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How Learning Protects the Aging Brain

By Wendy Croix

Formal learning during young adulthood protects the brain's memory functions as people age, according to a much-reported study by researchers at the University of Toronto. Compared with their less educated peers, the aging educated use their brains more flexibly, compensating for cerebral changes--even changes as serious as Alzheimer's.

The Toronto Study

Using brain scans to measure cerebral activity during memory tests, Toronto researchers compared the mental activity of young adults aged 18-30 with participants aged 65 and older. They found that remembering causes the younger brain to activate its temporal lobes (associated with learning), whereas the older brain performs memory tasks with the frontal lobes (associated with general cognition). Their conclusion: By contributing to flexible mental function, education protects memory.

Learning Contributes to Frontal Lobe Advantage

That older adults rely on the brain's frontal lobes isn't news. The direct link between educational attainment and later brain function is. As Canada Research Chair in Neurocognitive Aging and co-author of the Toronto study Cheryl Grady, Ph.D., points out, "the higher the education, the more likely the older adult is to recruit frontal regions, resulting in a better memory performance."

Toronto Study Builds on Previous Findings About Aging and Education

Other researchers have linked education to the ability of the aging brain to delay the mental--though not the physical--effects of Alzheimer's. Educated Alzheimer's patients withstand the ravages of the disease better than the less educated, maintaining their cognitive abilities in the face of the brain's neural pathology. Why? The educated brain can compensate, drawing on its mental reserves.

If You Didn't Go to College

Seniors should stay mentally active to preserve their memories, according to Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging. His Memory Bible compiles practical advice for combating the impact of aging on memory. Small's own research reports improved memory in subjects in their 70s and 80s. "Mental aerobics," physical activity, and healthy diet all sharpen mental efficiency and protect the aging brain.

Of Brains and Bliss

Animal research demonstrates a link between environmental complexity and neuron growth, so the youthful learning brain may have more neural connections to lose as it ages. However, memory function may be about human connections as much as neural ones. Interest, a trait highly correlated with greater education in a study of adults aged 65-86, also correlates with social support. But so does joy, a trait associated with both social support and religious participation. Degreed or not, people who stay socially active also protect their memories.

Sources:
"Deconstructing Positive Affect in Later Life: A Differential Functionalist Analysis of Joy and Interest," by Nathan S. Consedine, Carol Magai, and Arlene R. King. International Journal of Aging & Human Development 58.1 (2004).
"Delaying Dementia," by Mark Fischetti. Scientific American Mind 16.2 (2005).
"Higher Education Keeps Late-Life Memory Strong," by Kathleen Doheny. ScoutNews (Mar 14, 2005).
"Old Genes, New Findings," by James Bakalar and Anthony L. Komaroff. Newsweek 145.3 (Jan 17, 2005).
"The Relation Between Brain Activity During Memory Tasks and Years of Education in Young and Older adults," by Mellanie V. Springer, MSc, Anthony R. McIntosh, PhD, Gordon Winocur, PhD, and Cheryl L. Grady, PhD. Neuropsychology 19.2 (2005).

About the Author
Wendy Croix, Ph.D. is a freelance writer, cultural critic and university professor. In her twenty years as a professional educator, Wendy has guided hundreds of students toward the careers of their dreams.