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Educational attainment does not influence brain aging.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Lundquist, Anders 
Bartrés-Faz, David 

Abstract

Education has been related to various advantageous lifetime outcomes. Here, using longitudinal structural MRI data (4,422 observations), we tested the influential hypothesis that higher education translates into slower rates of brain aging. Cross-sectionally, education was modestly associated with regional cortical volume. However, despite marked mean atrophy in the cortex and hippocampus, education did not influence rates of change. The results were replicated across two independent samples. Our findings challenge the view that higher education slows brain aging.

Description

Keywords

aging, cerebral cortex, education, hippocampus, reserve, Aged, Aging, Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Education, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged

Journal Title

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0027-8424
1091-6490

Volume Title

118

Publisher

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Sponsorship
European Commission (732592)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00005/8)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/H008217/1)