Technology use among older adults appears to benefit cognitive health rather than harm it, according to a large-scale meta-analysis published in Nature Human Behaviour, a monthly multidisciplinary online-only peer-reviewed scientific journal. The study, which examined data from more than 411,000 adults ages 50 and older, found that engaging with digital devices may actually help protect against cognitive decline and dementia.
“The generation that brought us the digital revolution is now reaching the age where dementia risks emerge,” said study co-author Jared Benge, who is a neuropsychologist at UT health Austin’s Comprehensive Memory Center in Texas. “Far from causing ‘digital dementia,’ as some feared, we found technology engagement is consistently linked to better brain health, even after accounting for education, income and physical health.”
The analysis of 57 studies showed technology users had lower odds of cognitive impairment and reduced rates of decline over time. These protective relationships were observed across computer, smartphone and internet use. Brain protection remained strong in both snapshot and multiyear studies.
The protective effect was comparable to or stronger than established factors such as physical activity and education. Effects persisted even when controlling for socioeconomic factors, education and health conditions. Positive effects were found in both the 50-65 age group and those older than 65.
The study introduces “technological reserve” as a new protective factor against cognitive decline. Just as education and lifelong learning help the brain resist damage, using technology may strengthen the brain’s ability to withstand age-related changes possibly through multiple pathways. These include challenging the mind with new learning, maintaining social connections, and creating digital systems that help compensate for normal age-related memory changes.
“Our data suggests encouraging older adults to engage with technology, particularly in a manner that helps challenge, connect and compensate for cognitive problems, could be a powerful approach to promoting cognitive health,” Benge said.
Staying active is key
A brisk walk, a splash of water aerobics, if your heart rate goes up then so too will your brain health, according to a new study from the University of South Australia. The study was conducted in partnership with the US-based AdventHealth Research Institute and it found that staying active through moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with significantly better processing speed, working memory, and executive function in older adults.
Interestingly, the biggest cognitive gains were seen among people who went from doing no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, to even doing just five minutes, clearly illustrating the power of exercise for the human brain. The team assessed data from 585 older adults (aged 65-80 years) in the USA. The study examined associations between cognitive performance and time spent in sleep, sedentary behavior, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Researchers identified a two-way relationship between “huff-and-puff” physical activity and brain health. In other words, do more exercise and your brain health improves, but do less and it declines.
Dr. Maddison Mellow, who is with the University of South Australia, said the study highlights how small changes in daily activities can have big impacts on brain health. “There are three mutually exclusive lifestyle behaviors in the 24-hour day: sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity—and how these interact to influence our health outcomes,” Mellow said.
The authors of this study suggest that there is an interconnectedness that is now being more fully understood. “For example, we know that being more active can improve our sleep or having a better night’s sleep could boost our energy levels to perform physical activity the next day. But what we don’t know is the optimal balance of time spent in each of these behaviors to maximize cognitive performance,” Mellow said.
Not surprising, the study showed activity performed at higher intensities that increases your heart rate and breathing was related to better cognitive performance. The authors report that “huff-and-puff” physical activity, such as aerobic exercise improves processing speed, which is how fast your brain thinks. This type of physical activity was associated with improved executive function (how well you plan, focus, and multi-task) and improved working memory (ability to store information for short periods of time). Lower levels of higher intensity physical activity were related to poorer performance on cognitive tests.
The findings were consistent across different genetic and demographic backgrounds. The authors report that understanding the interplay between different activities can now empower adults 50+ to make positive health changes in terms of physical activities.
“There are only 24 hours in a day, so every day, we make decisions about how we spend our time. For example, if we sleep for eight hours, then there’s 16 hours remaining for waking behaviors like physical activity or sedentary behaviour; that’s the basic reality,” said co-researcher, Dr. Audrey Collins, who is also with the University of South Australia. “Our results show that how we choose to spend our time across the 24-hour day may be differentially related to our brain health.”
John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalminutes@gmail.com.
John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute.
