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Sending Your Grandparents to University Increases Cognitive Reserve: The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project
Citation
Lenehan, ME and Summers, MJ and Saunders, NL and Summers, JJ and Ward, DD and Ritchie, K and Vickers, JC, Sending Your Grandparents to University Increases Cognitive Reserve: The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project, Neuropsychology, 30, (5) pp. 525-531. ISSN 0894-4105 (2016) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2015 American Psychological Association
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Increasing an individual's level of cognitive reserve (CR) has been suggested as a nonpharmacological approach to reducing the risk for Alzheimer's disease. We examined changes in CR in older adults participating over 4 years in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project.
METHOD: A sample of 459 healthy older adults between 50 and 79 years of age underwent a comprehensive annual assessment of current CR, neuropsychological function, and psychosocial factors over a 4-year period. The intervention group of 359 older adults (M = 59.61 years, SD = 6.67) having completed a minimum of 12 months part-time university study were compared against a control reference group of 100 adults (M = 62.49 years, SD = 6.24) who did not engage in further education.
RESULTS: Growth mixture modeling demonstrated that 44.3% of the control sample showed no change in CR, whereas 92.5% of the further education participants displayed a significant linear increase in CR over the 4 years of the study. These results indicate that older adults engaging in high-level mental stimulation display an increase in CR over a 4-year period.
CONCLUSION: Increasing mental activity in older adulthood may be a viable strategy to improve cognitive function and offset cognitive decline associated with normal aging.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Cognitive Reserve |
Research Division: | Psychology |
Research Group: | Biological psychology |
Research Field: | Behavioural neuroscience |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Other health |
Objective Field: | Other health not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Lenehan, ME (Dr Megan Thow) |
UTAS Author: | Summers, MJ (Dr Mathew Summers) |
UTAS Author: | Saunders, NL (Dr Nichole Saunders) |
UTAS Author: | Summers, JJ (Professor Jeffery Summers) |
UTAS Author: | Ward, DD (Mr David Ward) |
UTAS Author: | Vickers, JC (Professor James Vickers) |
ID Code: | 104786 |
Year Published: | 2016 (online first 2015) |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 30 |
Deposited By: | Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre |
Deposited On: | 2015-11-19 |
Last Modified: | 2019-09-09 |
Downloads: | 6 View Download Statistics |
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