Cognitive reserve and Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

The “reserve” is considered the brain’s ability to tolerate a certain amount of damage without the onset of symptoms. The study of its nature and determining factors is of great scientific and social interest, as increasing this capacity may delay the clinical expression of the neurodegenerative process. The aims of this work are to review the literature on Alzheimer’s disease, brain reserve and cognitive reserve, to review the literature on the association between cognitive reserve and Alzheimer’s disease, and to reflect on the use of an instrument for assessing cognitive reserve. The reviewed studies indicate that factors such as innate abilities, socioeconomic status, educational level, type of work throughout life and leisure activities have a significant impact on cognitive reserve, highlighting the importance of its quantification through specific instruments.