Cognitive Reserve in Ageing and Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Journal Lancet Neurol

Specialty Neurology

Date 2012 Oct 20

PMID 23079557

Citations 1302

Authors

Yaakov Stern

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The concept of cognitive reserve provides an explanation for differences between individuals in susceptibility to age-related brain changes or pathology related to Alzheimer's disease, whereby some people can tolerate more of these changes than others and maintain function. Epidemiological studies suggest that lifelong experiences, including educational and occupational attainment, and leisure activities in later life, can increase this reserve. For example, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is reduced in individuals with higher educational or occupational attainment. Reserve can conveniently be divided into two types: brain reserve, which refers to differences in the brain structure that may increase tolerance to pathology, and cognitive reserve, which refers to differences between individuals in how tasks are performed that might enable some people to be more resilient to brain changes than others. Greater understanding of the concept of cognitive reserve could lead to interventions to slow cognitive ageing or reduce the risk of dementia.

Citing Articles

Navigating the maze of active ageing measurement: untangling methodological and theoretical issues in the UJACAS questionnaire.

Bosco A, Lopez A Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025; 37(1):83.

PMID: 40074980 PMC: 11903560. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-025-02953-5.

Intraindividual variability differentiated older adults with physical frailty and the role of education in the maintenance of cognitive intraindividual variability.

Wu J, Chen J, Wu J, Hsu C PLoS One. 2025; 20(3):e0304545.

PMID: 40067791 PMC: 11896036. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304545.

Cortical excitability and the aging brain: toward a biomarker of cognitive resilience.

Palermo S, Di Fazio C, Scaliti E, Stanziano M, Nigri A, Tamietto M Front Psychol. 2025; 16:1542880.

PMID: 40040658 PMC: 11878273. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1542880.

Cognitive markers of resilience to dementia in mild Neurocognitive Impairment: a meta- analysis.

Raimo S, Gaita M, Cropano M, Ammendola L, Malangone D, Torchia V Neurol Sci. 2025; .

PMID: 40032754 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-025-08080-3.

Technology Assistance in Dementia (Tech-AiD): A Framework for Care in the Digital Age.

Kaser A, Mikula C, Kiselica A J Health Serv Psychol. 2025; 50(1):37-46.

PMID: 40018263 PMC: 11867628. DOI: 10.1007/s42843-024-00101-7.

References

Dufouil C, Alperovitch A, Ducros V, Tzourio C . Homocysteine, white matter hyperintensities, and cognition in healthy elderly people. Ann Neurol. 2003; 53(2):214-21. DOI: 10.1002/ana.10440. View

Steffener J, Brickman A, Rakitin B, Gazes Y, Stern Y . The impact of age-related changes on working memory functional activity. Brain Imaging Behav. 2009; 3(2):142-153. PMC: 2697064. DOI: 10.1007/s11682-008-9056-x. View

Berkman L . The association between educational attainment and mental status examinations: of etiologic significance for senile dementias or not?. J Chronic Dis. 1986; 39(3):171-5. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9681(86)90020-2. View

Sumowski J, Chiaravalloti N, DeLuca J . Cognitive reserve protects against cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2009; 31(8):913-26. DOI: 10.1080/13803390902740643. View

Farinpour R, Miller E, Satz P, Selnes O, Cohen B, Becker J . Psychosocial risk factors of HIV morbidity and mortality: findings from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2003; 25(5):654-70. DOI: 10.1076/jcen.25.5.654.14577. View

Basak C, Boot W, Voss M, Kramer A . Can training in a real-time strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults?. Psychol Aging. 2009; 23(4):765-77. PMC: 4041116. DOI: 10.1037/a0013494. View

Scarmeas N, Levy G, Tang M, Manly J, Stern Y . Influence of leisure activity on the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. 2002; 57(12):2236-42. PMC: 3025284. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.57.12.2236. View

Garibotto V, Borroni B, Kalbe E, Herholz K, Salmon E, Holtoff V . Education and occupation as proxies for reserve in aMCI converters and AD: FDG-PET evidence. Neurology. 2008; 71(17):1342-9. DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000327670.62378.c0. View

Angevaren M, Aufdemkampe G, Verhaar H, Aleman A, Vanhees L . Physical activity and enhanced fitness to improve cognitive function in older people without known cognitive impairment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008; (2):CD005381. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005381.pub2. View

10.

Zarahn E, Rakitin B, Abela D, Flynn J, Stern Y . Age-related changes in brain activation during a delayed item recognition task. Neurobiol Aging. 2006; 28(5):784-98. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.03.002. View

11.

Hall C, Derby C, LeValley A, Katz M, Verghese J, Lipton R . Education delays accelerated decline on a memory test in persons who develop dementia. Neurology. 2007; 69(17):1657-64. DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000278163.82636.30. View

12.

Stern Y, Alexander G, Prohovnik I, Mayeux R . Inverse relationship between education and parietotemporal perfusion deficit in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol. 1992; 32(3):371-5. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410320311. View

13.

Stern Y, Gurland B, Tatemichi T, Tang M, Wilder D, Mayeux R . Influence of education and occupation on the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. JAMA. 1994; 271(13):1004-10. View

14.

Kittner S, White L, Farmer M, Wolz M, Kaplan E, Moes E . Methodological issues in screening for dementia: the problem of education adjustment. J Chronic Dis. 1986; 39(3):163-70. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9681(86)90019-6. View

15.

Stern Y, Tang M, Denaro J, Mayeux R . Increased risk of mortality in Alzheimer's disease patients with more advanced educational and occupational attainment. Ann Neurol. 1995; 37(5):590-5. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410370508. View

16.

Valenzuela M, Sachdev P, Wen W, Chen X, Brodaty H . Lifespan mental activity predicts diminished rate of hippocampal atrophy. PLoS One. 2008; 3(7):e2598. PMC: 2440814. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002598. View

17.

van Praag H, Kempermann G, Gage F . Running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult mouse dentate gyrus. Nat Neurosci. 1999; 2(3):266-70. DOI: 10.1038/6368. View

18.

Stern Y, Albert S, Tang M, Tsai W . Rate of memory decline in AD is related to education and occupation: cognitive reserve?. Neurology. 1999; 53(9):1942-7. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.53.9.1942. View

19.

Kesler S, Adams H, Blasey C, Bigler E . Premorbid intellectual functioning, education, and brain size in traumatic brain injury: an investigation of the cognitive reserve hypothesis. Appl Neuropsychol. 2003; 10(3):153-62. DOI: 10.1207/S15324826AN1003_04. View

20.

Barnett J, Salmond C, Jones P, Sahakian B . Cognitive reserve in neuropsychiatry. Psychol Med. 2006; 36(8):1053-64. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291706007501. View