Description
The World Health Organization predicts a significant increase in the aged population by 2050. With age being among the main risk factors for dementia, studies on methods improving the quality of life in the elderly are needed. Cognitive reserve has been found to be effective in both – delaying cognitive decline and slowing the rate of brain atrophy. The temporal and parietal regions have been found to be sensitive to ageing and dementia.. 58 older Latvian adults aged 65 – 85 years (M = 71.83, SD = 5.016, 20.7% male) were included in the study. Cognitive reserve was assessed using the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (Nucci et al., 2012), while structural MRI data were obtained using a Siemens 1.5 Tesla Avanto MRI scanner (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). Data were further processed using Freesurfer 7.2. software and DKT atlas was applied for regional mapping. Hierarchal analysis was conducted, controlling for age and estimated intracranial volume.. After controlling for age and eTIV, cognitive reserve statistically significantly predicted the volume of the left hemisphere middle temporal gyrus, explaining 6.3% of the variation (R2 = .396, ΔR2 = .063, F(1, 54) = 5.656, p = .021) and 12% of the inferior parietal lobule volume variation (R2 = .465, ΔR2 = .120, F(1, 54) = 12.107, p = .001). No other statistically significant associations were found.. The results of the study indicate that higher cognitive reserve is associated with larger volume in the left hemisphere middle temporal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobule. Further studies should include measures of functional connectivity to better understand the relationship between cortical regions and cognitive reserve.| Period | 30 Mar 2023 |
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| Event title | RSU Research Week 2023: Research Week 2023 Rīga Stradiņš University |
| Event type | Conference |
| Organiser | Riga Stradins University |
| Location | Riga, LatviaShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |