African Ancestry Individuals with Higher Educational Attainment Are Resilient to Alzheimer’s Disease Measured by pTau181

The article titled “African Ancestry Individuals with Higher Educational Attainment Are Resilient to Alzheimer’s Disease Measured by pTau181” explores the relationship between education and resilience to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in individuals of African ancestry. The study focuses on a specific biomarker, pTau181, which is associated with Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. Researchers found that individuals with higher educational attainment (EA) showed greater resilience to Alzheimer’s disease, even when they had high levels of pTau181.

This means that those with more education were better able to maintain their cognitive and functional abilities despite the presence of Alzheimer’s pathology.
The study involved 410 African American participants and examined their educational levels, cognitive function, and the presence of the APOE ɛ4 gene variant, which is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. The results indicated that higher education was linked to better functional abilities. However, this protective effect was less pronounced in individuals carrying the high-risk APOE ε4 allele.

This research highlights the importance of education as a protective modifiable factor against Alzheimer’s disease.  It suggests that educational attainment can provide cognitive resilience, helping individuals to better cope with the disease’s effects. The findings are significant because they offer insights into potential interventions that could help reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s in African American communities.

In summary, the study demonstrates that higher educational attainment is associated with greater resilience to Alzheimer’s disease in individuals of African ancestry. This resilience is measured by the ability to maintain cognitive and functional abilities despite high levels of the Alzheimer’s biomarker pTau181. The research underscores the value of education in promoting brain health and suggests that increasing educational opportunities could be a key strategy in combating Alzheimer’s disease

Rajabli F, Seixas AA, Akgun B, Adams LD, Inciute J, Hamilton KL, Whithead PG,
Konidari I, Gu T, Arvizu J, Golightly CG, Starks TD, Laux R, Byrd GS, Haines JL,
Beecham GW, Griswold AJ, Vance JM, Cuccaro ML, Pericak-Vance MA.

African Ancestry Individuals with Higher Educational Attainment Are Resilient to Alzheimer’s Disease Measured by pTau181.

J Alzheimer’s Dis. 2024;98(1):221-229. doi:
10.3233/JAD-231116. PMID: 38393909; PMCID: PMC11091636