Physical activity and cognitive function: between-person and within-person associations and moderators

Abstract

In the present study, we decomposed between-and within-person effects and examined moderators of the longitudinal physical activity-cognition association. Participants (N = 1722) were drawn from the Betula study and we included four waves of data across 15 years. Bayesian multilevel modeling showed that self-reported physical activity did not predict changes in cognitive function. Physical activity positively predicted cognitive performance at baseline, and the relations were stronger for more active (compared to less active) older adults. Physical activity had a positive within-person effect on cognitive function. The within-person effect of physical activity on episodic memory recall was stronger for participants who on average engaged in less physical activity. The within-person effect on verbal fluency was stronger for participants with more education. Our results suggest that preserving cognitive functioning in old age might be more a matter of what you do in old age than reflecting what you did earlier in life.

Bidirectional Within- and Between-Person Relations Between Physical Activity and Cognitive Function

“…The cross-sectional relations (between- and within-person) are in line with previous findings ( Bielak et al, 2014 ; Stenling et al, 2021 ), and suggest that occasion-specific levels of physical activity and cognitive function generally follow a similar pattern. Finally, people engaging in more physical activity at baseline exhibited less decline in episodic memory recall.…”

“…We extended previous findings (e.g., Bielak et al, 2014 ; Cheval et al, 2020 ; Daly et al, 2015 ; Kowalski et al, 2018 ; Stenling et al, 2021 ) by examining time-ordered bidirectional within-person relations across 15 years. A secondary purpose was to examine bidirectional between-person relations between physical activity and cognitive function.…”

“…The primary purpose of the present study was to examine bidirectional within-person relations between physical activity and cognitive function. Three cognitive domains (episodic memory recall, verbal fluency, visuospatial ability) known to be age-sensitive and related to physical activity were targeted in the current study (see Stenling et al, 2021 ). These domains represent executive and memory-related cognitive functions that have been shown to benefit from physical activity ( Engeroff et al, 2018 ), and appear to be important for the initiation and maintenance of health behaviors, such as physical activity ( Cheval et al, 2020 ).…”

Ecological dimensions explain the past but do not predict future changes in trust.

“…This question is particularly important, because drawing inferences about within-country developments on the basis of between-country data might result in opposing conclusions (Kievit et al, 2013; Sliwinski et al, 2006). Although the importance of disentangling between- and within-effects has been recently acknowledged in personality, cognitive, and life span research (Hoffman & Stawski, 2009; Stavrova & Denissen, 2020; Stenling et al, 2020), it has been often neglected in studies of culture change. We used societal growth curve models to disentangle between- versus within-country effects and tested whether within-country changes in ecological characteristics are associated with changes in trust.…”

Activity Engagement and Cognitive Performance Amongst Older Adults

“…In addition, energy expenditure through physical activity is associated with lower risks of mortality amongst healthy older adults (Manini et al, 2006). Physical activity may also have protective benefits for cognitive functions as higher levels of physical activity in later life are associated with slower age-related cognitive decline (Kawas, 2008;Ku et al, 2012;Stenling et al, 2021). Furthermore, a study by Chang et al (2010) found that individuals who reported engaging in physical activities during midlife had higher scores for processing speed, memory, and executive function in comparison to individuals who reported no midlife activity.…”