Introduction
My clients often ask me about the value of engaging in cognitive activity and brain health. In this post, my goal to describe a little more about cognitive activity, brain health and dementia risk. I will talk a little about what types of activities could be considered a cognitive activity and how cognitive activity might improve thinking skills and lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementias.
What Qualifies as a Cognitive Activity?
One area that has been looked at in brain health research is whether cognitive activities improve brain health and lower dementia risk. Before answering that question, we first need to ask: What types of activities qualify as cognitive activities?
Well, different studies have looked at a variety of activities that would qualify as engagement. Some looked at include reading, playing games, and playing a musical instrument. Essentially, just about any activity a person engages in for enjoyment or well-being and requires active information processing could be considered a cognitive leisure activity.
Are certain activities more potent than others? One study found reading, playing board games, and playing musical instruments were associated with the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s Disease. However, across dozens of studies, no one specific cognitive activity has been associated with a lower risk of dementia. It appears that it is most important to participate in activities that are personally engaging to you.
What the Science Says
A number of studies have been done that show a link between cognitive leisure activity and Alzheimer’s Disease/dementia risk. One study called the Memory and Aging Project (MAP) found that higher levels of engagement in cognitive leisure activities was linked to significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, even if a person developed cellular abnormalities associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, they still showed a reduced likelihood of expressing the symptoms of the disease in day to day life.
Another study observed individuals who participated in reading, playing games, listening to the radio, and viewing television only once a year to several times/year. They were found to be twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease as people who engaged in such activities several times per week. Another study showed more than a 2.5 times increase in Alzheimer’s Disease in those who were cognitively inactive.
There has also been the question of whether or not there is a circular relationship such that those who had cognitive problems were simply less engaged in cognitive activities. However, even after accounting for that possibility, the relationship between cognitive engagement and future cognitive functioning remained strong.
Why Cognitive Engagement May Reduce Dementia
So, what is the mechanism of action? Why do we think that staying engaged cognitively reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias?
The main theory behind this is cognitive reserve. Briefly, cognitive reserve is increased neuronal capacity, communication, and efficiency. People with greater cognitive reserve use the same set of brain networks as those with reduced cognitive reserve but their networks are used more efficiently or with a higher capacity.
Higher levels of cognitive reserve has been linked to lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Also, even when brain related changes are present, those people with a higher cognitive reserve show a delayed expression of Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms.
Cognitive Activity and Brain health Take Away Information
Consistent (daily) cognitive engagement starting in midlife and continuing through late life has been linked to reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. By engaging in such activities, the thought is that this helps to build up your brain network to improve capacity and efficiency.
There are a variety of activities that you can consider engaging in. Some activities include reading, puzzles, online games and aps, painting, crafts, card games, board games, and playing an instrument. Choosing activities that are engaging personally are probably best. After all, if you don’t enjoy it, you probably won’t engage in it. Cognitive activity is just one area that can improve and maintain brain health. Socialization, getting enough sleep, managing various medical factors, nutritional intake, stress management, and exercise can all help to keep your brain healthy.
References
- Stern, C., & Munn, Z. (2010). “Cognitive leisure activities and their role in preventing dementia: A systematic review.” International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare 8(1): 2-17.
- Wilson, R.S., Bennett, D.A., Bienias, J.L., et al. (2002). “Cognitive activity and incident AD in a population-based sample of older persons.” Neurology 59(12): 1910-14.
- Wilson, R.S., Scherr, P.A., Schneider, J.A., Tang, Y., & Bennett, D.A. (2007). “Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease.” Neurology 69(20): 1911-20.
- Yates, L.A., Ziser, S., Spector, A., & Orrell, M. (2016). “Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.” International Psychogeriatrics 28(11): 1791-1806.
