A-017 Lifestyle activity engagement and cognition: Findings in healthy controls across the lifespan

Abstract

Abstract Objective Engagement in physical and intellectual activity has been found to exert an impact on processing speed and executive functioning. One critical issue that remains unclear is at what point in the lifespan self-reported lifestyle factors impact cognition. Method A community sample of nondepressed adults aged 18–74 (N = 176) was administered measures assessing activity engagement (Cognitive Health Questionnaire), processing speed (SDMT), and executive functioning (PASAT, Oral Trails B). Very physically and intellectually active (over 3 instances/week of activity) participants were compared to those reporting less activity across three age ranges: young adults (YA; age 18–29), middle-aged adults (MA; age 30–55), and older adults (OA; age 56–74). Results MA participants who frequently engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity showed better SDMT performance than less active participants (p < .05). YA participants frequently engaging in mild physical activity showed a nonsignificant trend toward better PASAT and SDMT performance than those who were less active. YA and MA participants who reported high use of daily cognitive strategies showed stronger Oral Trails B (p < .05) and SDMT (p = .06) performance, respectively. Very intellectually active YA participants showed better PASAT performance than less active participants (p = .06). While OA participant group comparisons were not significant, small sample sizes for some analyses may have impacted results. Conclusions We found that individuals with strong lifestyle activity engagement showed better processing speed and executive functioning than less active participants. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that more robust activity engagement is associated with better cognition.