How does living among more peers as an older adult impact cognitive function?

Esther Friedman, PhD, a former Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar, is lead author on a study in which she and her colleagues explore the impact of living in a neighborhood with a higher percentage of older adults on cognitive function. The researchers found that those who live with a higher percentage of older adults had better cognitive function, although the neighborhood age structure did not seem to impact cognitive decline.…

Exercise can delay nursing home admission for those at risk of dementia

Harvard Pop Center faculty member Maria Glymour, PhD, is an author on a paper published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics that explores whether modifiable risk factors. like smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption, can delay nursing home admission among those suffering from the cognitive impairment associated with initial stages of dementia.

Novel use of genetic variants may shed light on link between education level & dementia in older age

A study published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology by Harvard Pop Center affiliated researchers including Ichiro Kawachi, Sze Yan Liu, and Maria Glymour introduces the use of genetic variants as instruments to help identify the causal effect of educational attainment on dementia risk. The study, based on instrumental variable (IV) analyses, suggests education is protective against risk of dementia in older adulthood.