Cognitive
resilience is often defined as the ability to remain cognitively normal
in the face of insults to the brain. These insults can include disease
pathology, such as plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s
disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other lesions. Factors such
as physical or mental activity and genetics may contribute to cognitive
resilience, but the neurobiological underpinnings remain ill-defined.
Emerging evidence suggests that dendritic spine structural plasticity is
one plausible mechanism. In this review, we highlight the basic
structure and function of dendritic spines and discuss how spine density
and morphology change in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. We note
evidence that spine plasticity mediates resilience to stress, and we
tackle dendritic spines in the context of cognitive resilience to
Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, we examine how lifestyle and genetic
factors may influence dendritic spine plasticity to promote cognitive
resilience before discussing evidence for actin regulatory kinases as
therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease.
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