title: Cognitive reserve and lifestyle in Spanish individuals with sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some authors suggest that besides the fundamental components, cognitive reserve (CR) also reflects the influence of a combination of factors that improve mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  After obtaining the sociodemographic profile of each participant and evaluating their neurologic and neuropsychologic abilities, first, homogeneity analysis was used as a technique to select variables and reduce the number of categories with similar behavior; then CR construct was identified through a latent class analysis model. It was then possible to categorize participants according to their level in this construct and compare the neuropsychological performance of the subgroups that emerged, using a t test of differences of means for independent samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants with Alzheimer's disease with low CR scores exhibited significantly greater deficits in measures of memory, attention, and language than patients with high CR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results ratify the effect of higher education, higher professional performance, and ludic activities on CR.
authors: Department of Basic Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain. jlsanch@usal.es
authors: Juan Luis
authors: JL
authors: Sánchez Rodríguez
authors: Clara
authors: C
authors: Torrellas
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Martín
authors: María
authors: M
authors: José Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D058245:Cognitive Reserve; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011932:Reading; D013030:Spain