Quality of life and Brain Health in Aging: Integrating the Neurocognitive Model and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

The growing prevalence of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative conditions in older adults presents a significant challenge to public health, underscoring the necessity for approaches that improve both lifespan and health span—the duration of life lived in good health. Cognitive reserve, which represents the brain's capacity to optimize and adapt cognitive processes in response to challenges, plays a pivotal role in maintaining functional independence, emotional well-being, and active participation in society during aging.

This Research Topic aims to develop a comprehensive framework to enhance quality of life and brain health, through the integration of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) with neurocognitive models of brain health. By aligning the biopsychosocial perspective of the ICF with insights into adaptive neural mechanisms, this approach offers a multidimensional lens for understanding resilience in individuals aged 60 and older. The ICF provides a standardized framework, lending a holistic assessment of aging-related changes in health, functionality, and disability influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. In this way, the ICF is well-suited for exploring the multidimensional nature of brain and cognitive reserves.

To gather further insights into the intersections of aging, brain health, and quality of life, this collection welcomes articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Investigative methods for defining and assessing cognitive reserve, distinguishing it from brain reserve, by integrating ICF's biopsychosocial framework with neurocognitive measures of cognitive function, adaptability, and efficiency.
• Exploratory interventions that enhance cognitive processes through personalized strategies, for example, interventions that strengthen cognitive reserve by targeting modifiable factors such as lifestyle changes, mental stimulation, and social engagement, informed by neurocognitive insights and ICF-based evaluations.
• Evaluative research that how these interventions impact daily functioning, independence, and overall quality of life in older adults to illustrate the functional outcomes of these strategies on cognitive reserve. Studies that aim to bridge the gap between life span and health span are encouraged.
• Studies that seek to bridge disciplines across aging research and foster interdisciplinary collaboration between neuropsychology, geriatrics, cognitive neuroscience, and rehabilitation sciences to develop and test integrated strategies for promoting cognitive resilience.
• Utilization and future implications of combining the ICF and neurocognitive models in the aging research field.

This Research Topic highlights the value of leveraging the ICF framework to drive initiatives that promote active and healthy aging, support independence, and mitigate the impact of age-related neuropathology. Contributions that explore prevention strategies, comprehensive functional assessments, and targeted interventions aimed at optimizing brain health and enhancing quality of life are welcomes. Submissions may include original research, systematic reviews, case studies, theoretical models, or innovative methodologies that utilize the ICF and neurocognitive frameworks to deepen our understanding of resilience and adaptability in aging populations.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: quality of life, elderly population, neuropsychology, neurodegenerative disease, ICF, Cognition, Cognitive Resilience, Aging Research

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.