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Computer use: a protective factor for cognition in aging and HIV disease?

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Abstract

Background

Modifiable lifestyle factors such as engagement with technology may be beneficial to cognition in older adults, but we know little about these relationships in older persons with chronic medical conditions.

Aims

The current study examined the association between computer use frequency and cognition in younger and older adults with and without HIV disease.

Methods

Participants included 110 older persons with HIV (pwHIV; age ≥ 50 years), 84 younger pwHIV (age ≤ 40 years), 76 older HIV−, and 66 younger HIV− adults who completed a comprehensive medical, psychiatric, and cognitive research assessment. Demographically adjusted scores were derived from a well-validated clinical battery of performance-based neuropsychological tests. Participants also completed self-reported measures of cognitive symptoms in daily life and the Brief Computer Use and Anxiety Questionnaire (BCUAQ).

Results

Older age was associated with less frequent computer use among persons with and without HIV disease. More frequent computer use was strongly and independently related to better cognitive performance, particularly in higher order domains (e.g., episodic memory and executive functions) and among the older seronegative adults. A small, univariable correlation between more frequent computer use and fewer cognitive symptoms in daily life was observed in the full sample, but that relationship was better explained by computer-related anxiety and HIV/age study group.

Discussion

These findings add to the existing literature that suggests regular engagement with digital technologies may have a beneficial impact on cognitive functioning, consistent with the technological reserve hypothesis.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the University of California, San Diego HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) Group (I. Grant, PI) for their infrastructure support of the parent R01. We are especially grateful to Donald Franklin, Dr. Erin Morgan, Clint Cushman, and Stephanie Corkran for their assistance with data processing, Marizela Verduzco for her assistance with study management, Dr. Scott Letendre and Dr. Ronald J. Ellis for their assistance with the neuromedical aspects of the parent project, and Dr. J. Hampton Atkinson and Jennifer Marquie Beck for their assistance with participant recruitment and retention. The views written in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the United States Government. The authors would also like to thank the study volunteers for their participation.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health under grants R01-MH73419 and P30-MH62512.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3595 Cullen Blvd., 126 Heyne Bldg., Ste. 239d, Houston, TX, 77204, USA

    Steven Paul Woods & Jennifer L. Thompson

  2. Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Trinity St Bldg B, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Jared F. Benge

  3. Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Jared F. Benge

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  1. Steven Paul Woods
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Correspondence to Jared F. Benge.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of California San Diego (Protocol Number 081481X).

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Woods, S.P., Thompson, J.L. & Benge, J.F. Computer use: a protective factor for cognition in aging and HIV disease?. Aging Clin Exp Res 35, 1711–1720 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-023-02449-0

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