Background And Objectives: This study explored whether the intensity of cognitive activities could moderate the relationship between a genetic predisposition for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive functioning among older adults in the United States. Furthermore, we examined whether the same moderating effects were dependent on different measures of cognition.
Research Design And Methods: We used a data set from the 2000-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study and the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey. Our sample included 3,793 individuals aged 50 or older. We used the polygenic score (PGS) for AD as a genetic trait for cognitive functioning. Reading, listening to music, using a computer, playing cards/games/solving puzzles, singing/playing musical instruments, and creating art and crafts were included as cognitive activities, and TV viewing as passive activities. We used total cognition, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence as proxies for cognitive functioning. Growth-curve models were conducted.
Results: After controlling for covariates, we found that reading books, using a computer, and playing cards/games/solving puzzles had a positive effect on cognitive functioning. An additional hour spent reading books moderated the negative effect of AD PGS on cognition. The measure of fluid, when compared with crystallized intelligence, appeared to drive these results.
Discussion And Implications: Reading could be a protective factor against cognitive decline among older adults who are genetically predisposed to developing AD. Implications for individuals, caregivers, clinicians, and policymakers are suggested. Furthermore, the onset of AD in those at greater genetic risk may be delayed with this intervention.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa073 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Shaping the structural dynamics of motor learning through cueing during sleep.
Sleep
January 2025
UR2NF-Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit affiliated at CRCN - Centre for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences and UNI - ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
Enhancing the retention of recent memory traces through sleep reactivation is possible via Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), involving cueing learned material during post-training sleep. Evidence indicates detectable short-term microstructural changes in the brain within an hour after motor sequence learning, and post-training sleep is believed to contribute to the consolidation of these motor memories, potentially leading to enduring microstructural changes. In this study, we explored how TMR during post-training sleep affects performance gains and delayed microstructural remodeling, using both standard Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and advanced Neurite Orientation Dispersion & Density Imaging (NODDI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe association between multilingual experience factors and cognitive functioning in older adults: A Lifelines study.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
January 2025
Linguistics and English as a Second Language, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Objectives: The complex life experience of speaking two or more languages has been suggested to preserve cognition in older adulthood. This study aimed to investigate this further by examining the relationship between multilingual experience variables and cognitive functioning in a large cohort of older adults in the diversely multilingual north of the Netherlands.
Method: 11,332 older individuals participating in the Lifelines Cohort Study completed a language experience questionnaire.
Influence of Ageing on the Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Chronically Administered Medicines in Geriatric Patients: A Review.
Clin Pharmacokinet
January 2025
Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
As people age, the efficiency of various regulatory processes that ensure proper communication between cells and organs tends to decline. This deterioration can lead to difficulties in maintaining homeostasis during physiological stress. This includes but is not limited to cognitive impairments, functional difficulties, and issues related to caregivers which contribute significantly to medication errors and non-adherence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new vision of the role of the cerebellum in pain processing.
J Neural Transm (Vienna)
January 2025
Postgraduate Program in Physical Therapy (PPGFT), Department of Physical Therapy (DFisio), University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Washington Luis Road, Km 235, São Carlos, São Paulo, 13565-905, Brazil.
The cerebellum is a structure in the suprasegmental nervous system classically known for its involvement in motor functions such as motor planning, coordination, and motor learning. However, with scientific advances, other functions of the cerebellum, such as cognitive, emotional, and autonomic processing, have been discovered. Currently, there is a body of evidence demonstrating the involvement of the cerebellum in nociception and pain processing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain perception, opioid consumption and mobility following lateral compression pelvic ring injuries: a two-year prospective cohort study.
Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol
January 2025
Department of Trauma Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Purpose: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was performed to gain insight into the course of recovery in terms of pain, opioid consumption, and mobility in patients with a lateral compression (LC) pelvic injury.
Methods: Adult patients with an LC injury, without any cognitive disorders or limited mobility and who could communicate in Dutch were asked to participate. Pain in terms of NRS (numeric rating scale, range 0-10), opioid use and mobility were recorded at eight time points: at hospital admission, and three days, one week, six weeks, three months, six months, one year and two years after the injury.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!