Sex differences and the role of education in cognitive ageing: analysis of two UK-based prospective cohort studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous studies have shown an excess risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among women. Education is thought to have a causal association with dementia onset. We aimed to investigate the role of education in influencing sex differences in cognitive ageing.

Methods

We analysed data from two prospective cohort studies in the UK; the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Whitehall II study, to assess sex differences in cognitive performance and cognitive decline by birth cohort (birth year 1930-38, 1939-45, or 1946-55), before and after adjustment for education, and by high and low education level. Memory was assessed using immediate recall, for which data were available from all waves of the ELSA (2002-14) and Whitehall II (1997-2015) stud

SUBMITTER: Bloomberg M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8141610 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature