Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Aging Neuroscience

Abstract

In addition to physiological and clinical factors, intellectual stimulation (e.g., education) and psychosocial engagement (e.g., social interactions) may also play a modifying role, potentially through the development of cognitive reserve (the availability of additional neural or cognitive resources that allow increased compensation for aging-related deterioration; Mortimer, 1997; Scarmeas et al., 2001; Bennett et al., 2005). An oft-quoted example of research supporting this proposition is found in the Nun study (Snowdon et al., 1996), in which linguistic abilities early in life predicted the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease in later years. A number of studies have also found that higher levels of self-reported involvement in cognitively stimulating activities, either early or later in life, are associated with better cognitive function or a reduced risk of cognitive decline or dementia