Estratégias de memória em indivíduos saudáveis com reserva cognitiva alta e baixa: um estudo comparativo
Date
2020-10-08
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Coadvisor
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Language
Portuguese
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Abstract
O envelhecimento populacional representa um fenómeno crescente a nível mundial. No decorrer do processo de envelhecimento, as redes cerebrais perdem naturalmente a sua eficácia, surgindo a necessidade de conexões adicionais entre áreas do cérebro para a concretização de tarefas cognitivas. A literatura científica tem destacado o papel da reserva cognitiva (RC) no desenvolvimento de diferentes trajetórias individuais, em termos de funcionamento cognitivo e cerebral. O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo verificar se existem diferenças de desempenho entre indivíduos saudáveis, em tarefas de memória e de estratégias de memória, em função do nível de RC. A amostra do estudo completou um total de 70 participantes, 36 mulheres e 34 homens, com idades compreendidas entre os 50 e os 85 anos. Os participantes foram submetidos a um processo de rastreio. Aos indivíduos incluídos no estudo, foi administrada uma bateria de provas neuropsicológicas que compreendeu tarefas de avaliação da capacidade de memória e do nível de RC. Confirmou-se a influência da RC, incluindo a escolaridade, nas três provas neuropsicológicas aplicadas. Evidenciando-se que quanto maior o nível de RC e de escolaridade, melhor o desempenho dos indivíduos. A idade parece produzir uma influência menor no desempenho, sendo que sujeitos de meia idade apresentam um nível de RC superior e melhores desempenhos, comparativamente com sujeitos de idade avançada. Este estudo oferece contributos que permitem comprovar o papel da RC no processo de envelhecimento saudável, sendo que o rendimento cognitivo poderá não estar diretamente relacionado com a idade, mas com a RC de cada indivíduo.
Population aging represents a growing phenomenon worldwide. In the course of the aging process, brain networks naturally lose their effectiveness, and there is a need for additional connections between areas of the brain to carry out cognitive tasks. The scientific literature has highlighted the role of cognitive reserve (CR) in the development of different individual trajectories, in terms of cognitive and brain functioning. The present study has as main objective to verify if there are differences in performance between healthy individuals, in tasks of memory and strategies of memory, depending on the level of CR. The study sample completed a total of 70 participants, 36 women and 34 men, aged between 50 and 85 years. Participants underwent a screening process. The individuals included in the study were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests that comprised tasks to assess memory capacity and CR level. The influence of CR, including education, in the three applied neuropsychological tests was confirmed. It is evident that the higher the level of CR and education, the better the performance of individuals. Age seems to have a lesser influence on performance, with middle-aged subjects presenting a higher level of CR and better performances, compared to elderly subjects. This study offers contributions that prove the role of CR in the healthy aging process, and cognitive performance may not be directly related to age, but with the CR of each individual.
Population aging represents a growing phenomenon worldwide. In the course of the aging process, brain networks naturally lose their effectiveness, and there is a need for additional connections between areas of the brain to carry out cognitive tasks. The scientific literature has highlighted the role of cognitive reserve (CR) in the development of different individual trajectories, in terms of cognitive and brain functioning. The present study has as main objective to verify if there are differences in performance between healthy individuals, in tasks of memory and strategies of memory, depending on the level of CR. The study sample completed a total of 70 participants, 36 women and 34 men, aged between 50 and 85 years. Participants underwent a screening process. The individuals included in the study were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests that comprised tasks to assess memory capacity and CR level. The influence of CR, including education, in the three applied neuropsychological tests was confirmed. It is evident that the higher the level of CR and education, the better the performance of individuals. Age seems to have a lesser influence on performance, with middle-aged subjects presenting a higher level of CR and better performances, compared to elderly subjects. This study offers contributions that prove the role of CR in the healthy aging process, and cognitive performance may not be directly related to age, but with the CR of each individual.
Keywords
Avaliação neuropsicológica, Envelhecimento saudável, Estratégias de memória, Reserva cognitiva
Document Type
Master thesis
Publisher Version
Dataset
Citation
Cunha, M. J. N. C. (2020). Estratégias de memória em indivíduos saudáveis com reserva cognitiva alta e baixa: um estudo comparativo. (Dissertação de Mestrado), Universidade Portucalense, Portugal. Disponível no Repositório UPT, http://hdl.handle.net/11328/3224
Identifiers
TID
202525708
Designation
Mestrado em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde
Access Type
Open Access