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Cognition, reserve, and amyloid deposition in normal aging
Dorene M Rentz1, Joseph J Locascio, John A Becker
1Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 33 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Annals of Neurology
|April 8, 2010
Summary
Amyloid deposition is linked to poorer cognitive function in elderly individuals and Alzheimer's disease patients. However, cognitive reserve may offer protection against these amyloid-related cognitive impairments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Amyloid deposition is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- The relationship between amyloid burden and cognitive decline in normal aging is not fully understood.
- Cognitive reserve (CR) may influence an individual's resilience to neuropathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between amyloid deposition and neuropsychological (NP) performance.
- To examine whether cognitive reserve (CR) modulates the impact of amyloid on cognition.
Main Methods:
- Used Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify amyloid deposition in 66 healthy elderly controls and 17 AD patients.
- Assessed NP performance across various cognitive domains.
- Evaluated CR using proxies such as education and estimated intelligence quotient (IQ).
Main Results:
- Found an inverse relationship between precuneus PiB retention and NP performance, particularly affecting memory, working memory, semantic processing, language, and visuospatial perception.
- Demonstrated that CR significantly modified this association; higher CR levels attenuated the negative impact of amyloid on cognition.
- Replicated these findings in a subsample of normal controls using a challenging memory test.
Conclusions:
- Amyloid deposition is associated with reduced cognitive performance in both AD patients and cognitively normal elderly individuals.
- Cognitive reserve appears to play a protective role, mitigating the cognitive consequences of amyloid accumulation.
- These findings suggest CR may be a key factor in maintaining cognitive function despite underlying amyloid pathology.
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