What helps one person continue to think, create, and engage with the world despite the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? For journalist and author Greg O’Brien, part of the answer may lie in a lifetime of building cognitive reserve.
Diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Greg has documented his journey in On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s. His experience offers a deeply personal illustration of cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to adapt and maintain function despite damage associated with disease or aging.
O’Brien believes several lifelong practices have helped him maintain his cognitive abilities and sense of purpose.
Writing has been central to his life
As a longtime investigative journalist, Greg has spent decades gathering information, organizing thoughts, making connections, and communicating ideas. Writing draws on memory, language, attention, and reasoning.
A lifetime of intellectually demanding work may help build cognitive reserve, giving the brain more strategies to draw upon when some abilities become impaired.
Setting goals to keep moving forward
Having projects to pursue and a story to tell creates structure, direction, and purpose. Working toward meaningful goals encourages continued engagement and helps preserve a sense of identity, even as Alzheimer’s changes daily life.
Running has also been a lifelong activity
Regular physical activity supports cardiovascular health and overall brain health. Exercise may help maintain cognitive function, although it cannot guarantee protection against Alzheimer’s.
For O’Brien, running has represented discipline, perseverance, and the determination to keep going. “Running is essential,” O’Brien told NPR in 2013.
How Can We Build Cognitive Reserve Throughout Life?
Research suggests that cognitive reserve develops through experiences accumulated over a lifetime. Although none of us can guarantee that we will avoid dementia, we can make choices that support brain health and keep us engaged with life.
How can we put purposeful engagement into practice?
1. Keep learning
Read books, learn a language, play a musical instrument, take a class, or explore a subject that has always intrigued you. Choose activities that challenge you and encourage you to develop new skills.
2. Write and create
Keep a journal, record family stories, write poetry, work on a blog, paint, or pursue a creative project. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s to keep thinking, expressing ideas, and making connections.
3. Set meaningful goals
Choose something you want to accomplish, whether it is completing a walking challenge, mastering a recipe, tending a garden, or finishing a writing project. Break it into manageable steps and celebrate progress along the way.
4. Stay physically active
Walk, run, cycle, swim, dance, or find another activity you enjoy. Consistency matters, and the best activity is one you can sustain safely and regularly.
5. Nurture relationships and contribute
Join a book club, volunteer, mentor someone, participate in a community group, and make time for meaningful conversations with friends and family.
The common thread is not the pursuit of a perfect routine. It is the commitment to remain curious, active, connected, and involved in things that matter to us.
The Lasting Lesson
Greg O’Brien’s story reminds us that cognitive reserve is not simply about intelligence or education. It may also reflect a lifetime of challenging the mind, pursuing meaningful goals, and staying physically and socially engaged.
We cannot know precisely what has contributed most to O’Brien’s amazing individual experience. His belief offers a compelling personal perspective, while research provides broader reasons to value these habits.
Resources:
What is Cognitive Reserve?– Harvard Health
The Basics of Cognitive Reserve and Applications to AD and FTD– ISTAART/Alzheimer’s Association
Cognitive reserve and resilience– National Institute on Aging
