Neurocognitive aging
How Leisure Activities Buffer Age-Related Mental Slowing
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Active leisure lifestyles help older adults stay mentally quick even when their brains process sensory information more slowly.
Key findings
Older adults were slower to respond to the moving dots than younger adults, showing slower average reaction times. An electroencephalography marker representing how fast the brain accumulates sensory evidence predicted individual reaction times. Crucially, older adults with highly active leisure lifestyles maintained faster reaction times even when their neural evidence accumulation was slower.
Methodology
Researchers monitored the brain activity of 31 younger and 41 older participants using electroencephalography while they completed a computer task. Participants watched moving dots on a screen and had to quickly press a button as soon as they noticed the dots moving in a single direction. The older participants also completed a standardized interview to measure their lifetime engagement in intellectual, professional, and leisure activities.
Limitations
Because this study is observational, it cannot prove that leisure activities directly cause changes in brain processing or prevent mental decline. The findings rely heavily on retrospective questionnaires, which depend on participants accurately remembering their activities over several decades. Additionally, the study focused on healthy older adults, meaning the results might not apply to individuals experiencing severe cognitive impairment or neurological diseases.
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