Just analyzed 6 presentations from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference July 2025 on cognitive reserve and resilience.
The findings expand way beyond what we previously understood.
The Data:
450 participants: Cognitive reserve directly reduces neuropsychiatric symptoms, moderates hippocampal shrinkage effects (Sidhu, U of Calgary)
Super agers: 80+ year-olds with memory "at least as good as middle aged adults" - all are socially engaged and "incredibly busy" (Alexander, Ann Arbor VA)
3,000 participants: Financial, cultural, and social capital all independently protect cognition across lifespan (Chen, UC Davis)
1,400 participants: Education builds tau resistance even with high amyloid burden (Birkenbihl, Harvard/MGH)
Why This Matters:
Cognitive reserve is "modifiable and clinically relevant" at any age
Protection extends to mood, behavior, not just thinking
Multiple pathways exist - what works varies by population
There's a tipping point where reserve gets overwhelmed
Video covers:
Complete analysis of all 6 presentations
Super ager characteristics and habits
Three pillars of lifetime protection
How to build tau resistance
Understanding reserve's limits
Anyone else following the cognitive reserve research?
Edit: Adding that one researcher noted education effects vary by ethnicity - higher education associated with larger hippocampal volume in Black participants but smaller in Latinx participants, though memory protection occurred across all groups.