Higher Education May Not Protect People From Dementia

CBS Boston recalls previous research that suggested having more education earlier in life could build up a robust enough brain reserve to slow down the harmful effects of cognitive decline that often can occur late in life. However, in a new study published in the journal Neurology , a research team found that education may not be as important in combating cognitive decline and dementia as once thought. The study involved almost 3,000 older men and women who were followed for an average of nearly eight years. The researchers found that attaining more education did not seem to protect people from eroding thinking skills once the process of cognitive decline started. People with higher levels of education at the start of the study did show richer thinking skills on a number of tests. However, education levels did not seem to have an effect on how quickly people progressed once cognitive decline, and in some cases dementia, began.