Academic Education Can Positively Affect Aging of the Brain

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - The benefits of good education and lifelong learning extend into old age. The initial findings of a long-term study show that certain degenerative processes are reduced in the brains of academics. Their brains are better able to compensate age-related cognitive and neural limitations. A good education is an excellent way to embark on a successful career and develop your personality. But can education also have a positive effect on our brains as we get older? A team of researchers under the University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging" led by Lutz Jäncke, professor of neuropsychology at the University of Zurich, has now explored this question in a long-term study. The researchers followed more than 200 senior citizens for over seven years. The study participants are not affected by dementia, have average to above-average intelligence and lead highly active social lives.