According to the findings of a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, exposure to green spaces can improve cognitive function in middle-aged women.

The study enrolled 116 429 female nurses aged 25 to 42 years. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and the Cogstate Brief Battery (self-administered online battery were used to measure residential exposure to green space and cognitive function respectively. Additionally, 3 composite scores along with factors such as air pollution, depression, and physical activity were also included in the evaluation.

Green space was associated with higher scores on the global CogState composite (mean difference per interquartile range in green space, 0.05; 95 % CI,.02 -.07) and psychomotor speed and attention (mean difference in score, 0.05 standard units; 95 % CI,.02 -.08) scales after adjusting for age at assessment, race, childhood, adulthood, and neighborhood socioeconomic status.

It was further observed that women with high green-space exposure had overall cognition and psychomotor speed/attention scores equivalent to women who were 1.2 years younger and reduced episodes of depression. No link was seen between Green space and learning/working memory (mean difference, 0.0300; 95 % confidence interval, 0.0003 to 0.0500).

These findings imply that adding green space to ones residence may be linked to better improvements in cognition in middle-aged women. (Medscape - May 05, 2022),

JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(4):e229306. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.9306