Intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in later life (the 'use it or lose it' conjecture): longitudinal, prospective study
| Autor: | Daniel S. Williams, Roger T. Staff, Michael Hogan, Lawrence J. Whalley |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Male
050105 experimental psychology Developmental psychology 03 medical and health sciences Typical intellectual engagement 0302 clinical medicine Cognition Recreation Therapy Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Cognitive Dysfunction Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance Longitudinal Studies Prospective Studies Cognitive decline Problem Solving Aged Aged 80 and over 4. Education Research 05 social sciences General Medicine Mental health Cognitive test Scotland Cognitive Aging Life course approach Recreation Female Verbal memory Patient Participation Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | The BMJ |
| ISSN: | 1756-1833 |
| Popis: | Objectives To examine the association between intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in later life, and determine whether the maintenance of intellectual engagement will offset age related cognitive decline. Design Longitudinal, prospective, observational study. Setting Non-clinical volunteers in late middle age (all born in 1936) living independently in northeast Scotland. Participants Sample of 498 volunteers who had taken part in the Scottish Mental Health Survey of 1947, from one birth year (1936). Main outcome measures Cognitive ability and trajectory of cognitive decline in later life. Typical intellectual engagement was measured by a questionnaire, and repeated cognitive measurements of information processing speed and verbal memory were obtained over a 15 year period (recording more than 1200 longitudinal data points for each cognitive test). Results Intellectual engagement was significantly associated with level of cognitive performance in later life, with each point on a 24 point scale accounting for 0.97 standardised cognitive performance (IQ-like) score, for processing speed and 0.71 points for memory (both P Conclusion These results show that self reported engagement is not associated with the trajectory of cognitive decline in late life, but is associated with the acquisition of ability during the life course. Overall, findings suggest that high performing adults engage and those that engage more being protected from relative decline. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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