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Why more
education lowers dementia risk
A team of researchers from the UK and
Finland has discovered why people who stay
in education longer have a lower risk of
developing dementia – a question that has
puzzled scientists for the past decade.
Examining the brains of 872 people who had
been part of three large ageing studies, and
who before their deaths had completed
questionnaires about their education, the
researchers found that more education makes
people better able to cope with changes in
the brain associated with dementia.
Over the past decade, studies on dementia
have consistently showed that the more time
you spend in education, the lower your risk
of dementia. For each additional year of
education there is an 11% decrease in risk
of developing dementia, this study reports.
However, these studies have been unable to
determine whether or not education – which
is linked to higher socioeconomic status and
healthier lifestyles – protects the brain
against dementia.
This is not the case, the new study lead by
Professor Carol Brayne of the University of
Cambridge has found. Instead, the study
shows people with different levels of
education have similar brain pathology but
that those with more education are better
able to compensate for the effects of
dementia.
According to co-author Dr Hannah Keage of
the University of Cambridge: "Previous
research has shown that there is not a
one-to-one relationship between being
diagnosed with dementia during life and
changes seen in the brain at death. One
person may show lots of pathology in their
brain while another shows very little, yet
both may have had dementia. Our study shows
education in early life appears to enable
some people to cope with a lot of changes in
their brain before showing dementia
symptoms."
Compared with previous research, this study
was able to answer the question because of
its large size and statistical power.
The researchers used data from the EClipSE
collaboration, which combines the three
European population-based longitudinal
studies of ageing (the Medical Research
Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study,
the Cambridge City Over-75s Cohort Study and
Vantaa 85+, a Finnish study).
The studies have assessed participants for
up to 20 years and are three of only six
such studies in the world.
The results have important implications for
public health at a time when populations in
many countries are ageing.
"Education is known to be good for
population health and equity. This study
provides strong support for investment in
early life factors which should have an
impact on society and the whole lifespan.
This is hugely relevant to policy decisions
about the importance of resource allocation
between health and education," says
Professor Brayne.
The results are published today in the
journal Brain. The study was funded by the
BUPA Foundation, the European Union and the
Medical Research Council.
