Associations between education and brain structure at age 73 years, adjusted for age 11 IQ.
Title | Associations between education and brain structure at age 73 years, adjusted for age 11 IQ. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2016 |
Authors | Cox SR, Dickie DAlexander, Ritchie SJ, Karama S, Pattie A, Royle NA, Corley J, Aribisala BS, Hernández MValdés, Maniega SMuñoz, Starr JM, Bastin ME, Evans AC, Wardlaw JM, Deary IJ |
Journal | Neurology |
Volume | 87 |
Issue | 17 |
Pagination | 1820-1826 |
Date Published | 2016 Oct 25 |
ISSN | 1526-632X |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To investigate how associations between education and brain structure in older age were affected by adjusting for IQ measured at age 11.METHODS: We analyzed years of full-time education and measures from an MRI brain scan at age 73 in 617 community-dwelling adults born in 1936. In addition to average and vertex-wise cortical thickness, we measured total brain atrophy and white matter tract fractional anisotropy. Associations between brain structure and education were tested, covarying for sex and vascular health; a second model also covaried for age 11 IQ.RESULTS: The significant relationship between education and average cortical thickness (β = 0.124, p = 0.004) was reduced by 23% when age 11 IQ was included (β = 0.096, p = 0.041). Initial associations between longer education and greater vertex-wise cortical thickness were significant in bilateral temporal, medial-frontal, parietal, sensory, and motor cortices. Accounting for childhood intelligence reduced the number of significant vertices by >90%; only bilateral anterior temporal associations remained. Neither education nor age 11 IQ was significantly associated with total brain atrophy or tract-averaged fractional anisotropy.CONCLUSIONS: The association between years of education and brain structure ≈60 years later was restricted to cortical thickness in this sample; however, the previously reported associations between longer education and a thicker cortex are likely to be overestimates in terms of both magnitude and distribution. This finding has implications for understanding, and possibly ameliorating, life-course brain health. |
DOI | 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003247 |
Alternate Journal | Neurology |
PubMed ID | 27664981 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5089529 |
Grant List | G1001245 / / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom MR/K026992/1 / / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom MR/M013111/1 / / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom |