The brain's resilience to damage or decline, built through education, mental stimulation, and social engagement.
FULL EXPLANATION
Cognitive reserve refers to the brain's ability to improvise and find alternate ways of completing tasks despite damage or age-related changes. People with higher cognitive reserve can maintain function longer before showing clinical symptoms of decline.
Cognitive reserve is built throughout life through education, mentally stimulating activities, social engagement, and new learning. It acts as a buffer against dementia, stroke, and other brain injuries.
WHY IT MATTERS
Higher cognitive reserve is associated with delayed onset of dementia symptoms and better recovery from brain injuries. It's a modifiable factor for brain health.
HOW TO IMPROVE
Build cognitive reserve through continuous learning, intellectually challenging activities, social engagement, learning new skills, and maintaining physical fitness.
NORMAL RANGES
Cognitive reserve is estimated through years of education, occupational complexity, and leisure activities. No standard clinical measurement exists.
RELATED TERMS
Deep Sleep
The most restorative sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves, essential for physical recovery, immune function, and growth hormone release.
Neuroplasticity
The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
BDNF
A protein that supports brain cell growth, survival, and plasticity, crucial for learning, memory, and mental health.
More in Mental Performance
View all →Focus
Well-EstablishedThe cognitive ability to concentrate attention on a task while ignoring distractions.
Neuroplasticity
Well-EstablishedThe brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
Working Memory
Well-EstablishedThe cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information for complex tasks like reasoning and learning.