Education does not protect against cognitive decline

A European-wide study published today in the journal Neuroepidemiology has found that whilst older people with a higher level of education have better memory function, it does not protect them from cognitive decline as they age. In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on education and cognitive decline to date, researchers at UCL and funded by the Medical Research Council and Alzheimer's Society, explored changes in memory and cognitive performance over an eight-year period in over 11,000 Europeans aged 65 and over from 10 different countries*. The participants were tested at first entry into the study, referred to as baseline, and then again at two-year intervals. Participants were asked to recall a 10-word list immediately (known as immediate recall) and then again after five minutes (known as delayed recall). Previous studies have found that people with a higher level of education tend to have lower rates of dementia, but studies looking at the link between education and rates of cognitive decline in healthy older people have produced mixed results. With an ageing population across Europe, it is extremely important to identify factors that can help to support healthy cognitive ageing. In this study, the level of education was determined by the number of years of education completed by each participant, and evaluated in association with memory performance and rate of change while accounting for income, general health, smoking, body mass index (BMI), gender, and baseline age.