La riserva cognitiva è influenzata dalle relazioni sociali. A tal proposito è interessante questo studio sulle suore. Per maggiori informazioni su demenza e invecchiamento: https://www.psicologopadova-milenabarone.it/

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COGNITIVE RESERVE
What the religious orders study isWhat the religious orders study is
revealing about Alzheimer’s diseaserevealing about Alzheimer’s disease
Milena Barone

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• Longitudinal study with sisters
• They agreed to:
1. annual testing of their mental and physical functions
2. a variety of medical tests
3. the donation of their brain, upon their death
The goal of most studies with sisters is to determine the
causes and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and the mental
and physical disability associated with old age.

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WHY STUDY NUNS?
Disadvantage
extrapolation of findings from this unique population
may be limited.

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WHY STUDY NUNS?
Advantages:
- convent archives access
- relatively homogeneous adult lifestyles and environments of these women:
 were non-smokers
 drank little if any alcohol
 had the same marital status and reproductive history
 lived in similar housing
 had similar jobs
 had similar access to preventive and medical care

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• BRAIN TISSUE SAMPLES ARE
EXAMINED UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
1)SUBJECT’S BRAIN PATHOLOGY
2)SOCIAL HISTORY
3)COGNITIVE DECLINE

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NUN 1
• Death: 80 years
• Education: 18
• Last examination:
probably Alzheimer
disease
NUN 2
• Death: over 90 years
• Education: 20
• Last examination: no
Alzheimer symptoms

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• MORPHOLOGICALLY SIMILAR BRAIN
Show
symptoms
Doesn’t
show
symptoms
WHY?

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• There is an ability to withstand Alzheimer’s
changes in the brain
"COGNITIVE RESERVE"
This reserve is somehow protection factor

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• possible factor contributing to the cognitive reserve
SOCIAL NETWORKS
the larger the network
the less likely have decline
the less likely experience clinical Alzheimer disease.

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NUN 1: social networks of 1
NUN 2: social networks of 10
• The kind of activity score in the nun without dementia
symptoms was higher than in the other nun.
• subject with larger social network seems to tolerate the
pathology and is less prone to distress.

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• If you are loosing memory, something is not functioning
properly.
• If we could identify all the factors involved, WE COULD
INTERVENE
INCREASING RESERVE and so despite effects that to
develop Alzheimer changes
We could counteract this

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http://www.psicologopadova-milenabarone.it/