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Cognitive reserve in neuropsychiatry
J H Barnett1, C H Salmond, P B Jones
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Psychological Medicine
|July 21, 2006
Summary
Cognitive reserve, a measure of brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Cognitive function protects against dementia and head injury.
- Cognitive reserve is hypothesized to be important in neuropsychiatric disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of cognitive reserve in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- To apply passive and active models of reserve to these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Review of cognitive reserve models.
- Application of the concept to neuropsychiatric disorders, using schizophrenia as an exemplar.
Main Results:
- Cognitive reserve influences risk, symptom expression, and functional outcomes in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Cognitive failure can contribute to neuropsychiatric syndromes.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive reserve enhances understanding of individual differences in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Future studies should incorporate cognitive reserve.
- Cognitive reserve may be enhanced through education or neurocognitive activation.
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