Investigating the Link between Cognitive Reserve and Early Signs of Cognitive Decline

As the world's population ages, the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia increases. The objective of the current study was to examine cognitive reserve (CR) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), those with risk factors (RF), and healthy controls. Sixty participants (20 each group) performed evaluations such as the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) found significant differences in CR scores between groups (F (2, 57) = 12.366, p <.001). Post-hoc analysing demonstrated that those with MCI had considerably lower CR ratings compared to HC (mean difference = -53.15, p <.001), while RF did not differ significantly from HC (mean difference = 20.75, p =.141). These results indicate that higher CR may mitigate cognitive decline in aging adults and underscore the importance of preventive interventions targeting CR. Further research is needed to explore longitudinal effects and mechanisms underlying CR in cognitive aging and dementia prevention.