PENDIENTE DE TRADUCCIÓN: The concept of Cognitive Reserve arises with the need to explain the individual differences that are observed when a person faces neurologically or cognitively adverse conditions (dementia, epilepsies, brain damage, etc). In the explanation to this variability can be factors, genetic, environmental, behavioral.

In fact, the model that most convinces us is the one proposed by Stern (2009). The Reserve that an individual possesses is determined by his cerebral reserve (genetic, anatomical, etc.) and his cognitive reserve (environment, behavior, etc.) which is none other than cerebral plasticity and the ability to establish new or reinforce synaptic connections.

And this capacity begins to be reflected in the way we perform different tasks.

Muy recientemente una publicación en  Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, demostró mediante registro de Magnetoencefalografía que los participantes con bajos niveles de reserva cognitiva necesitaron un mayor esfuerzo cerebral que aquellos que tenían un nivel más alto. Este esfuerzo extra se asocia con una peor eficiencia cognitiva ya que la persona en cuestión utiliza más energía y más conexiones cerebrales de las necesarias. De esta forma, los participantes con baja reserva presentan una mayor conectividad neuronal en las regiones cerebrales anterior (prefrontal) y posterior (temporal, parietal y occipital), en comparación con aquellos con una reserva alta (Bajo, 2014)

However, this concept is clearly relevant, how is it measured? How much reserve do I have? As in many occasions in Psychology, we invented a construct and then embarked on the difficult task of measuring and quantifying it. This is the work carried out by our group (Juan García, Lola Roldán and Irene León) since 6 years ago, when we set out to elaborate a questionnaire, a measure that went a little out of the estimates that were made up to now: educational level , profession, score in the Vocabulary test of the WAIS test.

The scale (link) that is still in a state of scale, is the result of our work and is available for researchers and clinicians who wish to use it. Likewise, it is translated into English.

There is a Spanish version, which is currently being validated (Colombia).