When age becomes a plus: Seniors and Cognitive Reserve

Abstract

Cognitive Reserve alludes to gain, resistance, plasticity and is the functional correlative of neuroplasticity and a potential protection factor, which could explain why some patients may show the same pathology but quite different clinical manifestations. Among the activities considered as promoters are studies, work, physical and social activities. Although there are surveys or tables that seek to measure these factors and reflect this reserve in an index, this can be a quite reductionist strategy. Given the increasing ageing of the population, added to the active elders paradigm, programs addressed to seniors are carried out; it is important to consider that gains are accumulative and dynamism must be promoted from earlier ages. The sample for this work consisted of 30 seniors (60–87years) from the Region of Valparaíso, Chile. The CRIq was applied to the participants to measure the CR index and no differences were found between men and women. The purpose of this work is to describe the activities that promote reserve, carried out from 18 years onwards by 30 autonomous and cognitively competent seniors. It is held that it is not the type of activity that matters, but rather the frequency and the length of the execution period that turns into advantages for the persons. The data submitted reveal that seniors never failed to frequently execute some of the activities. That is, they had the habit of being active along their whole lives. This mechanism could be considered as a kind of dynamo where the greater input of promoting activities would make possible better conditions of the nervous system, but it does not have an easy storage as it is in continuous use. For this reason, gains depend on the active habit of execution, its early start, diversity of activities and permanence during the whole life span.