Impact of learning on cognition and brain structure in older adults

Retirement from the workforce is an important life transition that impacts the well-being of older adults. For many people, retirement eliminates work-related learning opportunities, such as learning to use new software. At the same time, retirement may also provide the time to pursue other learning opportunities. We do not know how changes in learning opportunities related to retirement affect cognitive aging and brain aging. This project addresses these questions using behavioral and neuroimaging methods. The project includes research training for graduate and undergraduate students and dissemination activities aimed at improving public understanding of science related to learning, cognition, and aging. This project first examines how new learning activities as well as activity challenge level and variety relate to the ability to learn new information using behavioral tasks in a sample of older adults who are several years pre- or post-retirement. The project then uses neuroimaging methods to investigate whether the amount of new learning opportunities, activity challenge, and activity variety predict brain structure and brain volume in older adults. The findings of this project help test the “adult cognitive plasticity theory,” which suggests that changes in demands induce cognitive and brain changes. This project advances understanding of how active engagement in cognitively stimulating activities after retirement can help maintain cognitive and brain functions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.