Leisure Activities and Their Relationship With MRI Measures of Brain Structure, Functional Connectivity, and Cognition in the UK Biobank Cohort

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate whether engagement in leisure activities is linked to measures of brain structure, functional connectivity, and cognition in early old age.Methods: We examined data collected from 7,152 participants of the United Kingdom Biobank (UK Biobank) study. Weekly participation in six leisure activities was assessed twice and a cognitive battery and 3T MRI brain scan were administered at the second visit. Based on responses collected at two time points, individuals were split into one of four trajectory groups: (1) stable low engagement, (2) stable weekly engagement, (3) low to weekly engagement, and (4) weekly to low engagement.Results: Consistent weekly attendance at a sports club or gym was associated with connectivity of the sensorimotor functional network with the lateral visual (β = 0.12, 95%CI = [0.07, 0.18], FDR q = 2.48 × 10–3) and cerebellar (β = 0.12, 95%CI = [0.07, 0.18], FDR q = 1.23 × 10–4) networks. Visiting friends and family across the two timepoints was also associated with larger volumes of the occipital lobe (β = 0.15, 95%CI = [0.08, 0.21], FDR q = 0.03). Additionally, stable and weekly computer use was associated with global cognition (β = 0.62, 95%CI = [0.35, 0.89], FDR q = 1.16 × 10–4). No other associations were significant (FDR q > 0.05).Discussion: This study demonstrates that not all leisure activities contribute to cognitive health equally, nor is there one unifying neural signature across diverse leisure activities.

Leisure-time sedentary behaviors are differentially associated with all-cause dementia regardless of engagement in physical activity

“…SB is also associated with cognitive and structural brain aging ( 7 , 11 , 12 , 24 – 26 ), although associations with cognition, and modification of these associations by PA, lack clarity in the literature ( 27 , 28 ). Distinctive SB domains may have different effects on cognition, with cognitively passive SBs like watching TV demonstrating negative associations with cognition and cognitively active SBs like computer use or reading showing positive associations with cognition ( 7 , 24 , 29 – 31 ). In addition, previous work has linked SBs with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in case-control studies ( 11 ).…”

Protective role of parenthood on age-related brain function in mid- to late-life

“…For example, increased functional connectivity of the somato/motor network may also reflect increased physical activity or social connectedness and stimulation 85 in parents with more children (higher parity), as well as additional support provided to parents by their children in later years 86,87 . Increased physical, leisure, and social activity are known to increase functional connectivity in both somato/motor and hippocampal regions, providing a potential mechanism for the present results 88,89 . Furthermore, the increased novelty, complexity, and cognitive challenge inherent in the caregiving environment may provide a form of environmental enrichment for parents, which when sustained across the lifespan, might be beneficial for neural and cognitive resilience in later life 1,34,35,90,91 .…”

Verbal intelligence and leisure activities are associated with cognitive performance and resting-state electroencephalogram

“…Similar results were found by Fleck et al (2019), who reported that the exercise factor group displayed no effect on cognition. The absence of associations between leisure and physical activities and cognition may be due to the lack of standardization of these variables, such as the frequency, intensity, duration, and type of activities, as concluded by some authors in previous studies (Wang et al, 2012;Anatürk et al, 2021).…”