Mapping the connections between education and the risk of dementia

Ian McDowell*

Many studies have shown a connection between education and late-life cognition, with the risk of dementia being inversely associated with educational attainment. This brief article proposes pathways through which cognitive ability in early life, subsequently reinforced by education and then by higher socioeconomic position in midlife, could confer a protective effect on cognitive decline many decades later, in late life. Taking a systems perspective, the article describes mutually reinforcing processes that operate to maintain the stability of cognitive abilities across the life course. The conclusion is that population-level interventions could be designed to enhance cognitive resiliency in our aging populations. 

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Published on: Oct 13, 2023 Pages: 1-7

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/aadc.000026
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