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The role of pre-morbid intelligence and cognitive reserve in predicting cognitive efficiency in a sample of Italian elderly

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Abstract

Background

Models of cognitive reserve in aging suggest that individual’s life experience (education, working activity, and leisure) can exert a neuroprotective effect against cognitive decline and may represent an important contribution to successful aging.

Aim

The objective of the present study is to investigate the role of cognitive reserve, pre-morbid intelligence, age, and education level, in predicting cognitive efficiency in a sample of healthy aged individuals and with probable mild cognitive impairment.

Methods

Two hundred and eight aging participants recruited from the provincial region of Bari (Apulia, Italy) took part in the study. A battery of standardized tests was administered to them to measure cognitive reserve, pre-morbid intelligence, and cognitive efficiency. Protocols for 10 participants were excluded since they did not meet inclusion criteria, and statistical analyses were conducted on data from the remaining 198 participants. A path analysis was used to test the following model: age, education level, and intelligence directly influence cognitive reserve and cognitive efficiency; cognitive reserve mediates the influence of age, education level, and intelligence on cognitive efficiency.

Results

Cognitive reserve fully mediates the relationship between pre-morbid intelligence and education level and cognitive efficiency, while age maintains a direct effect on cognitive efficiency.

Discussion

Cognitive reserve appears to exert a protective effect regarding cognitive decline in normal and pathological populations, thus masking, at least in the early phases of neurodegeneration, the decline of memory, orientation, attention, language, and reasoning skills.

Conclusions

The assessment of cognitive reserve may represent a useful evaluation supplement in neuropsychological screening protocols of cognitive decline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy

    Alessandro O. Caffò, Antonella Lopez, Giuseppina Spano, Giuseppe Saracino, Giuseppe Ciriello & Andrea Bosco

  2. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Studies of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Fabrizio Stasolla & Giulio E. Lancioni

  3. Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Studies of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Ignazio Grattagliano

Authors
  1. Alessandro O. Caffò
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  2. Antonella Lopez
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  3. Giuseppina Spano
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  4. Giuseppe Saracino
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  5. Fabrizio Stasolla
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  6. Giuseppe Ciriello
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  7. Ignazio Grattagliano
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  8. Giulio E. Lancioni
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  9. Andrea Bosco
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessandro O. Caffò.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Caffò, A.O., Lopez, A., Spano, G. et al. The role of pre-morbid intelligence and cognitive reserve in predicting cognitive efficiency in a sample of Italian elderly. Aging Clin Exp Res 28, 1203–1210 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0580-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0580-z

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