Education and Age-related Decline in Cognitive Performance: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies.

Education and Age-related Decline in Cognitive Performance: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies. Ageing Res Rev. 2019 Dec 24;:101005 Authors: Seblova D, Berggren R, Lövdén M Abstract Central theories of cognitive aging propose that education is an important protective factor for decline in cognitive performance in older age. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of reported estimates of an association between educational attainment and change in performance in six cognitive domains (episodic memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence, and global ability) in the general population of older individuals. The systematic search (11th of October 2019) identified 92 eligible articles. The episodic memory domain had the highest number of estimates (37 estimates from 18 articles, n = 109,281) included in the meta-analysis. The fewest estimates (6 estimates from 6 articles, n = 5,263) were included for fluid intelligence. Pooled mean estimates from an inverse-variance weighted random effects analysis were not statistically significant and indicated that any association between education and change in cognitive performance is likely of a negligible magnitude. The estimates for education's role (one additional year) for change in cognitive performance ranged from -0.019 (95% confidence interval, CI = -0.047, 0.010) to 0.004SD (CI = -0.003, 0.012) p...
Source: Ageing Research Reviews - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Ageing Res Rev Source Type: research