Reading changes as people age, but the cognitive machinery behind that change has remained poorly understood. A new study published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research examined which mental functions best explain age-related differences in reading among neurologically healthy older adults, with a particular focus on selective visuo-spatial attention.
The research team, led by Sara Pegoraro and Roberta Daini, assessed 120 healthy older adults aged 60 to 88, with a mean age of about 70.6 years. Each participant underwent a neuropsychological assessment covering reading abilities, global cognitive functioning, attention, and visual skills. The study was conducted on older adults without neurological disease, so the findings apply to normal, healthy aging rather than dementia or other clinical conditions.
The results showed that general cognitive components—specifically inhibition, working memory, and processing speed, measured with the Stroop test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and a simple reaction times task—significantly mediated the relationship between age and reading performance. In other words, part of the reason older age was associated with weaker reading performance ran through these broader cognitive abilities.
Visuo-spatial attention played a distinct role. Rather than simply mediating the age-reading link, it moderated that relationship: individuals who showed greater decline on visual search tasks experienced an amplified impact of age on their reading abilities. This suggests that the state of a person’s visual attentional system changes how strongly age affects reading from one individual to the next.
The authors conclude that reading is a multifaceted cognitive process, and that its age-related decline reflects the interplay of several general and specific cognitive factors. The moderating role of visuo-spatial attention, they argue, underscores the importance of accounting for individual variability in healthy aging rather than treating older adults as a homogeneous group.
The authors also note that reading is a cognitively engaging activity thought to support the maintenance of cognitive functioning in older adults, making the mechanisms of its age-related change a meaningful target for future research.
Subject of Research: The role of general cognition and selective visuo-spatial attention in age-related reading changes among healthy older adults
Article Title: Reading in healthy aging: how attentional components drive age-related changes
Article References: Pegoraro, S., Galati, S., Facchin, A., Frontoni, C., Rolandi, E., Bricolo, E., Arduino, L. S., & Daini, R. (2026). Reading in healthy aging: how attentional components drive age-related changes. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-026-03535-9
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-026-03535-9
Keywords: healthy aging, reading, visuo-spatial attention, working memory, inhibition, processing speed, neuropsychological assessment, cognitive decline, visual search, older adults, healthy, aging
News Source: Beatrice Stafford. (October 30, 2026). Visuo-spatial attention shapes how reading declines in healthy aging. Scienmag.
