Large study confirms education reduces symptoms of dementia
Published 26 July 2010
Researchers from the UK and Finland have 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.
Alzheimer's Society comment:
'This is the largest study ever to confirm that hitting the books could help you fight the symptoms of dementia in later life. What we don't know is why a longer education is so good for you. It could be that the types of people who study longer have large brains which adapt better to changes associated with dementia. Another reason could be that educated people find ways of managing or hiding their symptoms. We now need more research to find out why an education can make the brain more 'dementia resistant'. Until then the message appears to be stay in school.'
Ruth Sutherland
Acting Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
Ref: Carol Brayne et al, 'Education, the brain and dementia: neuroprotection or compensation' is published in Brain on 26 July 2010.
