What are the earlier life contributions to reserve and resilience?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2019

Keywords

JMG

JAX Source

Neurobiol Aging 2019 Nov; 83:135-139

Volume

83

First Page

135

Last Page

139

ISSN

1558-1497

PMID

31307838

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.04.014

Grant

EY021525,AG051496,AG054345

Abstract

The brain's structures and functions arise from a combination of developmental processes and interaction with environmental experiences, beginning in utero and continuing throughout the lifespan. Broadly, the process that we think of as "successful aging" likely has its foundation in early life and is continuously shaped as life experiences are programmed into the brain in response to a changing environment. Thus, individual lifestyle choices and interventions aimed at increasing cognitive reserve and resilience could change the course of cognitive aging. To determine the relative efficacy of these approaches, we will need to understand how the timing of these interventions (e.g., age, duration, frequency) influences cognitive capacity through the lifespan. Although analysis of age-related changes in cognitive function reveals a general decline at the population level, it has become clear that there is great individual variance in the extent to which cognitive function changes with advanced age. The factors responsible for the individual differences in cognitive decline are unclear, but uncovering them with new analytical tools, epigenetic approaches, and subpopulation studies will provide a roadmap toward enhancing reserve and resilience in the population at large and preserving cognitive function in a greater number of aging individuals.

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