Hass Simon, Liebscher Maxie, Richter Anni, Fliessbach Klaus, Laske Christoph, Sodenkamp Sebastian, Peters Oliver, Hellmann-Regen Julian, Ersözlü Ersin, Priller Josef, Spruth Eike Jakob, Altenstein Slawek, Röske Sandra, Schneider Anja, Schütze Hartmut, Spottke Annika, Esser Anna, Teipel Stefan, Kilimann Ingo, Wiltfang Jens, Rostamzadeh Ayda, Glanz Wenzel, Incesoy Enise I, Lüsebrink Falk, Dechent Peter, Hetzer Stefan, Scheffler Klaus, Wagner Michael, Jessen Frank, Düzel Emrah, Glöckner Franka, Schott Björn Hendrik, Wirth Miranka, Klimecki Olga
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Dresden, Germany.
Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2024 Dec 24;16:1451850. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1451850. eCollection 2024.
In humans, environmental enrichment (EE), as measured by the engagement in a variety of leisure activities, has been associated with larger hippocampal structure and better memory function. The present cross-sectional study assessed whether EE during early life (13-30 years) and midlife (30-65 years) is associated with better preserved memory-related brain activity patterns in older age.
In total, 372 cognitively unimpaired older adults (aged ≥60 years old) of the DZNE-Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DELCODE; DRKS00007966) were investigated. EE was operationalized using items of the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ), which measures the self-reported participation in a variety of leisure activities in early life and midlife. The preservation of memory-related functional brain activity was assessed using single-value scores, which relate older adults' brain activity patterns in the temporo-parieto-occipital memory network to those of young adults during visual memory encoding (FADE and SAME scores).
EE during early life and midlife was significantly associated with higher SAME scores during novelty processing ( = 372, = 0.13, = 0.011). Thus, older participants with higher EE showed greater similarity of functional brain activity patterns during novelty processing with young adults. This positive association was observed most strongly in participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD, = 199, = 0.20, = 0.006).
More frequent participation in a variety of leisure activities in early life and midlife is associated with more successful aging of functional brain activity patterns in the memory network of older adults, including participants at increased risk for dementia. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether higher EE during life could help preserve memory network function in later life.
在人类中，通过参与各种休闲活动来衡量的环境丰富化（EE）与更大的海马结构和更好的记忆功能相关。本横断面研究评估了早年（13 - 30岁）和中年（30 - 65岁）时期的EE是否与老年时更好地保留与记忆相关的脑活动模式有关。
对认知障碍与痴呆症的德国神经退行性疾病中心纵向研究（DELCODE；DRKS00007966）中的372名认知未受损的老年人（年龄≥60岁）进行了调查。使用经验问卷（LEQ）中的项目来衡量EE，该问卷测量自我报告的早年和中年参与各种休闲活动的情况。使用单值分数评估与记忆相关的功能性脑活动的保留情况，这些分数将老年人在颞顶枕记忆网络中的脑活动模式与年轻人在视觉记忆编码期间的模式相关联（FADE和SAME分数）。
早年和中年时期的EE与新奇性处理期间更高的SAME分数显著相关（n = 372，r = 0.13，p = 0.011）。因此，EE较高的老年参与者在新奇性处理期间的功能性脑活动模式与年轻人更为相似。这种正相关在主观认知下降（SCD）的参与者中最为明显（n = 199，r = 0.20，p = 0.006）。
早年和中年时期更频繁地参与各种休闲活动与老年人记忆网络中功能性脑活动模式的更成功老化相关，包括患痴呆症风险增加的参与者。需要进行纵向研究以阐明一生中更高的EE是否有助于在晚年保留记忆网络功能。
