Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;35(6):633-639. doi: 10.1002/gps.5281. Epub 2020 Feb 19.
The potential role of education attained after the age of 50, for example, vocational training or recreational courses, in cognitive reserve has been unexplored. We examined the cross-sectional and prospective associations between late life education (LLE) and global cognitive function in older adults.
A total of 5306 participants (50+ years) in The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing answered questions about highest level of education completed and LLE (2010). Cognitive function was defined as the number of errors on the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) assessed in 2010 and 2014. The association between LLE and MoCA-errors was examined using Poisson regression stratified by level of education. Sensitivity analyses were done to examine reverse causation and selection bias.
In those with primary/no (n = 1312, incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.83, 95%CI = 0.70-0.99) and secondary education (n = 2208, IRR = 0.88, 95%CI = 0.80-0.97), but not tertiary education (n = 1786, IRR = 0.93, CI = 0.86-1.00), participating in LLE was associated with lower rate of MoCA errors. The prospective association between LLE and 4-year change in MoCA-errors was (borderline) statistically significant in those with primary/no education only (IRR = 0.86, CI = 0.74-1.00). Sensitivity analyses supported robustness of the findings.
LLE may contribute to cognitive reserve and be a useful intervention to mitigate the increased risk of cognitive decline associated with low levels of education.
年龄在 50 岁以后获得的教育，例如职业培训或娱乐课程，在认知储备中的潜在作用尚未得到探索。我们研究了老年人晚年教育（LLE）与整体认知功能的横断面和前瞻性关联。
共有 5306 名（50 岁以上）爱尔兰老龄化纵向研究参与者回答了关于完成的最高教育水平和 LLE（2010 年）的问题。认知功能被定义为 2010 年和 2014 年蒙特利尔认知评估（MoCA）的错误数量。使用按教育水平分层的泊松回归检验 LLE 与 MoCA-错误之间的关联。进行敏感性分析以检查反向因果关系和选择偏差。
在具有小学/无（n = 1312，发病率比[IRR] = 0.83，95%CI = 0.70-0.99）和中学教育（n = 2208，IRR = 0.88，95%CI = 0.80-0.97）的参与者中，但没有高等教育（n = 1786，IRR = 0.93，CI = 0.86-1.00），参与 LLE 与 MoCA 错误的较低发生率相关。仅在具有小学/无教育水平的参与者中，LLE 与 4 年 MoCA 错误变化之间的前瞻性关联具有统计学意义（边缘显著）（IRR = 0.86，CI = 0.74-1.00）。敏感性分析支持研究结果的稳健性。
LLE 可能有助于认知储备，并且是一种有用的干预措施，可以减轻与低教育水平相关的认知能力下降的风险增加。
