Cognitive reserve against Alzheimer’s pathology is linked to brain activity during memory formation
Vockert N, Machts J, Kleineidam L, Nemali A, Incesoy EI, Bernal J, Schütze H, Yakupov R, Peters O, Gref D, Schneider LS, Preis L, Priller J, Spruth EJ, Altenstein S, Schneider A, Fliessbach K, Wiltfang J, Rostamzadeh A, Glanz W, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Goerss D, Laske C, Munk MH, Spottke A, Roy N, Heneka MT, Brosseron F, Wagner M, Wolfsgruber S, Dobisch L, Dechent P, Hetzer S, Scheffler K, Zeidman P, Stern Y, Schott BH, Jessen F, Düzel E, Maass A, Ziegler G (2024)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2024
Journal
Book Volume: 15
Article Number: 9815
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53360-9
Abstract
The cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis posits that individuals can differ in how their brain function is disrupted by pathology associated with aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we test this hypothesis in the continuum from cognitively normal to at-risk stages for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) to AD dementia using longitudinal data from 490 participants of the DELCODE multicentric observational study. Brain function is measured using task fMRI of visual memory encoding. Using a multivariate moderation analysis, we identify a CR-related activity pattern underlying successful memory encoding that moderates the detrimental effect of AD pathological load on cognitive performance. CR is mainly represented by a more pronounced expression of the task-active network encompassing deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) and activation of inferior temporal regions including the fusiform gyrus. We devise personalized fMRI-based CR scores that moderate the impact of AD pathology on cognitive performance and are positively associated with years of education. Furthermore, higher CR scores attenuate the effect of AD pathology on cognitive decline over time. Our findings primarily provide evidence for the maintenance of core cognitive circuits including the DMN as the neural basis of CR. Individual brain activity levels of these areas during memory encoding have prognostic value for future cognitive decline.
Involved external institutions
Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)
Germany (DE)
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Germany (DE)
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany (DE)
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Germany (DE)
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging
United Kingdom (GB)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)
United States (USA) (US)
Germany (DE)
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Germany (DE)
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany (DE)
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Germany (DE)
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging
United Kingdom (GB)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)
United States (USA) (US)
How to cite
APA:
Vockert, N., Machts, J., Kleineidam, L., Nemali, A., Incesoy, E.I., Bernal, J.,... Ziegler, G. (2024). Cognitive reserve against Alzheimer’s pathology is linked to brain activity during memory formation. Nature Communications, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53360-9
MLA:
Vockert, Niklas, et al. "Cognitive reserve against Alzheimer’s pathology is linked to brain activity during memory formation." Nature Communications 15.1 (2024).
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