Measuring cognitive reserve based on the decomposition of episodic memory variance.

ABSTRACT: In later adulthood brain pathology becomes common and trajectories of cognitive change are heterogeneous. Among the multiple determinants of late-life cognitive course, cognitive reserve has been proposed as an important factor that modifies or buffers the impact of brain pathology on cognitive function. This article presents and investigates a novel method for measuring and investigating such factors. The core concept is that in a population where pathology is common and variably present, 'reserve' may be defined as the difference between the cognitive performance predicted by an individual's level of pathology and that individual's actual performance. By this definition, people whose measured cognitive performance is better than predicted by pathology have high reserve, whereas those who

SUBMITTER: Reed BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3139935 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature