We’ve long known that getting a lot – as much as you can –
education early in life stands your brain good stead later in life when you hit
that point that a dementia and cognitive decline become a real issue.
And it’s not, it seems, that lots of education prevents
cognitive decline but rather that getting lots of education builds a larger
brain “reserve” so that a person who is beginning to experience cognitive
impairment can “cover” for it better and longer, sort of like having more money
in the bank to help deal with financial setbacks.
In other words, lots of education doesn’t prevent
dementia, merely postpones it (although some studies indicate that when it hits
in such cases, it tends to hit harder than in those in whom it’s been a slower,
steadier decline).
The good news, though, from this morning’s study in JAMA Neurology
is that even if you missed out on getting much of an education early in life,
you can make up for that lack in midlife by continuing to get “intellectual
stimulation”.
In this smallish study of roughly 2000 people followed for
about a decade, the researchers concluded that “intellectual stimulation” in
midlife helps delay the onset of dementia, and that bonus accrues particularly
to people who got less education when they were younger.
In other words, it’s never too late to help your brain.
The big question is, of course, what exactly makes up
“intellectual stimulation” besides the same-old, same-old standbys such as
doing crosswords, reading, etc.
In other words, does arguing about the permutations of who
will play whom in the Soccer World Cup elimination rounds count as intellectual
stimulation?
I’d argue that it does but the clear answer is that we
don’t really know.
