Green Cognition: Environmental impacts on cognitive resilience and decline in two nationwide population-based cohorts

Cognitive impairment, decline and dementia are major public health concerns associated with vast individual and societal costs. Understanding and targeting modifiable risk factors is thus vital.

Exposure and access to natural environments is suggested to be one such factor, which can also mitigate other risk factors.

Research shows exposure to natural spaces improve cognitive performance, mood, reduce mental and physiological stress, and is associated with better mental and cardiometabolic health.

Greenspace may also mitigate air pollution(AP) and ambient noise- other suggested risk factors for cognitive health.However, knowledge is lacking about the role of exposure and access to natural spaces for cognitive decline and dementia at the population level.This project thus aims to thoroughly investigate the role of exposure/access to natural spaces for cognitive health, decline and dementia, and in buffering risk factors, at the population level.

It also aims to estimate the unique vs combined contributions of natural spaces, air pollution and ambient noise.

The studies will be done on two nationwide population cohorts (Sweden and France) with high-quality health data and high resolution environmental exposure data—quantities and qualities of residential "green"(vegetation) and "blue"(open water) space, AP and noise— while considering important mediators and confounders.Specific purposes are to longitudinally investigate the role of exposure and access to natural spaces for:1) cognitive complaints, cognitive functioning and decline, dementia incidence2) cardiometabolic health and it’s role in environment-cognition relationships3) buffering of occupational and SES stressors, gender and age-related risk elevations for outcomes 1-2.And 4) estimate unique and combined effects of natural spaces, AP and ambient noise on health outcomes 1-2.The results will advance knowledge significantly and provide empirical bases for public health and sustainable urban planning policies.