Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review
The number of patients suffering from dementia is expected to more than triple by the year 2040, and this represents a major challenge to publicly-funded healthcare systems throughout the world. One of the most effective prevention mechanisms against dementia lies in increasing brain- and cognitive-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00381/full |
| _version_ | 1818331558071762944 |
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| author | Gregory J. Christie Gregory J. Christie Tara Hamilton Bradley D. Manor Norman A. S. Farb Faranak Farzan Faranak Farzan Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Jean-Jacques Temprado Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno |
| author_facet | Gregory J. Christie Gregory J. Christie Tara Hamilton Bradley D. Manor Norman A. S. Farb Faranak Farzan Faranak Farzan Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Jean-Jacques Temprado Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno |
| author_sort | Gregory J. Christie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The number of patients suffering from dementia is expected to more than triple by the year 2040, and this represents a major challenge to publicly-funded healthcare systems throughout the world. One of the most effective prevention mechanisms against dementia lies in increasing brain- and cognitive-reserve capacity, which has been found to reduce the behavioral severity of dementia symptoms as neurological degeneration progresses. To date though, most of the factors known to enhance this reserve stem from largely immutable history factors, such as level of education and occupational attainment. Here, we review the potential for basic lifestyle activities, including physical exercise, meditation and musical experience, to contribute to reserve capacity and thus reduce the incidence of dementia in older adults. Relative to other therapies, these activities are low cost, are easily scalable and can be brought to market quickly and easily. Overall, although preliminary evidence is promising at the level of randomized control trials, the state of research on this topic remains underdeveloped. As a result, several important questions remain unanswered, including the amount of training required to receive any cognitive benefit from these activities and the extent to which this benefit continues following cessation. Future research directions are discussed for each lifestyle activity, as well as the potential for these and other lifestyle activities to serve as both a prophylactic and a therapeutic treatment for dementia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:21:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66fdc079579849518daa80f4c09f03af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:21:45Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-66fdc079579849518daa80f4c09f03af2022-12-21T23:44:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652017-11-01910.3389/fnagi.2017.00381301776Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A ReviewGregory J. Christie0Gregory J. Christie1Tara Hamilton2Bradley D. Manor3Norman A. S. Farb4Faranak Farzan5Faranak Farzan6Andrew Sixsmith7Andrew Sixsmith8Andrew Sixsmith9Jean-Jacques Temprado10Sylvain Moreno11Sylvain Moreno12Sylvain Moreno13Digital Health Hub, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaScience and Technology for Aging Research Institute, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaDigital Health Hub, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaInstitute for Aging Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, CanadaDigital Health Hub, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaSchool of Mechatronics and Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaDigital Health Hub, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaScience and Technology for Aging Research Institute, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaDepartment of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, CanadaInstitut des Sciences du Mouvement, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, FranceDigital Health Hub, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaScience and Technology for Aging Research Institute, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaSchool of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, CanadaThe number of patients suffering from dementia is expected to more than triple by the year 2040, and this represents a major challenge to publicly-funded healthcare systems throughout the world. One of the most effective prevention mechanisms against dementia lies in increasing brain- and cognitive-reserve capacity, which has been found to reduce the behavioral severity of dementia symptoms as neurological degeneration progresses. To date though, most of the factors known to enhance this reserve stem from largely immutable history factors, such as level of education and occupational attainment. Here, we review the potential for basic lifestyle activities, including physical exercise, meditation and musical experience, to contribute to reserve capacity and thus reduce the incidence of dementia in older adults. Relative to other therapies, these activities are low cost, are easily scalable and can be brought to market quickly and easily. Overall, although preliminary evidence is promising at the level of randomized control trials, the state of research on this topic remains underdeveloped. As a result, several important questions remain unanswered, including the amount of training required to receive any cognitive benefit from these activities and the extent to which this benefit continues following cessation. Future research directions are discussed for each lifestyle activity, as well as the potential for these and other lifestyle activities to serve as both a prophylactic and a therapeutic treatment for dementia.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00381/fulllifestyle factorsagingdementianeuroplasticitycognitive health |
| spellingShingle | Gregory J. Christie Gregory J. Christie Tara Hamilton Bradley D. Manor Norman A. S. Farb Faranak Farzan Faranak Farzan Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Andrew Sixsmith Jean-Jacques Temprado Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno Sylvain Moreno Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience lifestyle factors aging dementia neuroplasticity cognitive health |
| title | Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review |
| title_full | Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review |
| title_fullStr | Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review |
| title_short | Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review |
| title_sort | do lifestyle activities protect against cognitive decline in aging a review |
| topic | lifestyle factors aging dementia neuroplasticity cognitive health |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00381/full |
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