The role of physical activity, social support and genetic risk in cognitive decline

Cognitive decline encompasses difficulty remembering, learning new things, concentrating or making decisions in everyday life. While some amount of age-related cognitive decline is normal and expected, higher amounts of cognitive decline are considered pathological (termed cognitive impairment) and may lead to dementia. In this study, we will examine data from two time points, baseline assessment and follow-up 1 (3-4 years later). We will examine global cognitive function, level of physical activity, level of social support and genetic risk for dementia. We expect that individuals who report high levels of physical activity and high social support availability (both at baseline and over time) will be less likely to show decreased cognitive function at follow-up. Furthermore, we predict that those with high genetic risk will benefit less from high levels of physical activity and social support availability.