Cognitive reserve (CR) and resilience and related concepts have been studied since the 1970s, but there has been an exponential increase of research in this area in the last ten years. Research suggests that specific life exposures, in combination with genetic factors occurring through the lifespan might contribute to some people being more resilient than others in advanced age, with lower rates of cognitive decline and reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. There are likely several complex and highly interactive mechanisms and neuroimaging literature has identified potential ‘resilience brain networks’ that appear to subtend interindividual differences in terms of cognitive or clinical advantages. Beyond the fact that further conceptual and descriptive research is needed, the novel and more precise characterization of factors associated with resilience and reserve might have an important role in the development of interventions to keep people functionally in society longer. Besides dementias, there are other clinical conditions that have been targeted for cognitive reserve studies, such as bipolar disorder and depression, which also may impact aging outcomes.
Since the 1970s researchers have employed many terms including resilience, cognitive reserve, brain reserve, brain maintenance, among others. As well as different designs have been applied, such as epidemiologic, clinical, intervention, imaging and basic animal research. However, there is still a need for more evidence regarding genetics and life span exposures that could increase cognitive reserve and contribute to some people being more resilient than others.
In the last decades the study of CR has critically contributed to our understanding of the individual differences explaining cognitive advantages in older age. However, the field still needs to progress in some fundamental aspects that will represent key questions for this research topic, including, 1) provide further definition of concepts and terminologies, 2) specify evidence regarding environmental factors leading to more positive or negative cognitive reserve as education, reading habits, socioeconomic background, daily life stimulation, among other, 3) gather new evidence of lifespan approaches in interplay with the genetic background within the CR research, 4) a more refined characterization of how brain resilience networks operate in the face of normal ageing and pathology, 5) provide evidence-based interventions to promote CR and identify individual characteristics and factors that predict positive outcomes, and 6) how animal and human research can be integrated to advance this research field.
This Research Topic will accept manuscript regarding cognitive reserve, brain reserve and/or brain maintenance in human and/or animal research.
Researches can encompass, but are not limited to, the following:
1) Genetic factors.
2) Lifestyle exposures or stimulation, such as early-life general cognitive ability (e.g., intelligence), education, occupation, physical exercise, leisure activities, daily cognitive stimulation, reading and writing habits, social engagement or psychoaffective measures.
3) Neuroimaging approaches to characterize CR/brain resilience mechanisms, including structural (volume; white matter tract integrity), functional (resting-state or activation fMRI studies, metabolism) as well as biomarker-based (i.e., amyloid, tau, synaptic, inflammatory) imaging.
4) Molecular or cellular systems, among others.
5) Intervention studies to enhance reserve/resilience, with preventive or remediative aims.
Types of manuscripts of interest include Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Conceptual Analysis, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Original Research, and Systematic Review.
Cognitive reserve (CR) and resilience and related concepts have been studied since the 1970s, but there has been an exponential increase of research in this area in the last ten years. Research suggests that specific life exposures, in combination with genetic factors occurring through the lifespan might contribute to some people being more resilient than others in advanced age, with lower rates of cognitive decline and reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. There are likely several complex and highly interactive mechanisms and neuroimaging literature has identified potential ‘resilience brain networks’ that appear to subtend interindividual differences in terms of cognitive or clinical advantages. Beyond the fact that further conceptual and descriptive research is needed, the novel and more precise characterization of factors associated with resilience and reserve might have an important role in the development of interventions to keep people functionally in society longer. Besides dementias, there are other clinical conditions that have been targeted for cognitive reserve studies, such as bipolar disorder and depression, which also may impact aging outcomes.
Since the 1970s researchers have employed many terms including resilience, cognitive reserve, brain reserve, brain maintenance, among others. As well as different designs have been applied, such as epidemiologic, clinical, intervention, imaging and basic animal research. However, there is still a need for more evidence regarding genetics and life span exposures that could increase cognitive reserve and contribute to some people being more resilient than others.
In the last decades the study of CR has critically contributed to our understanding of the individual differences explaining cognitive advantages in older age. However, the field still needs to progress in some fundamental aspects that will represent key questions for this research topic, including, 1) provide further definition of concepts and terminologies, 2) specify evidence regarding environmental factors leading to more positive or negative cognitive reserve as education, reading habits, socioeconomic background, daily life stimulation, among other, 3) gather new evidence of lifespan approaches in interplay with the genetic background within the CR research, 4) a more refined characterization of how brain resilience networks operate in the face of normal ageing and pathology, 5) provide evidence-based interventions to promote CR and identify individual characteristics and factors that predict positive outcomes, and 6) how animal and human research can be integrated to advance this research field.
This Research Topic will accept manuscript regarding cognitive reserve, brain reserve and/or brain maintenance in human and/or animal research.
Researches can encompass, but are not limited to, the following:
1) Genetic factors.
2) Lifestyle exposures or stimulation, such as early-life general cognitive ability (e.g., intelligence), education, occupation, physical exercise, leisure activities, daily cognitive stimulation, reading and writing habits, social engagement or psychoaffective measures.
3) Neuroimaging approaches to characterize CR/brain resilience mechanisms, including structural (volume; white matter tract integrity), functional (resting-state or activation fMRI studies, metabolism) as well as biomarker-based (i.e., amyloid, tau, synaptic, inflammatory) imaging.
4) Molecular or cellular systems, among others.
5) Intervention studies to enhance reserve/resilience, with preventive or remediative aims.
Types of manuscripts of interest include Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Conceptual Analysis, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Original Research, and Systematic Review.
