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Research

Participating in Cognitively Stimulating Activities Helps Optimize Brain Health in Older Adulthood

“Our findings highlight the importance of keeping your mind engaged in various activities to maintain cognitive health.”

With the rapid growth of the population age 65 years and older and the increased risk of cognitive decline associated with advanced age, there is a mounting need to identify the potential mechanisms that buffer against cognitive decline and preserve cognitive function in later life.

Previous studies have shown that having more years of education, participating in cognitively stimulating activities and having longevity in your family all protect brain health and help people maintain good cognitive function throughout life. However, little is known about how these factors relate with one another or if they are distinct pathways for optimizing cognitive health.

Now, for the first time, a new study looks at the interplay between these factors that promote cognitive resilience in older adulthood. The study found that older adults without a family history of longevity who more frequently engaged in cognitively stimulating activities such as reading, writing, playing games and visiting museums, were able to match the same level of good cognitive functioning as those with familial longevity. This was particularly true for executive function (cognitive processes that help people manage their thoughts and actions) and language tasks. When both groups had similar levels of cognitive engagement from activities like reading, researchers found that people with a family history of longer lifespans still had better memory than those without that trait.

“Our findings highlight the importance of keeping your mind engaged in various activities to maintain cognitive health. If there is something that sparks your curiosity, go learn more about it, and you might just help protect your brain too,” says senior author Stacy Andersen, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and co-director of the New England Centenarian Study.

Using data from the National Institute on Aging-funded Long Life Family Study, a study of genetic and familial factors associated with longevity and healthy aging, the researchers administered a series of cognitive tests and a questionnaire on participation in cognitively stimulating activities. They compared people from these long-lived families to people without a family history of longevity. The analysis assessed how both inherited and behavioral protective factors contribute to cognitive function in older adulthood.

“By modeling a chain of pathways of these factors on cognitive function, we can not only better understand the individual and combined roles of familial longevity, education and cognitive activity on patterns of cognitive aging (e.g. how modifiable life exposures may offset the absence of familial longevity), but also compare the relative impact of these factors on cognitive function,” explained corresponding author Nicole Roth, MS, a biostatistician affiliated with the school.

According to the researchers, identifying the underlying factors that appear to buffer against age-related cognitive change can help us design and promote interventions that would prevent the more severe changes in cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are caused by a buildup of harmful proteins in the brain. There are some people that have a buildup of these proteins yet maintain good cognitive function, and therefore show resilience to Alzheimer’s disease. Healthy behaviors such as engaging in cognitively-stimulating activities and continuing to learn new things may help build this resilience,” says Andersen.

These findings appear online in the journal Neuropsychology.