Be Brainy

In that the populations of developed countries are growing  older, some experts are concerned that average cognition levels and national productivity may begin to decline, and the incidence of dementia may rise.  Nicole Schneeweis, from Linz University (Austria), and colleagues examined variation in years of schooling arising from compulsory educational reforms implemented in six European countries during the 1950s and 1960s, measuring mental functioning in seniors with various levels of schooling.  The data was yielded from individuals aged around 60 years, enrolled in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe.  The team observed that the burden of demographic change is likely to depend more on how healthy and mentally fit people are at different ages than on the exact age structure of people in a population. The study also shows that education tends to significantly boost brain function, and that this effect persists as a person ages.  The study shows that people who attended school for longer periods because of new regulations performed better in terms of cognitive functioning than those who did not. The researchers found a positive impact of schooling on memory scores. Importantly, the study finds evidence for a protective effect of schooling for the brain: more education slows cognitive decline. The study authors submit that education can be an important measure for maintaining cognitive functioning and protecting against cognitive decline, observing that: “One year of education increases the memory score approximately four decades later by about 0.2, which amounts to 10 % of a standard deviation.”