We all want to live a long, healthy and happy life. Although building more muscle or losing weight can help us in this goal, we cannot forget our mind. A new study developed by scientists at the University of Zurich and published in the journal Neuroimage offers convincing neurological evidence suggesting that studying, having a good education, greatly influences our cognition and how the brain ages decades later.
Having a good academic background not only helps us shape our personality and pave the way to a promising career and future, but it is also essential for our brain to compensate for age-related cognitive and neural limitations.
A positive effect of education on the brain as we age
The researchers followed more than 200 older people for more than seven years . The study participants were not affected by dementia, had average or above average intelligence, and led a very active social life. They were examined neuroanatomically and neuropsychologically using magnetic resonance imaging at regular intervals. Those brain scans allowed the study authors to examine both white matter gaps and hyperintensities in the digital images. Based on complex statistical analyses, the researchers were able to show that academic education and learning, in general, had a positive effect on age-related brain degeneration.
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) refers to abnormalities in cerebral arterioles, capillaries, and perforating venules that have been associated with age-related cognitive decline.
The findings revealed that over the course of seven years , older people with an academic background showed a significantly smaller increase in these typical signs of brain degeneration.
“In addition, the academics also processed information more quickly and accurately, for example, by matching letters, numbers, patterns. The decrease in their mental processing performance was less in general,” explains Isabel Hotz, a neuropsychologist at the University of Zurich and co-author of the work.
Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the main age-related complications that have direct implications on the lifestyle of older people. Although more research is required to better understand the extent of this learning association, this study is relevant as it sheds light on an integral step that can be taken at an early stage to alleviate the burden of aging on the brain, thereby improving its functioning as we get older.
“We suspect that a high level of education leads to an increase in neural and cognitive networks throughout people’s lives and that they accumulate reserves, so to speak. In old age, their brains are in a better position to compensate for any deficiencies that occur” , concludes Lutz Jäncke, leader of the study.
Referencia: Original Research: Open access.
“Associations of subclinical cerebral small vessel disease and processing speed in non-demented subjects: A 7-year study” by Hotz, I. et al. NeuroImage: Clinical
