Dementia prevention and reserve against neurodegenerative disease

Abstract

Similar to other complex disorders, the etiology of Alzheimer disease is multifactorial and characterized by an interplay of biological and environmental risk and protective factors. Potentially modifiable risk factors have emerged from epidemiological research and strategies to prevent neurodegeneration and dementia are currently being tested, including multimodal interventions aiming to reduce several risk factors at once. The concept of reserve was developed based on the observation that certain individual characteristics, such as life experiences, lifestyles, and neurobiological parameters, are associated with a higher resilience against neurodegeneration and its symptoms. Coordinated research is required to maximize the use of available human and financial resources to better understand the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of reserve and to translate research findings into effective public health interventions.