Engaging in cognitive activities, aging, and mild cognitive impairment: A population-based study

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The authors investigated whether engaging in cognitive activities is associated with aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a cross-sectional study derived from an ongoing populationbased study of normal cognitive aging and MCI in Olmsted County, MN. A random sample of 1,321 study participants ages 70 to 89 (N_1,124 cognitively normal persons, and N_197 subjects with MCI) were interviewed about the frequency of cognitive activities carried out in late life (within 1 year of the date of interview). Computer activities; craft activities, such as knitting, quilting, etc.; playing games; and reading books were associated with decreased odds of having MCI. Social activities, such as traveling, were marginally significant. Even though the point-estimates for reading magazines, playing music, artistic activities, and group activities were associated with reduced odds of having MCI, none of these reached statistical significance. The equally high prevalence of reading newspapers in both groups yielded no significant between-group difference, © 2011 American Psychiatric Association.

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Publication Title

Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences

ISSN

08950172

Volume

23

Issue

2

First Page

149

Last Page

154

PubMed ID

21677242

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp149

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