Mild cognitive impairment in older adults: the role of cognitive reserve and resilience

Abstract Background Positive ageing amid of age-related neurodegeneration is a global challenge. The present study examined whether psychological resilience can be a protective factor among older adults. Methods The participants were 233 community-dwelling older individuals with or without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). They completed testing on resilience and the cognitive reserve proxies. Hierarchical logistic regression was conducted to test the hypotheses of the present study. Results After controlling for age and the cognitive reserve proxies, resilience (b= -0.38) and resilience × visuospatial function significantly predicted MCI group membership (ps < 0.05). There are two new findings. First, higher level of resilience in addition to the conventional cognitive reserve proxies predicted lower MCI risks. Second, MCI participants with higher level of resilience had significantly higher visuospatial ability than their lower level counterparts. Conclusions These findings raise the question of whether resilience should be considered as a cognitive reserve proxy. It also calls for future research to enhance the level of resilience in older adults for healthy ageing.