Life-course determinants of cognitive reserve (CR) in cognitive aging and dementia – a systematic literature review

ABSTRACTObjectives: The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) is defined as a moderator, which allows an individual to preserve cognition despite underlying brain pathology. There is no consensus of what potentially modifiable CR determinants are of greatest importance. The aim of this review was to identify life-course factors which protect older individuals from expressing cognitive decline despite the presence of brain pathology.Method: A systematic review search was performed in MEDLINE (1946–06/09/13), EMBASE (1947–06/09/13), and PsycheInfo (1967–06/09/13). We included studies examining CR in the context of the four commonest subtypes of dementia, mild cognitive impairment or healthy aging. Studies which combined measurement of underlying dementia-related neuropathology, cognitive function, and factors providing CR in a single model were accepted. We performed a qualitative synthesis of the results.Results: Thirty-four studies out of 9229 screened records met our inclusion criteria and were therefore qua...