Cognition and Neuropathology in Aging: Multidimensional Perspectives from the Rush Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project

Title: Cognition and Neuropathology in Aging: Multidimensional Perspectives from the Rush Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project

Volume: 8 Issue: 4

Author(s): S. Negash, D. A. Bennett, R. S. Wilson, J. A. Schneider and S. E. Arnold

Affiliation:

Keywords: Resilience, cognitive reserve, dementia, cognitive decline, Aging, neuropathological lesions, hippocampus, fronto-temporal dementia, memory

Abstract: It is increasingly recognized that the correlation between neuropathological lesions and cognition is modest and accounts for about a quarter of the variance of cognition among older adults. Some individuals maintain normal cognitive functioning amidst significant brain pathology, while others suffer varying degrees of cognitive and neurological deterioration that render them dependent and frail. We present data from the Religious Orders Study and the Memory and Aging Project pertaining to pathology and cognition, and propose a paradigm shift in consideration of the neurobiology of healthy aging and dementia. Factors that modify or mediate the association between neuropathology and cognition are also discussed. It is hypothesized that the concept of resilient aging can serve as a useful entity in understanding mechanisms that underlie healthy aging amidst disease-related pathology.

Cite this article as:

Negash S., A. Bennett D., S. Wilson R., A. Schneider J. and E. Arnold S., Cognition and Neuropathology in Aging: Multidimensional Perspectives from the Rush Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project, Current Alzheimer Research 2011; 8 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720511795745302