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Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease
Wilson RS, Scherr PA, Schneider JA, Tang Y, Bennett DA.. Neurology, 2007-06-27
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Frequent cognitive activity in old age has been associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), but the basis of the association is uncertain. Methods More than 700 old people underwent annual clinical evaluations for up to 5 years. At baseline, they rated current and past frequency of cognitive activity with the current activity measure administered annually thereafter. Those who died underwent a uniform postmortem examination of the brain. Amyloid burden, density of tangles, and presence of Lewy bodies were assessed in eight brain regions and the number of chronic cerebral infarctions was noted. Results During follow-up, 90 people developed AD. More frequent participation in cognitive activity was associated with reduced incidence of AD (HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.77); a cognitively inactive person (score = 2.2, 10th percentile) was 2.6 times more likely to develop AD than a cognitively active person (score = 4.0, 90th percentile). The association remained after controlling for past cognitive activity, lifespan socioeconomic status, current social and physical activity, and low baseline cognitive function. Frequent cognitive activity was also associated with reduced incidence of mild cognitive impairment and less rapid decline in cognitive function. Among 102 persons who died and had a brain autopsy, neither global nor regionally specific measures of neuropathology were related to level of cognitive activity before the study, at study onset, or during the course of the study. Conclusion Level of cognitively stimulating activity in old age is related to risk of developing dementia.
Key findings
- Background Frequent cognitive activity in old age has been associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), but the basis of the association is uncertain.
- Results During follow-up, 90 people developed AD.
- More frequent participation in cognitive activity was associated with reduced incidence of AD (HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.77); a cognitively inactive person (score = 2.2, 10th percentile) was 2.6 times more likely to develop AD than a cognitively active person (score = 4.0, 90th percentile).
- Frequent cognitive activity was also associated with reduced incidence of mild cognitive impairment and less rapid decline in cognitive function.
Why it matters
In this study of more than 700 older people, those who frequently took part in cognitive activities were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, but this was not explained by differences in brain pathology at autopsy. This suggests a link between mental activity and lower risk, but it does not prove that cognitive activity prevents the disease.
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Study details
- Participants90
- Effect sizeHR = 0.58
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 90 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 400 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 19.0 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 18 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 45 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David Alan Bennett: h-index 197 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Rush University Medical Center: institution h-index 670 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17596582) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Wilson, R. S., Scherr, P. A., Schneider, J. A., Tang, Y., & Bennett, D. A. (2007). Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000271087.67782.cb
Vancouver
Wilson RS, Scherr PA, Schneider JA, Tang Y, Bennett DA. Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2007. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000271087.67782.cb. PMID: 17596582.
BibTeX
@article{wilson2007-17596582,
author = {Wilson, R. S. and Scherr, P. A. and Schneider, J. A. and Tang, Y. and Bennett, D. A.},
title = {{Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1212/01.wnl.0000271087.67782.cb},
pmid = {17596582},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000271087.67782.cb}
}
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