It is now apparent that many other factors can increase or decrease neural reserve. For example, we found that social networks modified the association of AD pathology to cognition such that AD pathology was less likely to be associated with cognitive impairment among persons with large compared to those with small social networks. Similar finding were observed for processing resources and purpose in life. These data provide strong evidence that some experiential factors can alter the clinical expression of AD pathology. Other studies have reported similar findings with education and other indices using measures of AD pathology and amyloid imaging [227–232].
