Commentary on Lower Small-Worldness of Intrinsic Brain Networks Facilitates the Cognitive Protection of Intellectual Engagement in Elderly People Without Dementia: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

•What is the primary question addressed by this study?Given the heterogeneous association between intellectual engagement and cognitive ability in late life, we explored whether individual differences in the properties of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) networks would explain the variability in the strength of the association between intellectual engagement and cognitive functioning in the dementia-free older people.•What is the main finding of this study?The small-worldness of the brain network emerged as a moderator of the association between intellectual engagement and cognition. Specifically, among older people with lower small-worldness, greater intellectual engagement was associated with greater global cognitive function. While at higher levels of small-worldness, the link between intellectual engagement and cognitive function was not apparent.•What is the meaning of the finding?The findings implicate the intrinsic small-worldness of the brain network as a potential neurobiological contributor that interacts with the intellectual engagement to enhance the cognitive ability in late life.