Effect of increasing participation in habitual intellectual activities on cognitive function in older adults without clinical dementia ‐ preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial

Based on our longitudinal observational study of >15,000 community‐living older adults, we previously reported that those with regular participation in intellectual activities in late life are at a lower risk of developing clinical symptoms of dementia in six years. Nevertheless, the dose‐response relationship between intellectual activities and cognitive benefits remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we have designed a two‐arm, parallel‐design, single‐blind randomized controlled trial, with the aim to test whether doubling calligraphy practice results in more cognitive benefits in older adults without clinical dementia.