Association between long‐term Environmental Enrichment and Memory‐Related Functional Brain Activity in the DELCODE cohort
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Background Environmental factors account for a considerable percentage of dementia cases. Studies in animal models have shown that environmental enrichment (EE; i.e., stimuli‐rich housing conditions) has positive effects on brain structure, including the memory system. In humans, EE as measured by the engagement in a variety of leisure activities has been associated with better fornix structure and memory (Klimecki et al., 2023). We assessed whether long‐term EE (in terms of engagement in diverse leisure activities) is related to functional brain activity in the memory system of older adults. Methods We operationalized individual EE in 372 older participants aged between 60 and 87 years of the DZNE Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DELCODE) study. We used subscales of the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ; Valenzuela & Sachdev, 2007) that capture the frequency of engagement in diverse leisure activities in young adulthood and middle life (13‐30 and 30‐65 years). Memory‐related brain activity was assessed using individual FADE‐SAME scores in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm on visual memory encoding and recognition. The scores capture the similarity of older adults’ brain activity patterns with typical activations of younger adults’ (Soch et al., 2021). We performed multiple regression analyses between long‐term EE as independent variable and FADE‐SAME scores related to novelty processing and subsequent memory as dependent variables. Result Long‐term EE was significantly associated with novelty‐based SAME scores. More specifically, older participants with higher EE in early and middle life showed a higher similarity of functional brain activity patterns during novelty processing with the patterns seen in younger adults (see Figure 1). Exploratory subgroup analysis showed that this association was predominantly found in participants with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD, n = 199). No other significant findings were obtained. Conclusion Engagement in a variety of leisure activities during early and middle life is related to more “youth‐like” memory‐related brain activity patterns in older adults, including older individuals at increased risk of AD. Higher EE during early life might contribute to preservation or promotion of memory functions in later life.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
DOI: 10.1002/alz.088136
Authors: Simon Hass, Joram Soch, Jasmin Kizilirmak, Maxie Liebscher, Emrah Düzel, Klaus Fliessbach, Frank Jessen, Christoph Laske, Oliver Peters, Josef Priller, Sandra Roeske, Anja Schneider, Hartmut Schuetze, Annika Spottke, Stefan Teipel, Michael Wagner, Jens Wiltfang, Franka Gloeckner, Björn H. Schott, Miranka Wirth, Olga M. Klimecki
Institutions: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Dresden, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, University of Bonn, University of Cologne, Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, UK Dementia Research Institute, Stiftung Charité, Technical University of Munich, University of Edinburgh, Universitätsmedizin Rostock, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, University of Aveiro, University of Göttingen, Technische Universität Dresden
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,000
OpenAlex ID: W4406224353