Leader: Raffaella Rumiati (Sissa); Other collaborator(s):
The construct of cognitive reserve (CR) can account for the divergence between normal and pathological ageing. It hypothesized a partial protection from the deleterious effects of ageing during lifetime. It is operationalized by linking cognitive performance to the influence of variables such as education, premorbid IQ, occupational attainment and quality of living, as predictors, and cognitive performance as the dependent variable. The following research actions are proposed: 1) to explain individual differences not only in ageing but also in other neurological patients whose life expectance is increasing due to improved medicine and better life conditions (e.g. stroke, TBI, brain tumor, MS and PD), 2) to establish whether CR predictive power varies across these different populations and with task difficulty, and 3) to identify the neural mechanisms allowing CR.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Potential Practical Implications:
Potential Policy Implications:
Potential Industrial Implications:
- Data collection for the behavioural study, involving 85 participants (40 young adults and 45 older adults), has been completed. The participants attended two experimental sessions each lasting 1.5 hours, spaced one week apart. During the first session, they completed a series of computer-based questionnaires assessing cognitive reserve, general cognitive functioning, personality, emotionality, and lifestyle (e.g., physical activity, diet). In the second session, participants performed three computer-based tasks designed to evaluate cognitive processes such as language, working memory, and mental rotation ability through the respective tasks of fluency, n-back, and mental rotation. These data will likely form the basis of two scientific contributions, which will be drafted and submitted in the coming months.
- First pilot of the fMRI experiment was conducted at the “Cattinara Hospital”, in Trieste. Participants completed the same first session as the behavioural study, which included a 1.5-hour battery of computer-based questionnaires assessing cognitive reserve, general cognitive functioning, personality, emotionality, and lifestyle (e.g., sports, diet). During the second session, participants underwent a MR scan while they performed the simplified version of the cognitive tasks assessing language, working memory, and mental rotation abilities through the fluency, n-back, and mental rotation, respectively. The duration of this session was 1h.
- Study in progress: ‘Integrating Numerical and Cognitive Abilities as Proxies for Cognitive Reserve in the Elderly’. This project investigates the protective effects of mathematics on cognitive reserve by comparing experts (mathematics professors) to non-experts. To date, data has been collected from 20 participants out of a planned total of 70. The study explores how mathematical proficiency influences cognitive function in older adults and examines whether engaging proactively in mathematical tasks can contribute to building cognitive reserve. By understanding these connections, the research aims to inform strategies to enhance cognitive function and support successful aging.
- Review paper in progress: 'Effects on cognitive and brain processes in the treatment of patients with Type 2 Diabetes: traditional vs. modern pharmacological approaches.' This review aims to investigate the effects of traditional and innovative approaches to the treatments of type 2 diabetes. Specifically, it explores the impact of the drug 'Ozempic' and of physical activity on cognitive processes and brain health. The review examines the benefits of these interventions, both individually and in synergy.
- An intern successfully completed her training from October to December 2024. Recruitment for a new intern has been finalized, and she is scheduled to start on January 15, 2025.
- Operationalization of the new project investigating the role of cognitive reserve in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
- Publication of the preprint: Lunardon, M., Cerni, T., Zanon, M., & Rumiati, R. I. (2024). Physiological correlates of numeracy in higher education. PsyArXiv https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/adnw9
- ‘Intelligenza e Riserva Cognitiva’ talk at the conference called ‘Dal Paleolitico all’intelligenza artificiale: leggere il futuro attraverso il passato’, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", December 6th, 2024.
- Mauti, M., Monachesi, B., Taccari, G., & Rumiati, R. I. (2024). Facing healthy and pathological aging: A systematic review of fMRI task-based studies to understand the neural mechanisms of cognitive reserve. Brain and Cognition, 182, 106238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106238
- Lunardon, M., Cerni, T., Zanon, M., & Rumiati, R. I. (2024). Physiological correlates of numeracy in higher education. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, PsyArXiv https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/adnw9 (under review).