Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
07:35
Author Spotlight: Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients With a Digital Occupational Training System
Published on: December 29, 2023
1.4K
Occupational complexity and cognition in the FINGER multidomain intervention trial
Anders Rydström1,2, Alexander Darin-Mattsson2, Ingemar Kåreholt1,2,3
1Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|February 10, 2022
Summary
Higher occupational complexity is linked to better late-life cognition. The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) intervention did not show varying cognitive benefits across different occupational complexity levels.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Lifetime exposure to occupational complexity influences cognitive function in older adults.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for developing effective cognitive interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between occupational complexity and cognitive function.
- To examine if occupational complexity modifies the effects of a multidomain intervention on cognition.
Main Methods:
- Post hoc analysis of 1026 participants from the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER).
- Occupational complexity (data, people, substantive) classified using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
- Cognitive outcomes assessed over a 2-year period.
Main Results:
- Higher occupational complexity correlated with better baseline cognitive function.
- No significant association found between occupational complexity and overall intervention effects on cognition.
- Occupational complexity with data showed a link to enhanced executive function gains from the intervention.
Conclusions:
- In at-risk older adults, greater occupational complexity is associated with superior cognitive function.
- The FINGER intervention's cognitive benefits were largely consistent across varying levels of occupational complexity.
- Further research is needed to validate these exploratory findings in larger cohorts.
