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  11. Is Educational Attainment Protective Against Developing Dementia? A Twin Study Of Genetic And Environmental Contributions

Is educational attainment protective against developing dementia? A twin study of genetic and environmental contributions

Ellen E Walters1, Susan E Luczak2, Christopher R Beam2,3

  • 1Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, 635 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-3332, USA.

European Journal of Epidemiology
|August 12, 2025

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View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Higher education may not directly lower dementia risk. Shared genetic factors, not just educational attainment, appear to influence dementia risk across families.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Epidemiology
Keywords:
DementiaEducationGenetic correlationTwin studies

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Background:

  • Low educational attainment is a known modifiable risk factor for dementia.
  • The causal link between education and dementia risk needs further family-based investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causal basis of the association between educational attainment and dementia risk using a twin study design.
  • To determine if higher education in one twin compared to their co-twin is associated with reduced dementia risk.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from seven twin samples (N=60,027) within the IGEMS consortium.
  • Applied a multilevel between-within regression framework to analyze within-pair differences.
  • Examined the association between educational attainment and dementia risk within and between twin pairs.

Main Results:

  • Confirmed an overall association: higher education linked to lower dementia risk (phenotypic coefficient = -0.68, p < .0001).
  • Within twin pairs, higher education than co-twin did not consistently show lower dementia risk (within-family coefficient = -0.07, p = .0983).
  • The association is largely explained by shared genetic influences and some shared environmental factors.

Conclusions:

  • The protective effect of education on dementia risk is primarily mediated by shared genetic factors.
  • Environmental factors shared within families also contribute to the education-dementia association.
  • Findings highlight the complex interplay of genes and environment in dementia risk.