LA RESERVA COGNITIVA Y CEREBRAL

BARATTI CM; BOCCIA MM; BLAKE MG; KRAWCZYK MC

REVISTA FARMACEUTICA

REVISTA FARMACEUTICA

Lugar: CABA; Año: 2012 vol. 154 p. 82 - 92

0034-9496

e concept of brain and cognitive reserve (BCR) is widely used to explain why and how, in the face of neurodegenerativechanges (and several others neurological and psychiatric conditions) that are similar in nature and extent,individuals vary considerably in the severity of their cognitive performance. at is, BCR as a feature of brain structureand function modies the relationships between brain pathology and cognitive performance. Brain reserve generallyrefers to the structural neural substrate (synaptic density and neuronal interconnectivity) that supports cognitivefunctions, whereas cognitive reserve refers to a functional active component based on the eciency of neural circuitsand networks. e brain reserve and cognitive reserve concepts are not mutually exclusive. Intellectual quotient, education,occupation, complex leisure behaviors, cognitive stimulation and physical activity, has been shown to strengthenBCR. e human BCR may be partially modeled housing laboratory animals in enriched environments. Many stimulantsmedications (amphetamines, methylphenidate, modanil) used to treat psychiatric and neurological conditionsalso improve cognitive performance of the healthy. ese drugs are named “cognitive enhancers” or “smart drugs”.ere is not enough information about the long-term eects, on healthy individuals, of these drugs, since them canhave serious side actions. e use of cognitive enhancing drugs raises several ethical questions.