Abstract
Complex environmental influences on cellular, molecular, and behavioral outcomes were first described by eminent Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb (1946). Environmental enrichment factors encompass sensory, motor, and cognitive activities, social interactions, as well as nutrition and environmental context. Understanding how these environmental factors, uniquely or in combination, support neural function across the lifespan and reduce age-related neuropathology is increasingly recognized as a key avenue to promoting healthy aging and delaying cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. This chapter will overview animal and human models of environmental enrichment and explore the impacts of environmental enrichment on cognitive and brain aging in humans, highlighting prominent studies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of the Human Brain |
| Subtitle of host publication | Volumes 1-5 |
| Editors | Jordan Henry Grafman |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Pages | 528-539 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Edition | 2 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780128204818 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780128204801 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2025 |
Keywords
- Age-related cognitive decline
- Aging
- Cognitive aging
- Cognitive decline
- Cognitive impairment
- Cognitive training
- Elderly
- Electrophysiology
- Environmental enrichment
- Environmental psychology
- Lifestyle factors
- Multi-domain interventions
- Neurodegeneration
- Physical activity
- Sensory stimulation
- Social interaction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- General Neuroscience