| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2010: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2009: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
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| Research Abstract |
There is epidemiological evidence that lifestyle characterized by engagement in leisure activities of intellectual and social nature is associated with slower cognitive decline in healthy elderly. Especially, cognitively stimulating experience is thought to contribute to cognitive reserve. However, little is known about the benefits of the use of information technology (e.g., searching information by computer, reading online newspapers, and computer-mediated communication) that is recognized as a sort of cognitive activity. In a cohort of 277 elderly persons without dementia, we assessed current frequency of cognitive activity including the use of information technology, and cognitive functions. The cognitive functions were measured by means of logical memory test (test for the assessment of episodic memory), Money road test (test for the assessment of visuospatial ability), Stroop test (test for the assessment of executive function), D-CAT (test for the assessment of attention) and verbal fluency test (test for the assessment of semantic memory). We constructed a series of linear regression models to examine the association of cognitive activity with each cognitive function. In analyses controlling for age, sex, and education, more frequent cognitive activity was related to better performance in logical memory test and Stroop test. In addition, more frequent use of information technology was related to better performance in Money road test and D-CAT. The results suggest that current cognitive activity contributes to slower decline of episodic memory and executive function, and that current activity concerning the use of a computer contributes to slower decline of visuospatial ability and attention.
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