ABSTRACT
The brain reserve hypothesis (BRH) is an influential hypothesis in neurology and cognitive science. It has proved difficult to advance empirically, largely because there are different conceptualizations, and because the notion of reserve varies. In this chapter, we describe a number of empirical strategies that have been used by researchers to investigate the hypothesis. We argue that these strategies largely provide supporting evidence rather than critical tests of the hypothesis. A systematic review of research studies is then undertaken to investigate both the supporting evidence and direct tests of the hypothesis.
