Environment as ‘Brain Training’: A review of geographical and physical environmental influences on cognitive ageing

Cassarino, Marica; Setti, Annalisa

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2015.06.003

Cited by 142 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 279 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

113

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Understanding how lived environments are experienced by older people has received growing interest in research (Phillipson, 2011; Buffel et al, 2012), and given the crucial role of cognitive health in maintaining autonomy and quality of life in older age (World Health Organization, 2002), many studies have explored the beneficial influence of factors such as social activities and lifestyle on cognitive aging (Fillit et al, 2002; Hertzog et al, 2008; Stine-Morrow et al, 2008; Stern, 2009, 2012). However, only recently research has started to systematically address the influence of physical and perceptual characteristics of the environment on cognitive functioning in older age (Wu Y.-T. et al, 2014; Cassarino and Setti, 2015). …”

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effectively, environmental complexity could be a potentially measurable contributor to cognitive reserve (Stern, 2009): Animal studies have shown that exposure to enriched, complex environments, presenting elements of novelty, can have a direct impact on brain structure and cognition (Rosenzweig et al, 1972; Diamond, 2001; Cassarino and Setti, 2015). Enriched environments may also promote an active lifestyle, e.g., physical activity, which in turn is associated with better cognitive performance in older age (Cassarino and Setti, 2015). …”

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of the present work is to explore links between cognitive aging and existing measures of environmental complexity by considering studies on perceptual stimulation, environmental preference, and perceived usability of lived environments at different environmental scales (Jackson, 2003; Kim et al, 2014; Cassarino and Setti, 2015), going from visual and/or auditory micro-characteristics of scenes (micro scale), to design qualities of streets and neighborhoods (meso scale), to broad forms of environmental exposure (macro scale: urban vs. natural).…”

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At a macro scale, in a previous review on environmental influences on aging processes (Cassarino and Setti, 2015), we compared urban and rural environments in relation to physical exercise and social engagement, showing how each type of environment was associated with both perceived opportunities and challenges for active and engaged lifestyles (e.g., some studies reported higher level of instrumental walking in rural areas, but more recreational walking in urban areas). Assuming that rural environments are less perceptually and structurally complex than urban contexts, and based on the evidence that environmental measures related to health-related behavior in aging can be area-specific (Cleland et al, 2015; Levasseur et al, 2015), one could argue that different environments afford different types of usability.…”

Section: Complexity and Perceived Usabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People

Cassarino

Setti

2016

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The lived environment is the arena where our cognitive skills, preferences, and attitudes come together to determine our ability to interact with the world. The mechanisms through which lived environments can benefit cognitive health in older age are yet to be fully understood. The existing literature suggests that environments which are perceived as stimulating, usable and aesthetically appealing can improve or facilitate cognitive performance both in young and older age. Importantly, optimal stimulation for cognition seems to depend on experiencing sufficiently stimulating environments while not too challenging. Environmental complexity is an important contributor to determining whether an environment provides such an optimal stimulation. The present paper reviews a selection of studies which have explored complexity in relation to perceptual load, environmental preference and perceived usability to propose a framework which explores direct and indirect environmental influences on cognition, and to understand these influences in relation to aging processes. We identify ways to define complexity at different environmental scales, going from micro low-level perceptual features of scenes, to design qualities of proximal environments (e.g., streets, neighborhoods), to broad geographical areas (i.e., natural vs. urban environments). We propose that studying complexity at these different scales will provide new insight into the design of cognitive-friendly environments.

show abstract

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Measures Linking Complexity To Cognitive Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Complexity and Perceived Usabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People

Cassarino

Setti

2016

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…That offers a higher diversity of stimuli, therefore, requirements to make more decisions and bigger amount of information needs to be taken into account and processed (Schooler, 1984;Wörn et al, 2017). It is possible then to view this type of environment as a source of cognitive stimulation or even a brain training (Cassarino & Setti, 2015) and may potentially promote cognitive reserve (Clarke et al, 2012). Urban areas usually offer a living environment with a greater density of physical, social and institutional resources which may promote protective health behaviors and facilitate mental stimulation (Clarke et al, 2012(Clarke et al, , 2015Lee & Waite, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception Of Life Pace In The City And Countryside Among Older People

Frydrychová¹,

Horáková²,

Vidovičová³

et al. 2017

European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Life pace in cities is often commented as very busy especially by people from smaller settlements. It is not clear whether this proverbial image, a stereotype, is based on prevalent subjective views in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to examine the occurrence of stereotypes of hectic city and tranquil countryside in older persons. The sample consisted of 131 retired healthy older persons of 60-74 years of age (M=68.47, SD=3.71) with the same place of residence in the capital city of Prague, mid-sized towns or villages of the Czech Republic since their age of 40 years. The participants underwent a structured interview and evaluated life pace on 4-point scale. Data were analyzed with non-parametric methods. Our results suggest that older persons regardless their place of residence consider Prague more hectic compared to towns and countryside. Non-Praguers, especially the ones with lower education, perceive Prague significantly more hectic compared to persons living in the capital itself. Recent visitors to Prague perceive the capital as more hectic than visitors with a further off experience.Our results are in accord with the proverbial stereotypes of the pace of life in different types of settlement. As time pressure and busy environment, hectic "nature" may in long-term affect individual emotional and cognitive development even in late adulthood, these influences and their impacts need to be yet researched more in detail.

show abstract

Education, neighborhood environment, and cognitive decline: Findings from two prospective cohort studies of older adults in China

Wang

Jiang

et al. 2022

Alzheimer's & Dementia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionThe impacts of education on cognitive decline across different neighborhood environments (NEs) have rarely been studied.MethodsWe investigated and compared the associations between educational attainment and cognitive decline using data of 1286 participants from the Taizhou Imaging Study (TIS) and the Shanghai Aging Study (SAS).ResultsCompared with low‐educated participants, in TIS with disadvantaged NE, high‐educated participants manifested a significantly slower decline in global cognition (.062 Z score per year, P < .001), memory (.054 Z score per year, P < .05), and attention (.065 Z score per year, P < .01), whereas in SAS with advanced NE, highly educated individuals exhibited a slower decline only in attention (.028 Z score per year, P < .05).DiscussionWe observed the additive effect of educational attainment and NE on cognitive decline in older adults. Education is especially important for maintaining cognitive health in a disadvantaged environment.

show abstract

Environment as ‘Brain Training’: A review of geographical and physical environmental influences on cognitive ageing

Cited by 142 publications

References 279 publications

Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People

Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People

Perception Of Life Pace In The City And Countryside Among Older People

Education, neighborhood environment, and cognitive decline: Findings from two prospective cohort studies of older adults in China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About