Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39974127›Full record

ArticlemedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2025

Reevaluating the Role of Education in Cognitive Decline and Brain Aging: Insights from Large-Scale Longitudinal Cohorts across 33 Countries.

Anders M Fjell, Ole Røgeberg, Øystein Sørensen, Inge K Amlien, David Bartrés-Faz, Andreas M Brandmaier, Gabriele Cattaneo, Sandra Düzel, Håkon Grydeland, Richard N Henson and 15 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors.

Anders M FjellCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-2502-8774
Ole RøgebergRagnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-3129-6687
Øystein SørensenCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.
Inge K AmlienCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-8508-9088
David Bartrés-FazDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-6020-4118
Andreas M BrandmaierCenter for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8765-6982
Gabriele CattaneoInstitut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-7411-6829
Sandra DüzelCenter for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany.
Håkon GrydelandCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-5061-464X
Richard N HensonMRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-0712-2639
Simone KühnMax Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6823-7969
Ulman LindenbergerCenter for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8428-6453
Torkild Hovde LyngstadDepartment of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-7830-9305
Athanasia M MowinckelCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5756-0223
Lars NybergCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-3367-1746
Alvaro Pascual-LeoneHinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, United States.
Cristina Solé-PadullésDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Markus H SneveCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-7644-7915
Javier SolanaInstitut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0880-7856
Marie StrømstadCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.
Leiv Otto WatneOslo Delirium Research Group, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-0441-6700
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging
Kristine B WalhovdCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-1918-1123
Didac Vidal-PiñeiroCenter for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-9997-9156

Funding

Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative - SupplementU01AG024904 · NIA · NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE RES &EDUC · PI WEINER, MICHAEL W · 2004 to 2015
$121.0M
Smartphone-Based "Burst" Cognitive AssessmentsP01AG003991 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI JOHN MORRIS · 1985 to 2026
$69.5M
Vascular factors, physical activity, and inflammation as modulators of neurodegenerative and cognitive trajectories (Project 2)P01AG036694 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Hyun-Sik Yang · 2010 to 2026
$50.2M
The natural history of AB accumulation in preclinical ADP01AG026276 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI MORRIS, JOHN · 2005 to 2025
$49.5M
Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational SciencesUL1TR000448 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI EVANOFF, BRADLEY A · 2012 to 2016
$41.4M
The VETSA Longitudinal Twin Study of Cognition and Aging (VETSA 4)R01AG050595 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI ELMAN, JEREMY A, FRANZ, CAROL ELAINE · 2015 to 2024
$28.0M
The VETSA Longitudinal MRI Twin Study of AgingR01AG022381 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI KREMEN, WILLIAM S. · 2003 to 2019
$22.3M
The VETSA Longitudinal Twin Study of Cognition and AgingR01AG018384 · NIA · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI LYONS, MICHAEL J. · 2002 to 2012
$9.8M
The VETSA longitudinal twin study of cognition and agingR01AG018386 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI KREMEN, WILLIAM S. · 2002 to 2012
$9.7M
THE XNAT IMAGING INFORMATICS PLATFORMR01EB009352 · NIBIB · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Daniel Scott Marcus · 2009 to 2026
$9.3M
The VETSA Longitudinal MRI Twin Study of Aging (VETSA MRI 4)R01AG076838 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI ANDERS M DALE, Jeremy A Elman · 2022 to 2026
$8.7M
DRIVING PERFORMANCE IN PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMER'S DISEASER01AG043434 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI ROE, CATHERINE M · 2012 to 2016
$2.4M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000448NIA NIH HHS P01 AG003991NIA NIH HHS P01 AG026276NIA NIH HHS P01 AG036694NIA NIH HHS R01 AG018384NIA NIH HHS R01 AG018386NIA NIH HHS R01 AG022381NIA NIH HHS R01 AG043434NIA NIH HHS R01 AG050595NIA NIH HHS R01 AG052527NIA NIH HHS R01 AG076708NIA NIH HHS R01 AG076838NIA NIH HHS U01 AG024904NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB009352Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Why education is linked to higher cognitive function in aging is fiercely debated. Leading theories propose that education reduces brain decline in aging, enhances tolerance to brain pathology, or that it does not affect cognitive decline but rather reflects higher early-life cognitive function. To test these theories, we analyzed 407.356 episodic memory scores from 170.795 participants >50 years, alongside 15.157 brain MRIs from 6.472 participants across 33 Western countries. More education was associated with better memory, larger intracranial volume and slightly larger volume of memory-sensitive brain regions. However, education did not protect against age-related decline or weakened effects of brain decline on cognition. The most parsimonious explanation for the results is that the associations reflect factors present early in life, including propensity of individuals with certain traits to pursue more education. While education has numerous benefits, the notion that it provides protection against cognitive or brain decline is not supported.

Identifiers

PMID39974127
PMCPMC11838635

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.