Experiential factors mediate the link between brain status and theory of mind in building-up cognitive reserve

Social cognition processes are essential for social interaction. Theory of Mind (ToM) is a complex component of social cognition involved in understanding one's own and others' thoughts and feelings, relying on well-established brain networks (ToM hardware). Interindividual differences emerge in how people recruit brain resources for mentalizing operations (ToM software), revealing a gap between brain status and cognitive performance. The present research aimed to test the role of cognitive reserve (CR) in explaining this gap. Fifty-seven adults underwent an MRI to evaluate neural integrity, and a neuropsychological assessment including ToM measures, and a retrospective interview on lifetime experiential factors. The tri-component model of CR was considered: neural integrity (both coarse-grained intracranial volume, and fine-grained ToM network volume indexes), experiential factors, and ToM performance. Multiple regression and mediation models confirmed the CR hypothesis, highlighting the predictive role of both ToM neural integrity and experiential factors (Work and Leisure time) on ToM performance, and the mediating role of the experiential factors on the link between ToM neural integrity and performance. The study suggested the role of CR in social cognition. Future studies may explore the implications of this relationship in clinical and rehabilitation settings.