Do Occupational Demands Affect Cognitive Trajectories?

Cognitively stimulating activities may delay the onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. In this study, researchers longitudinally investigated whether occupational cognitive demands from ages 30 to 65 years were associated with clinical diagnoses of MCI and dementia after age 70. Participants were from one county in Norway and had at least one occupational assessment before age 50 and one at or after age 50. The researchers measured occupational cognitive demands using a routine-task intensity (RTI) index for 305 occupations, where lower RTI indicated a more cognitively demanding occupation. MCI and dementia were determined at age 69 or older based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, crit…