Education reduces dementia incidence and mitigates genetic risk.

Authors

Silvia H Barcellos, Leandro S Carvalho, Kenneth M Langa, Sneha Nimmagadda, Patrick Turley

Published in

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Volume 123. Issue 43. Pages e2529506123. Oct 27, 2026. Epub Oct 23, 2026.

Abstract

There is little causal evidence on factors that can protect individuals against Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) risk. We study the causal effect of education on ADRD, exploiting a regression discontinuity generated by a compulsory schooling reform. ADRD was ascertained based on medical history, hospital records, and death registries, addressing concerns about selective sample attrition. We find that education reduces incidence of ADRD. Using molecular genetic data, we show that the reform weakened the relationship between genetics and ADRD incidence, implying genetic risk of dementia is not immutable and can be modified by social policy.

PMID:
42912790
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Oct 2026.

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