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Dementia research More education protects against dementia
According to estimates, over 40,000 people in Germany suffer from Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). The disease usually begins at the age of 50 to 60 years, but can also occur much earlier. The life expectancy of those affected is significantly reduced. Scientists were now able to show that FTD patients who worked in highly qualified occupations live significantly longer.
Trained brain protects better from consequences of dementia
In the past, various studies have shown that a trained brain is better protected from the consequences of dementia. This is confirmed by a study for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Thus, post-diagnosis patients with high-skilled occupations survived for up to three years longer than people with less-skilled occupations. According to the researchers, this confirms that education and mental stimulation promote a kind of "mental reserve" of the brain. The scientists recently published their findings in the journal "Neurology".
High education apparently protects against dementia. (Photo: Konstantin Yuganov / fotolia Frontotemporal dementia starts earlier than Alzheimer's
In Germany, about three to nine percent of the approximately 1.4 million people with dementia suffer from FTD. That corresponds to about 42,000 people. This disease begins in contrast to Alzheimer's already at the age of 50 to 60 years, but can also occur in 20-year-olds. According to the information, the disease begins with changes in personality and behavior as well as speech disorders. This is because especially nerve cells in the forebrain and in the temporal lobes are destroyed. Therefore, it is often first confused with a mental illness. There is no therapy for FTD. Medications used in Alzheimer's disease are not effective in this form of dementia. In most cases, the disease progresses relatively quickly, so that patients become a care case and die within a few years. Due to the increasing number of dementia diseases, experts have repeatedly pointed out in recent years that the German health care system is not prepared for dementia.
Patients with highly skilled occupations lived longer
Lauren Massimo from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (USA) and her colleagues investigated whether mentally challenged careers could extend survival after diagnosis of the disease. To this end, the scientists compared the medical records and biographies of 83 people who had died of either Alzheimer's disease or an FTD. In the study, career success was classified by employment status attained, whether someone worked as a worker, craftsman or salesperson or as a lawyer, doctor or engineer. The researchers found that patients with FTD survived on average for about seven years, after relatives had first observed a permanently unusual behavior in them. However, there were clear educational differences. On average, only 72 months were in the group with the lowest employment status and 116 months in the highest qualified group. As a result, FTD patients with highly skilled employment survived up to three years longer than patients with less demanding occupations.
Mental performance despite progressive disease
Prof. Gereon Fink, board member of the German Society of Neurology and Director of the Department of Neurology at the University of Cologne commented on the results: "Possibly a professionally long mentally stimulating and demanding activity leads to the formation of a true cognitive reserve of the brain." Call it a cognitive reserve Scientists understand the ability of the brain to balance the cell degeneration caused by a neurodegenerative disease, and thus maintain mental performance for a long time despite the progression of the disease. Or to put it simply, a person with a well-trained brain will not be harmed if small parts of the brain are no longer functioning properly.
There could be other causes behind the protective effect
The new findings confirm previous studies that show that people with low education are also at a higher risk of contracting Alzheimer's, and that these patients lose their mental faculties faster. "One should not forget, however, that a higher professional success usually also goes hand in hand with a better social and economic status," says Fink. The observed protective effect could therefore have other causes. For example, it could possibly be based on the fact that successful people in professional life are usually better off financially, able to afford better doctors and a healthier lifestyle, and receive more support from their social environment. In addition, the significance of the current study is limited by the relatively small number of cases. Therefore, according to Fink further studies would prove the connection. Nevertheless, the study of Massimo and colleagues still has an influence on the counseling of patients and relatives: "In any case, not only the level of education attained, but also the occupational activity should be used as a relevant factor to assess the individual course of the disease, prognosis and treatment success ", Said Fink. (Ad)