Cortical Stimulation Associated with Tabletop Cognitive Activities and the Influence of Self-Perceived Challenge as Measured by Electroencephalography: A Pilot Study

Background: Positive associations are reported between "cognitively stimulating" activities and cortical stimulation and between "cognitively challenging" activities and cortical stimulation. However, the basis for these has been largely subjective. One aim of this pilot study was to determine whether tabletop cognitive activities, believed to be cortically stimulating, are objectively based on left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) coherence measured by electroencephalography (EEG). A second aim was to compare LDLPFC coherence associated with Sudoku, perceived by most study participants to be the most cognitively challenging activity they completed, with LDLPFC coherence associated with the activity each perceived to be the least cognitively challenging. Methods: Participants engaged for five minutes in an "at rest" condition and each of five presumptively "cognitively stimulating" tabletop activity conditions. EEG data were collected throughout. Participants then ranked the cognitive challenge they experienced completing each tabletop activity. Results: Based on EEG LDLPFC coherence, not all activities were cortically stimulating. Sudoku, the activity rated "most cognitively challenging" by most participants (n = 13/25), was the most cortically stimulating condition in Beta, High Beta, Theta, Delta, and High Delta frequency bands. Conclusion: With a growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of ongoing engagement in challenging cognitive exercise for individuals across their lifespans, identifying cognitive activities that stimulate beneficial cortical activation and, ultimately, cognitive function is needed.