Porricelli, Daniele; Tecilla, Margherita; Pucci, Veronica; Di Rosa, Elisa; Mondini, Sara and Cappelletti, Marinella. 2024. Cognitive reserve modulates mental health in adulthood. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 36(1), 139. ISSN 1720-8319 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Cognitive Reserve (CR) reflects acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities throughout life, and it is known for modulating cognitive efficiency in healthy and clinical populations. CR, which was initially proposed to explain individual differences in the clinical presentation of dementia, has subsequently been extended to healthy ageing, showing its role in cognitive efficiency also during middle age. Recently, CR has been linked to affective processes in psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, major depressive and anxiety symptoms, and psychological distress, suggesting its potential role in emotional expression and regulation. Whether the role of CR in mental health extends to non-pathological adults, and whether this is only relevant in older age is not yet clear. The aim of this work was therefore to explore the relationship between CR and mental health in healthy adults, with a focus on middle adulthood (40–60). In a sample of 96 participants, we found a positive association between CR and mental health outcomes, such that a higher cognitive reserve index corresponded to fewer mental health reported symptoms. Specifically, a higher CR reflecting professional activities was associated with lower stress levels, especially in middle agers. Taken together, these data therefore suggest that engaging occupations may help maintain a robust mental health, especially by reducing stress symptoms during middle age. These results broaden previous findings suggesting that CR relates to affective components of mental health in middle aged and older adults.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-024-02776-w
Additional Information:	Funding: GRIP,1008_psych MC,1008_psych MC,Fundação Bial,grant nº 293/18. For this work Sara Mondini was funded by PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) Missione 4: Istruzione e ricerca, Componente C2: “Dalla ricerca all’impresa”, financed by European Union – NextGenerationEU projects: “AGE - IT - A Novel Public-Private Alliance to Generate Socioeconomic, Biomedical and Technological Solutions for an Inclusive Italian Ageing Society”, CUP C93C22005240007 and “Brain plasticity in ageing and pathology” call PRIN 2022 PNRR, project 2022H2J3N3 CUP C53D23004150006.
Data Access Statement:	Data and statistical analyses are available upon request.
Keywords:	Cognitive reserve, Mental health, Middle age, Ageing
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 13 May 2024 Accepted 2 July 2024 Published
Item ID:	37365
Date Deposited:	19 Jul 2024 10:40
Last Modified:	19 Jul 2024 10:49
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/37365

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