Cognitive reserve and Alzheimer disease
1Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders
|August 19, 2006
Summary
Higher cognitive reserve, built through education and leisure, may protect against Alzheimer disease (AD). This reserve can involve more efficient brain networks or compensatory mechanisms, potentially delaying AD diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epidemiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Epidemiologic studies link higher IQ, education, occupation, and leisure activities to reduced Alzheimer disease (AD) risk.
- Cognitive reserve (CR) proposes that individual differences in cognitive processing offer protection against neuropathology and aging.
- CR may involve neural reserve (more efficient networks) or neural compensation (alternative network use).
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the concept of cognitive reserve (CR) and its potential mechanisms.
- To review the role of CR in modulating the clinical expression of Alzheimer disease (AD).
- To consider CR as a factor in preclinical AD and treatment studies, and its potential for enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Review of epidemiologic evidence linking lifestyle factors to AD risk.
- Conceptualization of cognitive reserve (CR) through neural reserve and neural compensation.
- Discussion of neuroimaging findings related to the neural basis of CR.
Main Results:
- Higher levels of education, occupational attainment, and leisure activities are associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer disease.
- Cognitive reserve may function through enhanced efficiency of existing neural networks or by recruiting alternative networks to compensate for pathology.
- Neuroimaging studies are beginning to elucidate the neural underpinnings of cognitive reserve.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive reserve is a significant factor that may modulate the clinical manifestation of Alzheimer disease pathology.
- Understanding CR is crucial for research into preclinical AD and the development of effective treatments.
- Enhancing cognitive reserve presents a potential strategy to delay the diagnosis and impact of Alzheimer disease.
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