Digital Technology Linked to Lower Rates of Cognitive Decline in Adults Older Than 50

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Widespread use of digital technology seems to be associated with lower rates of cognitive decline in adults older than 50 years, according to a study published online April 14 in Nature Human Behaviour.

Jared F. Benge, Ph.D., from the University of Texas at Austin, and Michael K. Scullin, Ph.D., from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether technological exposure has helped or harmed cognition in digital pioneers. Fifty-seven observational or cohort studies focusing on general digital technology use in older adults (older than 50 years) were included in the meta-analysis; 411,430 adults were included from cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies.

The researchers found an association for use of digital technologies with a reduced risk for cognitive impairment (odds ratio, 0.42) as well as reduced time-dependent rates of cognitive decline (hazard ratio, 0.74). When accounting for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and cognitive reserve proxies, the effects remained significant.

“Technology engagement was associated with reduced odds of cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults,” the authors write. “There was no credible evidence from the longitudinal studies, or the meta-analysis as a whole, for widespread digital “brain drain” or “digital dementia” as a result of general, natural uses of digital technology.”

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