Several studies have suggested that education and/or literacy may protect not only against the effects of biological aging but also against the clinical manifestation of cerebral neuropathology. In clinical neuro-psychology, much debate has centered on whether the brain is more likely to degenerate as a result of overuse or underuse. There is a popular belief that an active mental life may delay the cognitive deterioration associated with normal aging. Animal studies also support the concept that environment can influence brain development. This special issue brings together data from neuro-psychology and neuro-imaging studies, and evoked potentials that analyse the impact of literacy on the functional organization of the adult brain. Discussion of how specific life experiences such as learning how to read and write can change patterns of brain activation and implications of these findings for the theory of cognitive and brain reserve are presented.