{"id":243326,"date":"2024-07-17T17:33:06","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T21:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=243326"},"modified":"2024-07-17T17:33:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T21:33:25","slug":"living-in-greener-neighborhoods-during-midlife-may-slow-cognitive-decline","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2024\/living-in-greener-neighborhoods-during-midlife-may-slow-cognitive-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Greener Neighborhoods during Midlife May Slow Cognitive Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-left has-text-position-y-bottom has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-755x425.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-854x480.jpg 854w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2024\/07\/greenery-city-2-900x506.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner has-opacity-60\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">mental health disorders<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLiving in Greener Neighborhoods during Midlife May Slow Cognitive Decline\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">A new study found that increased exposure to residential greenery may help stave off cognitive decline by an annual rate of eight months. This delay was observed more among people living in low-socioeconomic status and highly populated neighborhoods, as well as people who carry the APOE-\u025b4 gene, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">July 17, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/jillian-mckoy\/\">Jillian McKoy<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Research has shown that about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/aging\/publications\/features\/dementia-risk-reduction-june-2022\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">40 percent<\/a> of dementia could be prevented or delayed worldwide by addressing modifiable risk factors associated with the condition, particularly during midlife.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new study led by a School of Public Health researcher is shedding deeper insight on how one risk factor\u2014living near greenery, such as parks and trees\u2014during middle-age years could provide cognitive benefits later in life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1289\/EHP13588\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Published in the journal <em>Environmental Health Perspectives<\/em><\/a>, the study found that residing in areas with higher amounts of greenness during midlife may slow a person\u2019s annual rate of cognitive decline by about eight months. This association was stronger among people living in neighborhoods of low socioeconomic status (SES), highly populated neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This association was also observed among people with the APOE-\u025b4 gene, a variant of the APOE gene that is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/news-events\/nih-research-matters\/study-defines-major-genetic-form-alzheimer-s-disease%23:~:text=People%252520who%252520carry%252520two%252520APOE4,cases%2525E2%252580%252594an%252520estimated%25252015%252525.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major risk factor<\/a> for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. APOE-\u025b4 carriers exposed to more greenery had a threefold magnitude of slower cognitive&nbsp;decline, compared to people without the gene, which is an important research development, as there are currently no known ways for carriers of this gene to reduce their risk of developing dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Greenness exposure has previously been linked to better cognitive functioning, but this new study includes a much larger study group and longer period of observation than prior analyses. It is also the first study to explore how different environmental features may affect the relationship between greenness and cognition among carriers of the APOE-\u025b4 gene.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering that Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementia cases may develop as many as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/alzheimers-dementia\/what-is-alzheimers%23:~:text=Hallmarks%252520of%252520Alzheimer's,%252520such%252520as,in%252520memory,%252520thinking%252520or%252520behavior.&amp;text=MCI%252520is%252520an%252520early%252520stage,most%252520activities%252520of%252520daily%252520living.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20 years<\/a> before recognizable symptoms appear, it is critical to identify which populations are most susceptible to these conditions and the protective measures that can be implemented as early as possible in life to thwart or slow cognitive impairment.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur results are important because they shed light into the cognitive benefits of increasing green space exposure at a population level, particularly among vulnerable subgroups of the population, such as carriers of the APOE-\u025b4 gene,\u201d says study lead and corresponding author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/marcia-pescador-jimenez\/\">Marcia Pescador Jimenez<\/a>, assistant professor of epidemiology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To examine the association between residential greenness and cognitive function and decline, Pescador Jimenez and colleagues from Rush Medical College and Rush Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health utilized data from the Nurses\u2019 Health Study (NHS), a prospective study that began in 1976 and is among the largest investigations into the risk factors for chronic diseases among US women. The team focused on 16,962 nurses aged 70 or older who were enrolled in an NHS substudy that started between 1995-2001 and lasted through 2008. The participants were assessed for cognitive function through telephone surveys, and the researchers utilized a satellite image-based metric to measure greenness levels around participants\u2019 residential areas. They assessed greenness exposure up to nine years prior to the first cognitive test, and the total cognitive assessment included five cognitive tests administered up to four times over an average of six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After adjusting for age and socioeconomic factors, higher average exposure to greenness during midlife was linked to higher levels of cognitive function as well as slower cognitive decline, based on global cognition scores but not verbal memory.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, this association was stronger for participants living in low-SES and highly populated neighborhoods, suggesting that efforts to increase greenery in disadvantaged areas could help reduce socioeconomic inequities among these populations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur finding for participants living in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status is consistent with the theory of equigenic environments, which suggests that greenness might be important to reduce socioeconomic health inequities,\u201d Pescador Jimenez says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study also explored the role of mental health in the relationship between midlife greenness exposure and cognition. While previous research has suggested that limited exposure to greenery in middle age can decrease cognitive functioning by way of depression, the new data extends this connection by suggesting that greenness maybe associated with cognitive decline over time through mental health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe findings emphasize the importance of prioritizing the preservation and creation of green spaces, particularly in low-SES neighborhoods, as a means of promoting cognitive health later in life,\u201d says Pescador Jimenez.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2022\/05\/urbangreen-600.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Urban green space\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>climate and health<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/increasing-urban-greenery-could-have-prevented-at-least-34000-deaths\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Increasing Urban Greenery Could Have Prevented at Least 34,000 Deaths over Two Decades<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">May 20, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2022\/04\/seniorhealth-copy.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>alzheimer\u2019s\/dementia<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/living-in-areas-with-more-greenery-may-boost-cognitive-function\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Living in Areas with More Greenery May Boost Cognitive Function<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 28, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research has shown that about 40 percent of dementia could be prevented or delayed worldwide by addressing modifiable risk factors associated with the condition, particularly during midlife.&nbsp; A new study led by a School of Public Health researcher is shedding deeper insight on how one risk factor\u2014living near greenery, such as parks and trees\u2014during middle-age [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15205,"featured_media":243331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2592,3788,1973,1086,2261,4032,4025,3162,3891,1871,1793,3887],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3529,3530,3531,3540],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[3718],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/243326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243326"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/243326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243335,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/243326\/revisions\/243335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=243326"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=243326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}