title: Cerebral correlates of cognitive reserve.
abstract: Cognitive reserve is a hypothetical concept introduced to explain discrepancies between severity of clinical dementia syndromes and the extent of dementia pathology. We examined cognitive reserve in a research programme that followed up a non-clinical sample born in 1921 or 1936 and IQ-tested age 11 years in 1932 or 1947. Structural MRI exams were acquired in about 50% of the sample from whom a subsample were recruited into an additional fMRI study. Here, we summarise findings from seven inter-related studies. These support an understanding of cognitive reserve as a balance between positive life course activity-driven experiences and the negative effects of brain pathologies including cerebrovascular disease and total and regional brain volume loss. Hypothesised structural equation models illustrate the relative causal effects of these positive and negative contributions. Cognitive reserve is considered in the context of choice of interventions to prevent dementia and the opposing effects of cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer like brain appearances.
authors.affiliation: Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK. Electronic address: l.j.whalley@abdn.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lawrence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Whalley
authors.affiliation: Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; NHS Grampian, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: Roger T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Staff
authors.affiliation: Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
authors.forename: Helen C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.affiliation: Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
authors.forename: Alison D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D058245:Cognitive Reserve; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D066127:White Matter
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Childhood IQ; Cognitive aging; Cognitive reserve; Cortical complexity; Functional MRI; Structural equation model; White matter hyperintensities