ABSTRACT
Anatomical and functional changes are fundamental to the process of ageing. In the brain, as elsewhere in the body, changes may reflect ageing alone or the consequences of age-related diseases.1 The relationship between brain structure and function and the factors that may influence that relationship are the principal concerns of this chapter. “Brain reserve” evolved as a model that helped to explain some otherwise puzzling disjunctions between brain pathology and brain function. My goal in this chapter is to critically review the concept of brain reserve, particularly with respect to cognition and dementia in the elderly.
