Cognitively Stimulating Work, Plasma Proteins, and Dementia Risk

Mentally stimulating activities may decrease dementia risk. In this large, international, multicohort study, researchers examined whether cognitively stimulating work based on job demand and job control are associated with decreased dementia risk. High cognitive stimulation at work was defined by jobs with high demand and high job control, and low cognitive stimulation at work was defined by jobs with low demands and low job control. Dementia diagnoses were based on electronic health record data and repeated clinical examinations; plasma proteins that affect the central nervous system (CNS) were also obtained in a subset of participants. The three main analyses included the association between cognitively stimulating work and incident demen…