A longer education helps people better cope with dementia changes
During the past decade many studies have been conducted in an endeavour to find out whether education can lower the risk of dementia and have consistently proved this to be true
BBC News have reported that a team made up of Finnish and UK researchers have found that those who stay in education for longer appear to be able to better cope with the effects dementia has on the brain.
The study involved 872 participants all of whom had taken part in three large ageing studies. Before their deaths the participants completed a questionnaire about their education and had their brains examined, which led to the discovery that a longer education enabled individuals to better cope with the dementia effects.
The researchers are yet to establish the reason why extra education seems to help individuals cope more effectively but there is speculation that it could be linked to a higher economic status which in turn equals healthier lifestyles.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust explained that during dementia proteins build in the brain which damages nerve cells. ”This research suggests that education is not able to stop the damage but enables the brain to cope better and alleviate its impact.”
