Physically Stressful Work Linked to Faster Brain Aging, Poorer Memory

A study from Colorado State University (CSU) published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that physical stress at work may be connected to faster brain aging and poorer memory, reports Technology Networks . The researchers linked occupational survey responses to brain-imaging data from 99 cognitively normal older adults 60 to 79 years old. Participants who reported high levels of physical stress in their most recent job had less volume in the hippocampus, and performed poorer on memory tasks. The hippocampus is essential for memory and is impacted in both normal aging and dementia. "By pure volume, occupational exposures outweigh the time we spend on leisure social, cognitive, and physical activities, which protect our aging minds and brains," said CSU Professor Aga Burzynska. She added that the linkage between "physical stress" and brain/memory was driven by physical demands at work, which included excessive reaching, or lifting boxes onto shelves, not necessarily aerobic activity. While leisure physical activity was associated with more hippocampal volume, the negative association with physical demands at work lingered. "Maybe future research can help us make some tweaks to our work environment for long-term cognitive health," Burzynska suggested.