The enhancement of the brain’s capacity to withstand neuropathological damage while maintaining cognitive function, achieved through building neural networks and cognitive flexibility.
Context
Cognitive reserve operates within the brain’s structural and functional plasticity, leveraging the interconnectedness of neural networks and the efficiency of information processing to compensate for age-related changes or disease pathology.
Significance
Augmenting cognitive reserve is a key strategy for promoting lifelong brain health, delaying the onset of cognitive impairment, and improving resilience against neurological insults.
Mechanism
This augmentation is typically facilitated by engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, continuous learning, and maintaining social engagement, which promote synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, and the development of more robust neural pathways.
Application
Practical applications involve encouraging lifelong learning, pursuing mentally challenging hobbies, engaging in complex problem-solving, and maintaining an active social life as proactive measures for brain health.
Metric
While direct measurement is challenging, cognitive reserve is often inferred through performance on cognitive tests relative to the extent of underlying neuropathology (e.g., in Alzheimer’s disease), or through assessments of educational attainment and occupational complexity.
Risk
There are generally no direct risks associated with building cognitive reserve; however, the focus should remain on healthy, balanced cognitive engagement rather than excessive or stressful mental exertion.
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