CIGEV, area gerontology: Research on Lifespan, Multidirectionality and Plasticity – Director: Matthias Kliegel

Life Course Pathways of Cognitive Reserve

Goal

In this project we investigate vulnerable ageing in cognitive functioning as a result of insufficient cognitive reserve accumulated over the life course. Thereby, we target the following three facets of research questions:

1. Life course accumulation of cognitive reserve and development of vulnerability

  • Through which detailed processes is cognitive reserve built up and maintained over the life course from childhood to old age?
  • How do context factors shape the accumulation of cognitive reserve over the life course?
  • How do these individual life course trajectories in the accumulation of cognitive reserve explain inter-individual differences in vulnerable cognitive ageing?

2. Compensation of vulnerable cognitive ageing

  • How is cognitive reserve activated in later life?
  • Through which detailed mechanisms does cognitive reserve help to compensate vulnerable cognitive ageing?
  • Are these cognitive reserve effects only associated with an individual’s cognitive status at a given point in time or also with the rate of cognitive decline?
  • Does this have aftereffects on related aspects of human functioning such as well-being?

3. Cognitive ageing in particularly vulnerable populations

  • Are cognitive reserve effects universal for everybody or specific for certain individuals?
  • Which role does cognitive reserve play for particularly vulnerable populations such as very old adults, women, frail individuals, socially disadvantaged individuals, or migrants?

Selected publications in peer-reviewed journals for the three facets

(1)

  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Baeriswyl, M., & Kliegel, M. (In Press). The relation of close friends to cognitive performance in old age: the mediating role of leisure activities. International Psychogeriatrics. doi:10.1017/S1041610218000789
  • Sauter, J., Widmer, E., Ihle, A., & Kliegel, M., (In Press). The association of leisure activities in middle adulthood with cognitive performance in old age: Social capital mediates cognitive reserve effects. Psychology & Neuroscience.
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Fagot, D., Chicherio, C., van der Linden, B. W. A., Sauter, J., & Kliegel, M. (2018). Associations of educational attainment and cognitive level of job with old age verbal ability and processing speed: The mediating role of chronic diseases. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 25(4), 356-362. doi:10.1080/23279095.2017.1306525
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Fagot, D., & Kliegel, M. (2016). The relation of the number of languages spoken to performance in different cognitive abilities in old age. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 38(10), 1103-1114. doi:10.1080/13803395.2016.1197184
  • Ihle, A., Grotz, C., Adam, S., Oris, M., Fagot, D., Gabriel, R., & Kliegel, M. (2016). The association of timing of retirement with cognitive performance in old age: the role of leisure activities after retirement. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(10), 1659-1669. doi:10.1017/S1041610216000958
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Fagot, D., Maggiori, C., & Kliegel, M. (2016). The association of educational attainment, cognitive level of job, and leisure activities during the course of adulthood with cognitive performance in old age: the role of openness to experience. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(5), 733-740. doi:10.1017/S1041610215001933

(2)

  • Ihle, A., Ghisletta, P., Ballhausen, N., Fagot, D., Vallet, F., Baeriswyl, M., Sauter, J., Oris, M., Maurer, J., & Kliegel, M. (In Press). The Role of Cognitive Reserve Accumulated in Midlife for the Relation between Chronic Diseases and Cognitive Decline in Old Age: A Longitudinal Follow-Up across Six Years. Neuropsychologia. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.10.013
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Sauter, J., Spini, D., Rimmele, U., Maurer, J., & Kliegel, M. (In Press). The Relation of Low Cognitive Abilities to Low Well-Being in Old Age is Attenuated in Individuals with Greater Cognitive Reserve and Greater Social Capital Accumulated over the Life Course. Aging & Mental Health.
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Sauter, J., Rimmele, U., & Kliegel, M. (2018). Cognitive Reserve and Social Capital Accrued in Early and Midlife Moderate the Relation of Psychological Stress to Cognitive Performance in Old Age. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 45(3-4), 190-197. doi:10.1159/000488052
  • Ihle, A., Gouveia, É. R., Gouveia, B. R., Freitas, D. L., Jurema, J., Machado, F. T., & Kliegel, M. (2018). The Relation of Hypertension to Performance in Immediate and Delayed Cued Recall and Working Memory in Old Age: The Role of Cognitive Reserve. Journal of Aging and Health, 30(8), 1171-1187. doi:10.1177/0898264317708883
  • Ihle, A., Gouveia, É. R., Gouveia, B. R., Freitas, D. L., Jurema, J., Tinôco, M. A., & Kliegel, M. (2017). High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level Relates to Working Memory, Immediate and Delayed Cued Recall in Brazilian Older Adults: The Role of Cognitive Reserve. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 44(1-2), 84-91. doi:10.1159/000477846
  • Ihle, A., Mons, U., Perna, L., Oris, M., Fagot, D., Gabriel, R., & Kliegel, M. (2016). The Relation of Obesity to Performance in Verbal Abilities, Processing Speed, and Cognitive Flexibility in Old Age: The Role of Cognitive Reserve. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 42(1-2), 117-126. doi:10.1159/000448916

(3)

  • Ihle, A., Fagot, D., Vallet, F., Ballhausen, N., Mella, N., Baeriswyl, M., Sauter, J., Oris, M., Maurer, J., & Kliegel, M. (In Press). Cross-Lagged Relation of Leisure Activity Participation to Trail Making Test Performance Six Years Later: Differential Patterns in Old Age and Very Old Age. Neuropsychology. doi:10.1037/neu0000497
  • Ihle, A., Gouveia, É. R., Gouveia, B. R., Freitas, D. L., Jurema, J., Ornelas, R. T., Antunes, A. M., Muniz, B. R., & Kliegel, M. (2018). The relation of education and cognitive activity to mini-mental state in old age: the role of functional fitness status. European Journal of Ageing, 15(2), 123-131. doi:10.1007/s10433-017-0441-4
  • Ihle, A., Gouveia, É. R., Gouveia, B. R., Freitas, D. L., Jurema, J., Odim, A. P., & Kliegel, M. (2017). The relation of education, occupation, and cognitive activity to cognitive status in old age: the role of physical frailty. International Psychogeriatrics, 29(9), 1469-1474. doi:10.1017/S1041610217000795
  • Ihle, A., Oris, M., Fagot, D., Baeriswyl, M., Guichard, E., & Kliegel, M. (2015). The Association of Leisure Activities in Middle Adulthood with Cognitive Performance in Old Age: The Moderating Role of Educational Level. Gerontology, 61(6), 543-550. doi:10.1159/000381311

Methodology

In this project we use data from several large-scale interdisciplinary datasets such as VLV and SEVAAI.