title: Occupational activity and cognitive aging: a case-control study based on the Maastricht Aging Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Occupational activity is associated with cognitive functioning in older age. The mental exercise hypothesis attributes this association to differences in mental exercise at work.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control design was used to test the mental exercise hypothesis. Primary and secondary school teachers (aged between 25.29 and 79.01 years) and non-teacher controls were matched for level of occupation, educational level, age, and gender. Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Possible confounders (such as precareer intelligence and depressive status) were taken into account.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Teachers had superior verbal fluency and working memory scanning abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are in line with the mental exercise hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), and European Graduate School of Neuroscience (EURON), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Wim.vanderelst@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van der Elst
authors.forename: Martin P J
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Van Boxtel
authors.forename: Jelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jolles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D012044:Regression Analysis