A RICH VOCABULARY CAN PROTECT AGAINST COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Some people suffer
incipient dementia as they get older. To make up for this loss, the brain's
cognitive reserve is put to the test. Researchers from the University of
Santiago de Compostela have studied what factors can help to improve this
ability and they conclude that having a higher level of vocabulary is one such
factor
Cognitive
reserve' is the name given to the brain's capacity to compensate for the loss
of its functions. This reserve cannot be measured directly; rather, it is
calculated through indicators believed to increase this capacity.
A research project at the University of Santiago de Compostela
(USC) has studied how having a wide vocabulary influences cognitive reserve in
the elderly.
As Cristina Lojo Seoane, from the USC, co-author of the study
published in the journalAnales
de PsicologĂa (Annals of Psychology),
explains: "We focused on level of vocabulary as it is considered an
indicator of crystallised intelligence (the use of previously acquired
intellectual skills). We aimed to deepen our understanding of its relation to
cognitive reserve."
The research team chose a sample of 326 subjects over the age of
50 -- 222 healthy individuals and 104 with mild cognitive impairment. They then
measured their levels of vocabulary, along with other measures such as their
years of schooling, the complexity of their jobs and their reading habits.
They also analysed the scores they obtained in various tests,
such as the vocabulary subtest of the 'Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale'
(WAIS) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.
"With a regression analysis we calculated the probability
of impairment to the vocabulary levels of the participants," Lojo Seoane
continues.
The results revealed a greater prevalence of mild cognitive
impairment in participants who achieved a lower vocabulary level score.
"This led us to the conclusion that a higher level of
vocabulary, as a measure of cognitive reserve, can protect against cognitive
impairment," the researcher concludes
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