More schooling may slow down Alzheimer's disease

Scientists announced this week that extra education could be a factor in slowing down mental diseases such as Alzheimer's. Reuters reports that people who attend a university or college may be less affected by brain changes than by those who do not go on to higher education.


"More education is not associated with any differences in the damage to the brain, but people with higher education can cope with that damage better," researcher Hanna Kaege told the news source.


Kaege added that more education often leads to greater psychological strength, which allows individuals to find ways to overcome problems associated with dementia and other mental maladies.

For every year of extra schooling, the study said, there was an 11 percent decrease in the risk of developing dementia.


The research team told the news provider that these results could be promising in reducing the number of patients with Alzheimer's, which is expected to increase in the coming decades as the aging population grows.


According to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's, experts estimate that by 2050, there will be as many as 16 million cases of the disease in the United States.


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