Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:51:38.211Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late-Life Social Activity and Cognitive Decline in Old Age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2011

Bryan D. James ,
Robert S. Wilson ,
Lisa L. Barnes  and
David A. Bennett
Bryan D. James*
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Robert S. Wilson
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Lisa L. Barnes
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
David A. Bennett
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Bryan D. James, Rush Alzheimer’ Disease Center, Room 1038, 600 South Paulina Street, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: bryan_james@rush.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We examined the association of social activity with cognitive decline in 1138 persons without dementia at baseline with a mean age of 79.6 (SD = 7.5) who were followed for up to 12 years (mean = 5.2; SD = 2.8). Using mixed models adjusted for age, sex, education, race, social network size, depression, chronic conditions, disability, neuroticism, extraversion, cognitive activity, and physical activity, more social activity was associated with less cognitive decline during average follow-up of 5.2 years (SD = 2.7). A one point increase in social activity score (range = 1–4.2; mean = 2.6; SD = 0.6) was associated with a 47% decrease in the rate of decline in global cognitive function (p < .001). The rate of global cognitive decline was reduced by an average of 70% in persons who were frequently socially active (score = 3.33, 90th percentile) compared to persons who were infrequently socially active (score = 1.83, 10th percentile). This association was similar across five domains of cognitive function. Sensitivity analyses revealed that individuals with the lowest levels of cognition or with mild cognitive impairment at baseline did not drive this relationship. These results confirm that more socially active older adults experience less cognitive decline in old age. (JINS, 2011, 17, 998–1005)

Keywords

*CognitionCognitive reserve*AgingSocial behavior*Life StyleRisk reduction behaviorLongitudinal studiesEpidemiology
Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 6 , November 2011 , pp. 998 - 1005
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

For special anniversary issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, “The impact of Activity on Cognitive Health Across the Life Span”.

References

REFERENCES

Aartsen, M.J., Smits, C.H., van Tilburg, T., Knipscheer, K.C., Deeg, D.J. (2002). Activity in older adults: Cause or consequence of cognitive functioning? A longitudinal study on everyday activities and cognitive performance in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(2), P153–P162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Backman, L., Jones, S., Berger, A.K., Laukka, E.J., Small, B.J. (2005). Cognitive impairment in preclinical Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis. Neuropsychology, 19(4), 520–531.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barnes, L.L., Mendes de Leon, C.F., Wilson, R.S., Bienias, J.L., Evans, D.A. (2004). Social resources and cognitive decline in a population of older African Americans and whites. Neurology, 63(12), 2322–2326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassuk, S.S., Glass, T.A., Berkman, L.F. (1999). Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons. Annals of Internal Medicine, 131(3), 165–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bennett, D.A., Schneider, J.A., Buchman, A.S., Mendes de Leon, C., Bienias, J.L., Wilson, R.S. (2005). The Rush Memory and Aging Project: Study design and baseline characteristics of the study cohort. Neuroepidemiology, 25(4), 163–175.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bennett, D.A., Schneider, J.A., Tang, Y., Arnold, S.E., Wilson, R.S. (2006). The effect of social networks on the relation between Alzheimer's disease pathology and level of cognitive function in old people: A longitudinal cohort study. Lancet Neurology, 5(5), 406–412.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berkman, L.F. (2000). Which influences cognitive function: Living alone or being alone? Lancet, 355(9212), 1291–1292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buchman, A.S., Boyle, P.A., Wilson, R.S., Fleischman, D.A., Leurgans, S., Bennett, D.A. (2009). Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults. Archives of Internal Medicine, 169(12), 1139–1146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carlson, M.C., Saczynski, J.S., Rebok, G.W., Seeman, T., Glass, T.A., McGill, S., … Fried, L.P. (2008). Exploring the effects of an “everyday” activity program on executive function and memory in older adults: Experience Corps(R). Gerontologist, 48(6), 793–801.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornoni-Huntley, J.B., Brock, D.B., Ostfeld, A.M., Taylor, J.O., Wallace, R.B. (1986). Established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly resource data book. NIH Publication No. 86–2443. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.Google Scholar
Costa, P., McCrae, R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Daviglus, M.L., Bell, C.C., Berrettini, W., Bowen, P.E., Connolly, E.S., Cox, N.J. Jr., … Trevisan, M. (2010). National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference statement: Preventing alzheimer disease and cognitive decline. Annals of Internal Medicine, 153(3), 176–181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ertel, K.A., Glymour, M.M., Berkman, L.F. (2008). Effects of social integration on preserving memory function in a nationally representative US elderly population. American Journal of Public Health, 98(7), 1215–1220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabrigoule, C., Letenneur, L., Dartigues, J.F., Zarrouk, M., Commenges, D., Barberger-Gateau, P. (1995). Social and leisure activities and risk of dementia: A prospective longitudinal study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43(5), 485–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S.E., McHugh, P.R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fratiglioni, L., Paillard-Borg, S., Winblad, B. (2004). An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia. Lancet Neurology, 3(6), 343–353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fried, L.P., Carlson, M.C., Freedman, M., Frick, K.D., Glass, T.A., Hill, J., … Zeger, S. (2004). A social model for health promotion for an aging population: Initial evidence on the Experience Corps model. Journal of Urban Health, 81(1), 64–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaugler, J.E., Duval, S., Anderson, K.A., Kane, R.L. (2007). Predicting nursing home admission in the U.S: A meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics, 7, 13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hultsch, D.F., Hertzog, C., Small, B.J., Dixon, R.A. (1999). Use it or lose it: Engaged lifestyle as a buffer of cognitive decline in aging? Psychology and Aging, 14(2), 245–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
James, B.D., Boyle, P.A., Buchman, A.S., Bennett, D.A. (2011). Relation of late-life social activity with incident disability among community-dwelling older adults. The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 66, 467–473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karp, A., Paillard-Borg, S., Wang, H.X., Silverstein, M., Winblad, B., Fratiglioni, L. (2005). Mental, physical and social components in leisure activities equally contribute to decrease dementia risk. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 21(2), 65–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katz, S., Akpom, C.A. (1976). A measure of primary sociobiological functions. International Journal of Health Services, 6(3), 493–508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kohout, F.J., Berkman, L.F., Evans, D.A., Cornoni-Huntley, J. (1993). Two shorter forms of the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression) depression symptoms index. Journal of Aging and Health, 5(2), 179–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krueger, K.R., Wilson, R.S., Kamenetsky, J.M., Barnes, L.L., Bienias, J.L., Bennett, D.A. (2009). Social engagement and cognitive function in old age. Experimental Aging Research, 35(1), 45–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovden, M., Ghisletta, P., Lindenberger, U. (2005). Social participation attenuates decline in perceptual speed in old and very old age. Psychology and Aging, 20(3), 423–434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKhann, G., Drachman, D., Folstein, M., Katzman, R., Price, D., Stadlan, E.M. (1984). Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology, 34(7), 939–944.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McPhillips, J.B., Pellettera, K.M., Barrett-Connor, E., Wingard, D.L., Criqui, M.H. (1989). Exercise patterns in a population of older adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 5(2), 65–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plassman, B.L., Williams, J.W., Burke, J.R. Jr., Holsinger, T., Benjamin, S. (2010). Systematic review: Factors associated with risk for and possible prevention of cognitive decline in later life. Annals of Internal Medicine, 153(3), 182–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saczynski, J.S., Pfeifer, L.A., Masaki, K., Korf, E.S., Laurin, D., White, L., Launer, L.J. (2006). The effect of social engagement on incident dementia. American Journal of Epidemiology, 163, 433–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schupf, N., Tang, M.X., Albert, S.M., Costa, R., Andrews, H., Lee, J.H., Mayeux, R. (2005). Decline in cognitive and functional skills increases mortality risk in nondemented elderly. Neurology, 65(8), 1218–1226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sofi, F., Valecchi, D., Bacci, D., Abbate, R., Gensini, G.F., Casini, A., Macchi, C. (2011). Physical activity and risk of cognitive decline: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Internal Medicine, 269, 107–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stern, Y. (2002). What is cognitive reserve? Theory and research application of the reserve concept. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 8(3), 448–460.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tabbarah, M., Crimmins, E.M., Seeman, T.E. (2002). The relationship between cognitive and physical performance: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 57(4), M228–M235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
US Public Health Service. (1985). 1985 Health Interview Survey. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.Google Scholar
Valenzuela, M.J., Sachdev, P. (2006). Brain reserve and cognitive decline: A non-parametric systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 36(8), 1065–1073.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, R.S., Barnes, L.L., Krueger, K.R., Hoganson, G., Bienias, J.L., Bennett, D.A. (2005). Early and late life cognitive activity and cognitive systems in old age. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 11(4), 400–407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, R.S., Bennett, D.A., Bienias, J.L., Mendes de Leon, C.F., Morris, M.C., Evans, D.A. (2003). Cognitive activity and cognitive decline in a biracial community population. Neurology, 61(6), 812–816.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, R.S., Buchman, A.S., Arnold, S.E., Shah, R.C., Tang, Y., Bennett, D.A. (2006). Harm avoidance and disability in old age. Experimental Aging Research, 32(3), 243–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, R.S., Krueger, K.R., Arnold, S.E., Schneider, J.A., Kelly, J.F., Barnes, L.L., … Bennett, D.A. (2007). Loneliness and risk of Alzheimer disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(2), 234–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, R.S., Mendes De Leon, C.F., Barnes, L.L., Schneider, J.A., Bienias, J.L., Evans, D.A., Bennett, D.A. (2002). Participation in cognitively stimulating activities and risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287(6), 742–748.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zunzunegui, M.V., Alvarado, B.E., Del Ser, T., Otero, A. (2003). Social networks, social integration, and social engagement determine cognitive decline in community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58(2), S93–S100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed