Higher education does not influence brain ageing
A new study from the Lifebrain consortium, coordinated by the University of Oslo with the participation of the University of Barcelona, finds that higher education does not slow brain ageing, contrary to the popular belief. This study has been published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers have known for a long time that all brains shrink with age. A common perception has been that education would be a way to hold back this shrinkage. However, there is no evidence to prove this hypothesis.
One of the participants in this study, David Bartrés Faz, expert from the Institute of Neurosciences of the UB (UBNeuro), notes that “a positive association between the level of education and the level of neurocognitive functioning has been reported in some past studies, and it is consistent with the idea that individuals with higher education have an initial advantage over individuals with lower educa
Higher education does not influence brain ageing
10/05/2021
A new study from the Lifebrain consortium, coordinated by the University of Oslo with the participation of the University of Barcelona, finds that higher education does not slow brain ageing, contrary to the popular belief. This study has been published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers have known for a long time that all brains shrink with age. A common perception has been that education would be a way to hold back this shrinkage. However, there is no evidence to prove this hypothesis.
One of the participants in this study, David Bartrés Faz, expert from the Institute of Neurosciences of the UB (UBNeuro), notes that “a positive association between the level of education and the level of neurocognitive functioning has been reported in some past studies, and it is consistent with the idea that individuals with higher education have an initial advantage over in
College degree won t prevent age-linked brain decline, study says
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That college degree may be useful in many ways, but new research suggests it probably won t keep your brain from shrinking with age.
Over the years, a number of studies have suggested that education might buffer people against age-related declines in memory and thinking.
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But those findings did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
In the new study, researchers asked whether people s education levels were related to an objective marker of brain aging: atrophy, or thinning, of the brain tissue.
Overall, the study found, there was no strong connection.
Based on MRI brain scans of over 2,000 Europeans, higher education level was only modestly associated with greater brain tissue volume.
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