There is a popular saying “Use it or lose it!” Does it apply to your brain? A new study of approximately 280,000 volunteers in the UK Biobank suggests that it does. People who participate frequently in adult education courses apparently reduce their risk of dementia (Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, Aug. 23, 2023).
How Do Adult Education Courses Help?
The people in the study signed up with the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010, when they were at least 40 but not older than 69. They completed a number of cognitive tests at the start and during the seven years of follow-up. In addition, when the study began, they filled out a comprehensive questionnaire that asked about their participation in adult education courses. Previous studies have shown that people who use their leisure time for intellectual activities are less susceptible to dementia.
Besides the baseline data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, volunteers provided blood samples that were analyzed for gene variants that may contribute to dementia. These included the APOE variants so important for Alzheimer disease along with more than a hundred others.
Who Developed Dementia?
During the five years of the study, about 1 percent of the volunteers developed dementia. Those who had participated in adult education courses were 19 percent less likely to be among them than those who had not. This held up well even when the investigators adjusted for genetic predisposition to dementia.
What is more, participants maintained their fluid intelligence and nonverbal reasoning better, too. On the other hand, classes didn’t seem to affect visuospatial memory or reaction time. Perhaps the most popular classes don’t emphasize the use of visuospatial memory.
The authors conclude,
“In conclusion, the present study showed that participation in adult education classes was associated with higher retention of subsequent fluid intelligence and a lower risk of developing dementia ≥ 5 years. This association did not change after adjusting for cognitive function at baseline or genetic predisposition to dementia.”
They point out that we should not infer causality from this observational study. However, attending adult education courses seems like a pleasant way to reduce the risk of dementia. Other approaches include staying physically active as well as following a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains rather than processed foods.
