Centre for Policy on Ageing



Education and decline in cognitive performance — compensatory but not protective
Author(s)	H Christensen, A E Korten, A F Jorm
Journal title	International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 12, no 3,, March 1997
Pages	pp 323-330
Keywords	Educational status [elderly] ; Mental ageing ; Cognitive impairment ; Memory and Reminiscence ; Mental speed ; Evaluation ; Longitudinal surveys ; Australia.
Annotation	The association between education and cognitive change was investigated in a large community sample of older Australians, and followed up after 3.6 years. Lower education was predictive of decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and on tests of language and knowledge, but not on tests of cognitive speed, memory or reaction time. The effects of education were not attenuated when adjusted for health, disability or activity level. The findings suggest that education slows the rate of decline on crystallised intelligence, but not other cognitive abilities. Education may compensate for neurodegenerative changes rather than protect against them.
Accession Number	CPA-970807224 A
Classmark	F:V: D6: E4: DB: DG: 4C: 3J: 7YA
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.