Anel FrederickEducation Helps Protect Thinking Skills
We studied how education relates to daily functioning in older Puerto Ricans who have high levels of a blood marker linked to Alzheimer’s disease. We found that people with more years of schooling had better functional abilities, even when they showed signs of higher Alzheimer’s-related protein levels. We also saw that each additional year of education lowered the chance of having problems with daily tasks. Although a genetic risk factor called APOE ε4 did not strongly change this pattern, there was a trend suggesting that education may help reduce some of the negative effects of this gene. These results suggest that education may help build “cognitive reserve,” which supports the brain when facing disease-related changes. Studying a diverse population like Puerto Ricans is important because it helps us understand how social and genetic factors work together in different communities. This work is significant because it shows that improving access to education may help protect brain health later in life.
Dorfsman DA, Cai D, Hamilton-Nelson KL, et al. Educational attainment is associated with reduced functional decline in Puerto Ricans with elevated pTau181. J Alzheimers Dis. 2026;110(2):685–695. doi:10.1177/13872877261415933