Promoting healthy brain aging through cognitive activity and social contact: a translational journey from neuroscience to community

The number of people living with dementia is projected to rise drastically in the years to come, emphasizing the need for identifying possibilities for risk reduction and prevention. In this regard, cognitive activity and social contact have been suggested as protective, for instance by the recently published report of the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care. This thesis assessed to what extent they predict the risk for developing dementia, whether this is independent of other dementia risk factors (e.g., physical inactivity or smoking) and examined potential pathways by which those factors affect dementia risk. Findings were directly translated into public health practice, in form of an adaption of the MijnBreincoach app (publicly available via MijnBreincoach.eu), aiming to give people insight into their personal dementia risk profile and to let them work on specific lifestyle goals in small and achievable steps. Specifically, a new module of the app focusing on social contact was developed and tested within a group of people from the province of Limburg.