title: The role of pre-morbid intelligence and cognitive reserve in predicting cognitive efficiency in a sample of Italian elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Models of cognitive reserve in aging suggest that individual's life experience (education, working activity, and leisure) can exert a neuroprotective effect against cognitive decline and may represent an important contribution to successful aging.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the present study is to investigate the role of cognitive reserve, pre-morbid intelligence, age, and education level, in predicting cognitive efficiency in a sample of healthy aged individuals and with probable mild cognitive impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eight aging participants recruited from the provincial region of Bari (Apulia, Italy) took part in the study. A battery of standardized tests was administered to them to measure cognitive reserve, pre-morbid intelligence, and cognitive efficiency. Protocols for 10 participants were excluded since they did not meet inclusion criteria, and statistical analyses were conducted on data from the remaining 198 participants. A path analysis was used to test the following model: age, education level, and intelligence directly influence cognitive reserve and cognitive efficiency; cognitive reserve mediates the influence of age, education level, and intelligence on cognitive efficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cognitive reserve fully mediates the relationship between pre-morbid intelligence and education level and cognitive efficiency, while age maintains a direct effect on cognitive efficiency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cognitive reserve appears to exert a protective effect regarding cognitive decline in normal and pathological populations, thus masking, at least in the early phases of neurodegeneration, the decline of memory, orientation, attention, language, and reasoning skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The assessment of cognitive reserve may represent a useful evaluation supplement in neuropsychological screening protocols of cognitive decline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy. alessandro.caffo@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Alessandro O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Caffò
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spano
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saracino
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Studies of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stasolla
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciriello
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Studies of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ignazio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grattagliano
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Studies of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lancioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058245:Cognitive Reserve / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D007558:Italy; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009017:Morbidity
keywords: Aging; Cognitive reserve; Elderly; Mini-mental state examination; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Pre-morbid intelligence