The associations between cognitive reserve proxies, multimodal MRI brain measures and cognition, motor function and mood in healthy adults
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Introduction
In healthy ageing, cognitive reserve (CR) is thought to enhance cognitive processes that moderate the relationship between neuroanatomical characteristics and task performance. Although, the interplay between CR and brain measures is unclear. To date, no study has investigated the relationships between a diverse set of brain measures, CR, and functional outcomes. Using a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging approach we explored the relative importance of CR proxies, compared to key brain characteristics, for cognition, motor function, and mood in healthy adults.
Methods
74 subjects completed two CR assessments, a cognitive battery, motor function tests, and mood questionnaires. Structural, diffusion, and functional brain measures were investigated. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the associations between CR, brain measures and functional outcomes.
Results
Of all MRI brain measures, greater brain volume and cortical thickness were the most important predictors of higher CR. CR explained a significant portion of variance in both cognitive and motor function, whereas brain volume and cortical thickness were significant predictors for only motor function. While structural characteristics were not a significant predictor of cognition, CR moderated the relationship between brain structure and cognition. Neither CR nor brain measures were significant predictors of mood.
Conclusions
CR was significantly associated with overall cognitive and motor function differences, beyond brain measures. However, specific outcome test performance variance is more nuanced, often more strongly associated with brain measures depending on the task. These findings highlight the importance of considering both CR and multiple brain measures to accurately evaluate functional outcomes.
