Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41671519›Full record

ArticleNeurology2026

Associations of Lifetime Cognitive Enrichment With Incident Alzheimer Disease Dementia, Cognitive Aging, and Cognitive Resilience.

Andrea R Zammit, Lei Yu, Victoria N Poole, Alifiya Kapasi, Robert S Wilson, David A Bennett

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Andrea R ZammitRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0009-0003-5560-9542
Lei YuRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0000-0002-0237-8758
Victoria N PooleRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Alifiya KapasiRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0000-0003-1911-8482
Robert S WilsonRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0000-0001-9592-0333
David A BennettRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0000-0003-3689-554X

Funding

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NEURAL RESERVE AND NEUROBIOLOGY IN AGINGR01AG017917 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN · 2001 to 2023
$43.3M
RISK FACTORS, PATHOLOGY, AND CLINICAL EXPRESSIONS OF ADR01AG015819 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN · 1998 to 2024
$21.4M
Small vessel disease contributions to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's diseaseK01AG075177 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Alifiya Kapasi · 2022 to 2026
$553k
NIA NIH HHS K01 AG075177NIA NIH HHS R01 AG015819NIA NIH HHS R01 AG017917
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesThe effects of lifetime cognitive enrichment on later-life cognitive outcomes are not comprehensively investigated. The aim of this study was to test the association of lifetime cognitive enrichment with Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia and cognitive decline and in an autopsied deceased subset to explore the association between lifetime enrichment and AD and related dementia (ADRD) pathologic indices and cognitive resilience that is, decline after adjusting for common ADRD pathologies.

methodsThis was a longitudinal clinicopathologic study involving older individuals from Northeastern Illinois who participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, were free of dementia at baseline, completed surveys reflecting lifetime enrichment, and had annual clinical evaluations. We constructed a composite measure reflecting lifetime cognitive enrichment and tested its association with incident AD dementia in proportional hazards models, mean age of AD dementia onset in an accelerated failure time model, and cognitive decline using linear mixed-effects models. In a deceased subset, we tested the association of lifetime cognitive enrichment with 9 ADRD pathologies and cognitive resilience.

resultsParticipants (n = 1,939, 75% female, mean baseline age = 79.6) completed an average of 7.6 years of follow-up, during which 551 participants developed AD dementia. One unit higher in lifetime enrichment was associated with 38% lower hazards of developing AD dementia (hazard ratio 0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.73, DISCUSSION: Lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment was related to lower risk of AD dementia and a slower rate of cognitive decline, including after adjustment for common ADRD pathologies, indicating higher resilience provided by lifetime enrichment. Our results suggest that cognitive health in later life is in part the product of lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitive AgingCognitive DysfunctionAgedAged, 80 and overCognitionCognitive EnhancementFemaleHumansIncidenceLongitudinal StudiesMale

Identifiers

PMID41671519
PMCPMC13403752

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.