Impact of Challenging Engagement on Cognition in Older Adults

The study will enroll 90 participants in the "Impact of Challenging Engagement" study and assign them to one of three groups: high-demand photography, moderate-demand photography, and active placebo. These initial groups will allow us to collect data and address the feasibility of converting the project into a full trial. Participants will participate in one of three different engagement conditions for 15 hours per week, based on successful results from the initial Active Interventions for the Aging Mind (AIM) study - approved by University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Institutional Review Board (IRB) #072010-144. In the Impact of Challenging Engagement study, the lab will expand on the results of the AIM study to determine if high-demand activities result in any observable brain changes when compared to moderate demand or placebo activities. Behavioral and neural measures of cognitive change will be assessed, providing considerable insight into mechanisms of change. Participants will be characterized thoroughly in terms of behavioral tests of cognitive function, and a subset of subjects who meet neuroimaging criteria will undergo a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) procedure.