Explain the relationship that has been observed between formal education and the development of Alzheimer's disease. What theoretical and neurological explanations have been offered for this observation?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

People with higher education levels seem to function more effectively than other patients with the same level of brain dysfunction. Theoretically, they have more complex neuronal pathways and so have greater cognitive resources at their disposal. Greater impairment among uneducated people might indicate a much earlier onset, suggesting that Alzheimer's disease causes intellectual dysfunction that in turn hampers educational efforts. Or there could be something about intellectual achievement that prevents or delays the onset of symptoms of the disorder. Later research seems to confirm the latter explanation. It appears that educational level may predict a delay in the observation of symptoms. Unfortunately, people who attain a higher level of education also decline more rapidly once the symptoms start to occur suggesting that education does not prevent Alzheimer's disease but just provides a buffer period of better functioning. Educational attainment may somehow create a mental "reserve," a learned set of skills that help someone cope longer with the cognitive deterioration that marks the beginning of major neurocognitive disorder.