Late-Life Physical and Cognitive Activities Independently Contribute to Brain and Cognitive Resilience

Abstract

Background-Active lifestyles are related to better cognitive aging outcomes, yet the unique role of different types of activity are unknown. Objective-To examine the independent contributions of physical (PA) versus cognitive (CA) leisure activities to brain and cognitive aging. Methods-Independent samples of non-demented older adults from University of California, San Francisco Hillblom Aging Network (UCSF; n = 344 typically aging) and University of California, Davis Diversity cohort (UCD; n = 485 normal to MCI) completed: 1) self-reported engagement in current PA and CA (UCSF: Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly and Cognitive Activity Scale; UCD: Life Experiences Assessment Form); 2) neuropsychological batteries; and 3) neuroimaging total gray matter volume, white matter hyperintensities, and/or global fractional anisotropy. PA and CA were simultaneously entered into multivariable linear regression models, adjusting for demographic characteristics and functional impairment severity.

Association of combined engagement in cognitive and physical activity with domain‐specific cognitive function: The Shanghai Aging Study

“…In our study, CA, not PA, was found to be significantly associated with the domain‐specific cognition. These findings are consistent with other large sample observational surveys where the independent value of CA and PA was examined 22,30‐35,38‐42 . Clare and Najar reported that CA and PA were both independently associated with better cognitive function and lower risk of developing dementia 38,39 .…”

“…These findings are consistent with other large sample observational surveys where the independent value of CA and PA was examined. 22,[30][31][32][33][34][35][38][39][40][41][42] Clare and Najar reported that CA and PA were both independently associated with better cognitive function and lower risk of developing dementia. 38,39 In two independent samples of non-demented older adults, Casaletto et al and his colleagues found higher CA, but not PA was related to better global cognition.…”

“…38,39 In two independent samples of non-demented older adults, Casaletto et al and his colleagues found higher CA, but not PA was related to better global cognition. 42 The Older Australian Twins Study, using a discordant co-twin design, reported that discordance in CA participation was positively associated with discordance in performance on processing speed, verbal abilities and executive function, independent of the effect of PA. In contrast, no associations between PA participation and cognition were found.…”

The Contribution of Physical Exercise to Brain Resilience

“…Accordingly, environmental stimuli during the early life period can exert prominent effects on the risk of neurological disorders (Lesuis et al, 2018 ). In this regard, a considerable number of scientific publications have reported that the combination of both physical and cognitive stimulation can affect brain resilience (Deuster and Silverman, 2013 ; Bozzali et al, 2015 ; Pedrinolla et al, 2017 ; Casaletto et al, 2020 ). The literature has clearly demonstrated that an active lifestyle is inversely associated with stress-related health problems resulting in the development of chronic diseases (Deuster and Silverman, 2013 ; Clark et al, 2019 ).…”

Verbal Intelligence, Not Level of Education, Robustly Assesses Cognitive Reserve

“…[0.05] / comparisons per model[127]). 61.29% of these effects were observed for composite proxies including cognitively stimulating activities, which was not available in CR/RANN.…”