Has the myth been busted?
In 1972, the UK increased the mandatory school attendance age from 15 to 16, creating an opportunity for researchers to explore whether an additional year of education could have lasting benefits on brain health as people aged.
Surprisingly, a study conducted by Nicholas Judd from Radboud University Medical Center and Rogier Kievit found that the extra year of schooling did not appear to offer any neurological advantages as individuals aged. Despite the well-known benefits of education on brain health, including resilience against cognitive decline, their research showed no noticeable differences in brain structure, such as volume, surface area, or cortical thickness, in those who had an additional year of schooling.
The study involved examining MRI scans of over 30,000 adults who had attended school in the early 1970s. The researchers were looking for subtle neurological differences between those who were required to attend an extra year of school and those who finished school before the law changed. However, their findings indicated no structural differences between the two groups, challenging the assumption that education might help preserve brain health over time.
The researchers hypothesize that while education may cause temporary changes, such as an increase in brain size, these effects might not last as people age. Kievit compared it to the effects of physical training, where short-term gains, like muscle growth, can fade over time. Additionally, the researchers noted that subtle, microscopic changes might still occur but would not be visible through standard MRI scans.
The results suggest that while there is a correlation between education and brain health, this does not necessarily imply a direct causal link. The study serves as a reminder that correlational findings do not always indicate causation, urging caution when drawing conclusions about the long-term effects of education on brain aging.
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