Education has been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but recent research suggests that the benefits extend beyond mere degree attainment. A study co-led by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Columbia University explored how high school contexts, opportunities, and outcomes influence midlife cognition among individuals with similar educational degrees.
Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, this study builds on previous findings about education's protective effects against cognitive impairment in later life. It also proposes new strategies for dementia prevention.
Chandra Muller, professor of sociology at UT and lead author of the study, stated: “When we talk about education, the quality of your high school experience, not just whether you received a diploma or went on to college, shapes your brain health decades later.” She emphasized that students from well-resourced schools who perform well academically tend to maintain stronger cognitive skills as they age. "Unfortunately," she added, "when we only look at degrees earned, we miss this important part of the story."
The research utilized data from surviving members of the High School and Beyond (HS&B:80) cohort—a diverse sample of over 27,000 Americans who were high school sophomores or seniors in 1980. This dataset enabled an examination of how early educational experiences relate to cognitive functioning four decades later.
Key findings indicate that while degree attainment predicts midlife cognitive functioning, much of this association is explained by students' high school academic performance measured through test scores, grades, and course completion. Additionally, high school contexts and learning opportunities significantly predict midlife cognition because they shape academic performance.
John Robert Warren from the University of Minnesota remarked: “What we’ve discovered is that it’s about the entire educational journey.” He noted that differences in resources and academic environments across schools create inequalities affecting cognitive health later in life.
Other principal investigators include Eric Grodsky from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Jennifer Manly and Adam Brickman from Columbia University. Collaborators Koit Hung and Michael J. Culbertson are affiliated with UT and UW-Madison respectively.
Supported by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association, these findings underscore addressing educational opportunities early as a strategy for reducing disparities in cognitive aging.