Education mitigates age-related decline in N-Acetylaspartate levels

Brain and Behavior
Kirk I EricksonArthur F Kramer

Abstract

Greater educational attainment is associated with better neurocognitive health in older adults and is thought to reflect a measure of cognitive reserve. In vivo neuroimaging tools have begun to identify the brain systems and networks potentially responsible for reserve. We examined the relationship between education, a commonly used proxy for cognitive reserve, and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in neurologically healthy older adults (N=135; mean age=66 years). Using single voxel MR spectroscopy, we predicted that higher levels of education would moderate an age-related decline in NAA in the frontal cortex. After controlling for the variance associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, sex, annual income, and creatine levels, there were no significant main effects of education (B=0.016, P=0.787) or age (B=-0.058, P=0.204) on NAA levels. However, consistent with our predictions, there was a significant education X age interaction such that more years of education offset an age-related decline in NAA (B=0.025, P=0.031). When examining working memory via the backwards digit span task, longer span length was associated with greater education (P<0.01) and showed a trend with greater NAA concentrations (P<0.06); however, there was no age X ed...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 8, 2017·Dementia & Neuropsychologia·Kenia Repiso CampanholoMara Cristina Souza de Lucia

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Software Mentioned

PROCESS
Siemens Syngo 2004

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