At http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/hfhs-cbb070999.html
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 12 JULY 1999 AT 16:00:00 ET US
Contact: Meredith Meyer
mmeyer1 at hfhs.org
313-876-2882
Henry Ford Health System
Correlation between brain shrinkage and education found
Among the healthy elderly, people with higher education levels exhibit more
severe brain shrinkage with age than people with fewer years of education.
Yet, these seniors do not show severe problems with their memory or
thinking, according to a researcher at Henry Ford Health System.
The study published in the July issue of the journal Neurology, supports the
"reserve hypothesis" -- that while more educated people have greater
age-associated brain shrinkage, they are afforded greater protection from
age-related mental impairment and possibly dementia.
This study is the first of its kind to look at the biology of the reserve
hypothesis in healthy older adults.
"Our research shows that education exerts a protective effect," said C.
Edward Coffey, M.D., chair of Henry Ford's Department of Psychiatry and the
study's principal investigator. "Education doesn't reduce brain changes
associated with disease or aging, but rather enables more educated
individuals to resist the influence of deteriorating brain structure by
maintaining better cognitive and behavioral function."
The research pool consisted of 320 healthy men and women ages 66 to 90
living independently in the community. All were pre-screened for impairment
using a mental state examination. Researchers used magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) technology to measure brain size. The MRI images revealed the
following:
Brain shrinkage, as demonstrated by an increase in cerebrospinal fluid
around the outside of the brain, was significantly greater in people with
higher education.
Researchers counted years of education starting with first grade. For each
year of education, they found about 1/3 tsp. (1.77 ml) more cerebrospinal
fluid around the brain. For example, among elderly persons of similar age,
sex and intracranial size, those with 16 years of education had
approximately 8 to 10 percent more cerebrospinal fluid volume than those
with only four years of education.
Despite their greater brain shrinkage, those with higher education showed no
clinical evidence of severe memory loss or other problems with thinking.
Education was equally effective for men and women in buffering their brains
against memory loss.
"While we know education helps to preserve memory and thinking in the face
of brain aging, additional research is needed to determine the mechanism by
which education may be related to preserved cognitive function," Dr. Coffey
said.
The study was funded in part by the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, the
Mental Illness Research Association and the National Institutes of Health.
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