The cognitive reserve as a possible protective factor to the disorders of the state of mind in old age.

Abstract

Atrophy and death of neurons occur during the ageing period, which may cause certain cognitive functions to be affected when a person gets old. The human brain has the ability to change its structure and function by answering to internal and external mechanisms, which comprise the construct called cognitive reserve. The purpose of this paper is: to delve into this construct; to analyse its differences according to age group; and to study the possible connection between this construct and the reduction of incidence of depression in older adults. Depression constitutes one the most relevant mental health problems in that stage of the life cycle. The results show that cognitive reserve is related to a fewer incidence of depression symptoms in older adults. Within this group, adults younger than 75 years old show a stronger cognitive reserve than adults older than 75.

Keywords

• envejecimiento
• reserva cognitiva
• depresión