Not all mentally stimulating activities are alike: insights from a 4-factor model and implications for late-life cognition.

It is not yet known which specific qualities of cognitively stimulating activities are most likely to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults. Taking an inductive approach to this problem, we asked 504 older adults with subjective and/or cognitive impairment to complete the Cognitively Stimulating Activities Questionnaire (CSA-Q). Exploratory factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure within a split-half sample, after which confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated the model.

Engagement in cognitively stimulating activities in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: relationships with neuropsychological domains and hippocampal volume.

Late-life participation in cognitively stimulating activities is thought to contribute to an individual's cognitive reserve and thus protect against cognitive decline, yet its association with clinical markers of neurodegeneration is not well established. To investigate, we developed a 13-item self-report "cognitively stimulating activities" questionnaire (CSA-Q), which was completed by a community sample of 269 older adults (>50 years) at risk of dementia. Participants met criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and were classified as amnestic (aMCI; = 93) or non-amnestic (naMCI; = 176).