Leisure activities and cognitive reserve in an Argentine population of older Adults.

FELDBERG, C.; STEFANI, D.; TARTAGLINI, M.F.; HERMIDA, P.D.; IRRAZABAL, N.; SOMALE, V.; ALLEGRI, R.

Sao Paulo

Simposio; AAIC Satellite Symposium; 2019

Alzheimer´s Association (AAIC)

Background: Leisure activities that involve social, intellectual or physical commitment can also promote an increase in synaptic density and, therefore, favor cognitive reserve. Active cognitive activities are those that involve a greater number of cognitive domains such as attention, memory, calculation, capacity for organization and planning and also involve social contact. Different theories discuss the modeling role of participation in cognitive activities throughout the life span in cognitive performance of older adults.The aim of the present study is to analyze if there is a difference in the participation in active cognitive leisure activities during middle life, between MCI patients and healthy older adults living in CABA, Argentina.Method: This was a retrospective comparative study of 166 older adults, 84 subjects with MCI (Group I) and 82 normal subjects (Group II). MCI patients (n= 82) (M=76,66 years old; ds=6.93 years) and healthy older adults (n=82) (M=70.91 years (ds=8.25) Questionnaire of Social Demographic Data (built ad hoc), Questionnaire of Social Participation and a battery of neuropsychological tests that asses: memory, attention, language, executive functions and visuoconstructive skills.Results: Results reveal that when comparing the groups, statistically significant differences in favor of the group of healthy older adults were found in their involvement in: Participation in workshops, courses, conferences (F(166, 1) = 3,40, p < .05), Reading of Magazines(F(166, 1) = 8.40 p < .01), Reading of books (F(166, 1) = 12.73 p < .01), Library organization(F(166, 1) = 23,11 p < .001), Traveling(F(166, 1) = 4,28, p < .05) , Going to concerts (F(166, 1) = 9.88, p < .01) ,Political activities(F(166, 1) = 5,82, p < .01).Conclusions: These results agree with other studies which identified the factors that promote healthy cognitive aging in older adults. Within the framework of cognitive reserve, participation in active cognitive leisure activities play a differential and important role in the construction of cognitive reserve throughout the life cycle. The present study coincides with other researches, and adds empirical evidence of interest for the clinical and scientific fields of healthy cognitive ageing.