Naming is not explaining: future directions for the “cognitive reserve” and “brain maintenance” theories

Contemporary imaging measures of the human brain explain less than half of the differences in cognitive functioning and change among older adults. Researchers have advanced several theories and concepts to guide research that aims to better explain these individual differences in cognitive aging. Taking the fundamental measurement model in the empirical sciences as a starting point, we here scrutinize two such complementary theories, brain maintenance and cognitive reserve, in an attempt to clarify these theories, gauge their usefulness, and identify ways in which they can be further developed. We demonstrate that, although both theories are highly useful for spawning theorizing and empirical work, they can be further developed by detailing the theoretical and operational definitions of the concepts that they propose. We propose a few ways forward in these directions.