Learning guards against pre-Alzheimer's memory loss
Education 'protects' against pre-Alzheimer's memory loss
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Tuesday, 21, Oct 2008 08:30
A new study has found that mentally-taxing employment and education may provide protection against the memory loss that precedes Alzheimer's disease.
Research carried out in Italy suggests that those whose brain has been put through the rigours of a demanding education and occupation may have a 'cognitive reserve' against the mild cognitive impairment that can occur before the onset of Alzheimer's.
A team from the San Raffaele University and Scientific Institute and the National Institute of Neuroscience in Milan, Italy studied 242 people with Alzheimer's disease, 72 people with mild cognitive impairment, and 144 people with no memory problems over a period of 14 months, and measured the extent to which the brain was affected by the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease.
Some 21 people with mild cognitive impairment developed Alzheimer's in that period, the study found.
And according to Valentina Garibotto, who headed the report, within people who had the same level of memory impairment, those with more education and more mentally demanding jobs had significantly more changes and damage in their brains from Alzheimer's disease than those with less education and less mentally demanding jobs.
"The theory is that education and demanding jobs create a buffer against the effects of dementia on the brain, or a cognitive reserve," she explained.
"Their brains are able to compensate for the damage and allow them to maintain functioning in spite of damage."
Ms Garibotto said there were two possible explanations for the research findings, published in the Neurology journal.
"The brain could be made stronger through education and occupational challenges.
"Or, genetic factors that enabled people to achieve higher education and occupational achievement might determine the amount of brain reserve.
"It isn't possible to determine which accounts for our findings."
The 'cognitive reserve' function could be in effect during the mild cognitive impairment phase before Alzheimer's begins, she added.