Education protects against cognitive impairment

A high level of education or holding down a mentally-demanding job may help to protect against mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a type of memory loss that precedes Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.

Researchers tested the memory and cognitive skills and performed brain scans on 242 people with Alzheimer's disease, 72 people with MCI, and 144 people with no memory problems. 21 participants developed Alzheimer's disease during the 14-month-long study.

Results showed that people with a high level of education or mentally demanding jobs had significantly more brain changes and brain damage than people with the same level of impairment but who were not as highly educated or who held mentally undemanding jobs.

In a news release issued by the American Academy of Neurology, study author Valentina Garibotto, MD, said of the findings: “The theory is that education and demanding jobs create a buffer against the effects of dementia on the brain, or a cognitive reserve. Their brains are able to compensate for the damage and allow them to maintain functioning in spite of damage.”

The researchers concluded: “This study suggests that education and occupation may be proxies for brain functional reserve, reducing the severity and delaying the clinical expression of Alzheimer's disease pathology.”

Garibotto V, Garibotto B, Borroni E, Herholz KK, Salmon E, Holtoff V, Sorbi S, Cappa SF, Padovani A, Fazio F, Perani D. Education and occupation as proxies for reserve in aMCI converters and AD: FDG-PET evidence. Neurology 2008;71:1342-1349.