In the well-known Nun Study, described in the book "Aging with Grace" by David Snowdon, they found that sometimes brains from sisters who appeared mentally intact when alive showed extensive evidence of Alzheimer's Disease, while other times there was little evidence of Alzheimer's Disease in a sister who had the classic symptoms. What made the difference?!
Cognitive Reserve
The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) suggests that the brain actively attempts to cope with brain damage, and those individual with high CR will likely better cope with brain damage than an individual with lower CR. Said another way, the same amount of brain damage or pathology will have different effects on different people.
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Cognitive reserve occurs when we participate in mentally stimulating activity over time. According to the Alzheimer’s Universe, "Studies found that lifelong experiences, such as education and occupational attainment as well as late life leisure activities, are factors that promote a robust cognitive reserve level. People with greater cognitive reserve levels are able to offset symptoms of degenerative brain changes associated with neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s disease."
One of the most persuasive studies on Alzheimer's Disease involves a research study about cognitive reserve. This study that was conducted by Yaakov Stern of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons of almost 600 dementia-free people, all over age 60, concluded that both an advanced degree and a high level of professional attainment were associated with increased cognitive reserve in the brain. Stern has also found that the great majority of the studies have demonstrated a significant protective effect provided by education, occupation, and mental activities. When summarizing all of the studies, his group calculated the protective effect of higher cognitive reserve and found that it decreased the risk of developing dementia by 46%!
“Building and sustaining cognitive reserve over a person’s lifetime is an important Alzheimer’s prevention goal.”
is it too late to improve my brain function?
Evidence suggests that experiences at all stages can impact cognitive reserve. It, therefore, may be possible to intervene even late in life and still slow age-related cognitive decline and prolong health.
The most successful "late life" approach has been aerobic exercise. Many controlled studies in elderly individuals have demonstrated that aerobic exercise that increases the respiratory capacity results in improved cognitive performance. No matter what stage, aerobic activity has been identified as the number one strategy to delay or avoid cognitive decline. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, agrees that if you do only one thing to improve brain health, he recommends 150 to 180 minutes of intense aerobic activity. A recent study out of the University of California - Irvine, demonstrated that even mild physical activity improved memory function for young adults. So young or old, start with intense aerobic exercise, if you can, but know that moderate activity can be beneficial too.
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The results of cognitive interventions have been more mixed. In one of the largest studies there was no convincing evidence that cognitive training once symptoms had appeared resulted in any improvement in activities of daily living. More promising, though, was immersing subjects in complex gameplay, such as role-playing games. One study had participants play "Rise of Nations" for 23.5 hours (hopefully not all at once), and demonstrated improved performance on a wide range of cognitive tasks.
“Aerobic exercise and complex gameplay have shown to slow age-related cognitive decline and prolong health.”
Wendy Dellis is a certified wellness coach. She joins years of training and work in the area of behavior change, experience as a fitness instructor and run club coordinator with a passion for adventure and people. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, Jay, and two sons.
The information contained on this page is for general information purposes only. Nothing here should be construed as medical or healthcare advice, but only topics for discussion. No physician-patient relationship exists; please consult your physician before making changes in diet or lifestyle.