title: Cognitive reserve and clinical expression of Alzheimer's disease: evidence and implications for brain PET imaging.
abstract: Cognitive reserve (CR) refers to the hypothesized capacity of an adult brain to cope with brain damage in order to minimize symptomatology. The present review is focused on the contribution of brain PET in the understanding of the influence of CR on the disassociation between cognition and degree of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Theories for the explanation CR-related mechanism as well as PET imaging evidence for the existence of CR are described. Moreover functional imaging studies investigating specific networks for CR both in healthy subjects and AD patients are discussed. Finally implications for amyloid PET imaging are presented.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University; IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST, University of Genoa, Largo R. Benzi, 10 16132 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morbelli
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Child-Mother Health (DINOGMI), University; IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST, University of Genoa, Largo R. Benzi, 10 16132 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nobili
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Brain FDG PET; amyloid PET; cognitive reserve; mild cognitive impairment