789). Logistic generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to identify predictors of driving cessation; stratified analysis...

It is well established that cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT) improves Useful Field of View (UFOV) performance and transfers to enhanced performance of instrumental activities of daily living, including driving. InSight is a recently developed version of SOPT formatted for self-administration by older adults with exercises translated in...

Objectives.Whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in the rate of cognitive decline among older adults is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in cognitive decline among racial and ethnic older adults.Method.Data were from the Health and Retirement Study, waves 1998-2010. Participants were community...

The effects of the A Matter of Balance program on the measures of psychological consequences of falling

Older adults with clinically-defined dementia may report reducing their driving more than cognitively normal controls. However, it is unclear how these groups compare to individuals with clinically-defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in terms of driving behaviors. The current study investigated self-reported driving habits among adults age 60 a...

Secondary data analyses examined the differences in cognitive and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance among hypertensive individuals taking one of four classes of antihypertensive medications, hypertensive individuals not taking any antihypertensive medications, and normotensive individuals (N=770). After adjusting for covari...

Objectives: To longitudinally examine gender and racial disparities in driving cessation among older adults. Methods: Data came from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) Study (N = 1,789). Logistic generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to identify predictors of driving cessation; stratified analysis...

Prospective predictors of falls and recurrent falls.

Many U.S. states rely on older adults to self-regulate their driving and determine when driving is no longer a safe option. However, the relationship of older adults' self-rated driving in terms of actual driving competency outcomes is unclear. The current study investigates self-rated driving in terms of (1) systematic differences between older ad...

Objective: This study examined speed of processing, executive functioning, and psychomotor speed as independent prospective predictors of falls and recurrent falls across 3 years. Method: The participants were 509 community-dwelling older adults. Measures of speed of processing, executive function, psychomotor speed, and known risk factors of fa...

The present study investigated patterns of self-reported driving habits among healthy older adults over 5 years, as well as characteristics that distinguished subgroups with different patterns. Participants were drivers from the control group of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study at the baseline assessment (N =...

Background. Community mobility is crucial for maintaining independent functioning and quality of life for older adults. Purpose. The present paper describes the relationship of cognition, particularly speed of processing as measured by the Useful Field of View Test, to mobility as indicated by driving behaviors, life space, and falls among healthy...

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients develop progressive cognitive decline. The degree to which such decline impacts instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among individuals in the early stages of PD without dementia is not well documented. The Everyday Cognitive Battery Reasoning subtest (ECB) was used to assess ability to solve everyday reas...

To test the effects of cognitive training on subsequent motor vehicle collision (MVC) involvement of older drivers. Randomized, controlled, multisite, single-blind clinical trial. Community-dwelling seniors at four U.S. sites: Birmingham, Alabama; Baltimore, Maryland; Indianapolis, Indiana; and State College, Pennsylvania. Nine hundred eight older...

Studies have found that adults with possible mild cognitive impairment (MCI) exhibit decrements in everyday functioning (e.g., Wadley, V. G., Crowe, M., Marsiske, M., Cook, S. E., Unverzagt, F. W., Rosenberg, A. L., et al. (2007). Changes in everyday function among individuals with psychometrically defined mild cognitive impairment. Journal of the...

Older adults who cease driving have poorer health than those who continue to drive. However, it is unclear whether the transition to driving cessation itself results in health declines or whether driving cessation subsequently exacerbates health declines over time. The current study addresses these questions using multilevel modeling among 690 olde...

It has been suggested that chemotherapy treatment for cancer may contribute to cognitive decline in older cancer survivors. This issue is particularly important given that subtle cognitive impairment, particularly in cognitive processing speed, can affect functional status and quality of life for older adults. Multivariate regression of data from a...

Recent prospective studies have found that cognition is a more salient predictor of driving cessation than physical performance or demographic factors among community-dwelling older adults. However, these studies have been limited to 5 years of follow-up. The current study used data from the Maryland Older Drivers Project to examine predictors of d...

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between sensory and cognitive decline, particularly with respect to speed of processing, memory span, and fluid intelligence. In addition, the common cause, sensory degradation and speed of processing hypotheses were compared. Method: Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the complex relations...

Five-year driving habit trajectories among older adults (n = 645) at-risk for crashes were examined. Performance measures included Useful Field of View (UFOV). Motor-Free Visual Perception Test, Rapid Walk, and Foot Tap. Self-report measures included demographics and the Driving Habits Questionnaire. Longitudinal random-effects models revealed that...

Driving cessation can lead to myriad negative consequences for older adults. The purpose of these analyses was to examine driving status as a predictor of mortality among community-dwelling older adults. This prospective cohort study included 660 community-dwelling adults ranging in age between 63 and 97 years. Between 2000 and 2004, participants c...

The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the role of cognitive and instrumental functional performance in driving cessation while simultaneously accounting for any contributions of demographics, vision, physical performance, and health among a sample of older adults without dementia. Included in the analyses were 1,838 participants fr...

The Useful Field of View Test (UFOV) has been used as an examination of age-related changes in visual processing and cognition and as an indicator of everyday performance outcomes, particularly driving, for over 20 years. How UFOV performance changes with age and what may impact such changes have not previously been investigated longitudinally. Pre...