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Relation of education to brain size in normal aging: implications for the reserve hypothesis.
Tuesday,2012-11-06 12:04 America/Los_Angeles — eenright
| Title | Relation of education to brain size in normal aging: implications for the reserve hypothesis. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 1999 |
| Authors | Coffey, CE, Saxton, JA, Ratcliff, G, Bryan, RN, Lucke, JF |
| Journal | Neurology |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pagination | 189-96 |
| Date Published | 1999 Jul 13 |
| ISSN | 0028-3878 |
| Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Atrophy, Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Cerebrospinal Fluid, Educational Status, Female, Functional Laterality, Health Status, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Mental Status Schedule, Regression Analysis, Sex Characteristics |
| Abstract | <p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To examine the relations between education and age-related changes in brain structure in a nonclinical sample of elderly adults.</p><p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Education may protect against cognitive decline in late life--an observation that has led to the "reserve" hypothesis of brain aging. Little is known, however, about the effect of education on age-related changes in brain structure.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>Quantitative MRI of the brain was performed in 320 elderly volunteers (age range, 66 to 90 years) living independently in the community (Mini-Mental State Examination scores > or =24), all of whom were participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Blinded measurements of global and regional brain size were made from T1-weighted axial images using computer-assisted edge detection and trace methodology. High measurement reliabilities were obtained.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Regression analyses (adjusting for the effects of intracranial size, sex, age, age-by-sex interactions, and potential confounders) revealed significant main effects of education on peripheral (sulcal) CSF volume-a marker of cortical atrophy. Each year of education was associated with an increase in peripheral CSF volume of 1.77 mL (p<0.03). As reported previously, main effects of age (but not education) were observed for all of the remaining brain regions examined, including cerebral hemisphere volume, frontal region area, temporoparietal region area, parieto-occipital region area, lateral (Sylvian) fissure volume, lateral ventricular volume, and third ventricle volume.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>The authors' findings demonstrate a relation between education and age-related cortical atrophy in a nonclinical sample of elderly persons, and are consistent with the reserve hypothesis as well as with a small number of brain imaging studies in patients with dementia. The neurobiological basis and functional correlates of this education effect require additional investigation.</p> |
| DOI | 10.1212/wnl.53.1.189 |
| Alternate Journal | Neurology |
| PubMed ID | 10408558 |
| Grant List | MH 46643 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States |