This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
To the Editor:
Rundek and Bennett1 comment on two new studies in the same issue2,3 that acknowledge the protective effect of complex mental activity on incident dementia based on observational studies, and conclude that the establishment of a causal link requires clinical trial. However, they are unconvinced that such a trial would be conclusive since observed benefits may be due to participation in activities over the entire lifetime, entailing an intervention over many years and considerable resources.
Our recent systematic review of this field4 suggests that their prediction may be overly pessimistic. Meta-analysis of 22 epidemiologic reports of education, occupation, and cognitive leisure activities showed that high mental activity levels resulted in a summary OR for incident dementia of 0.54 (CI: 0.49, 0.59). Six reports have focused on late-life cognitive activities, each finding a protective effect (OR 0.50, CI: 0.42, 0.61). …
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Leisure activities and the risk of amnestic mild cognitive impairment in the elderly
Life-span cognitive activity, neuropathologic burden, and cognitive aging
Cognitive activities delay onset of memory decline in persons who develop dementia
Premorbid cognitive leisure independently contributes to cognitive reserve in multiple sclerosis