Resilience: building cognitive reserve

What is cognitive reserve? Why is it important? How can you build reserve?

When a hard time hits, it helps to have something in reserve. In an economic recession, savings can get you through the tough patch, and in nature, animals that hibernate stock up on stored energy before they settle down for the winter.

Some scientists believe that our brains can also hold some reserve to ward off the impacts of damage over time.

Some people are able to maintain better brain function as they age, even if they develop the physical damage associated with dementia. This protective ‘cognitive reserve’ appears to be linked to modifiable factors such as:

• The level of education reached
• Carrying out cognitively demanding tasks
• Being socially active

In the video, Dr Sabina Brennan mentions how the Bronx Healthy Ageing study found that:

Just one everyday activity (one activity for one day per week) delayed the onset of rapid memory loss for two months.

These were activities including reading, writing, crossword puzzles, games, discussions and music. So engaging in late life cognitive activities can influence your levels of cognitive reserve, irrespective of when you finished school.

• What changes could you make to build reserve?
• Have you ever been described as resilient, or do you know anyone that you would describe as resilient?
• Have you ever come across resilience in other areas of health?