25th June 2017
“Don’t Lose Your Brain at Work – The Role of Recurrent Novelty at Work in Cognitive and Brain Aging,” relates new findings about how work can affect brain aging. (February 6, 2017 issue of Frontiers in Psychology)
Co-authors include Jan Oltmanns as well as Columbia Aging Center director Ursula Staudinger.
Cognitive and brain aging is strongly influenced by everyday settings such as work demands. Long-term exposure to low job complexity, for instance, has detrimental effects on cognitive functioning and regional gray matter (GM) volume. Brain and cognition, however, are also characterized by plasticity. We postulate that the experience of novelty (at work) is one important trigger of plasticity. We investigated the cumulative effect of recurrent exposure to work-task changes (WTC) at low levels of job complexity on GM volume and cognitive functioning of middle-aged production workers across a time window of 17 years. In a case-control study, we found that amount of WTC was associated with better processing speed and working memory as well as with more GM volume in brain regions that have been associated with learning and that show pronounced age-related decline. Recurrent novelty at work may serve as an ‘in vivo’ intervention that helps counteracting debilitating long-term effects of low job complexity.
For the full publication, see: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00117/full
Posted by ILC-USA
An Erasmus+ project led by Elpida, Fundacja Różne Wątki and Leyden Academy on Vitality & Ageing explores gender differences in adult education participation among people aged 60 and older in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands.
9th June 2026
A Casebook of Clinical Dilemmas from Around the World – A Graphic novel on medical ethics
Graphic Medical Ethics: A Casebook of Clinical Dilemmas from Around the World presents real-life medical ethics cases from eight countries in graphic (comic) form, offering accessible, multicultural perspectives on complex healthcare dilemmas for both professionals and general readers.
18th May 2026
Getting Older Adults Moving at the Right Time
Research by Gali Albalak explored how the timing of physical activity affects sleep, mood and health in adults aged 60 to 80 years with sleep difficulties. The study found that morning exercise was associated with earlier bedtimes, improved mood and higher energy levels.
6th May 2026
