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The Effect of Education on Cognitive Performances and Its Implication for the Constitution of the Cognitive Reserve
Nicolas Le Carret, Sylviane Lafont, Luc Letenneur, Jean‐François Dartigues, Willy Mayo, Colette Fabrigoule. Developmental Neuropsychology, 2003-06-01
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
Some studies have suggested that people with a high educational level have a lower risk of developing dementia compared to people with a low educational level. This protective effect of education has been explained by the constitution of a cognitive reserve which might delay the cognitive and functional expression of neurodegenerative illnesses. The aim of this study is, on the one hand, to evaluate the impact of education on cognitive functioning, which is thought to support the cognitive reserve capacity, and on the other, to determine the extent to which cognitive functioning is affected by other explanatory variables. The analysis was conducted on 1022 individuals without physical or neurological disorders in the Personnes Ages Quid study. These participants were aged 66 and over and had completed a neuropsychological battery. The effect of some demographic and socioeconomic variables on cognitive performance was also analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed a significant effect of education on most neuropsychological performances, independently of the other variables, and more particularly, in the high-attention-demanding tests. A principal component analysis demonstrated that education specifically increases 2 cognitive components: controlled processes and conceptualization ability. More-over, mental stimulation occurring after the education years, such as high-complex-activity occupations, seems to increase the controlled component. All these results suggest that the effect of education on cognitive reserve may be explained by an in-crease in controlled processes and conceptualization abilities. These 2 cognitive components might delay the clinical expression of neurodegenerative illnesses by maintaining global cognitive efficiency. Of these 2 components, controlled processes were also influenced by high attention-demanding occupations.
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APA 7th
Le Carret, N., Lafont, S., Letenneur, L., Dartigues, J., Mayo, W., & Fabrigoule, C. (2003). The Effect of Education on Cognitive Performances and Its Implication for the Constitution of the Cognitive Reserve. Developmental Neuropsychology. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326942dn2303_1
Vancouver
Le Carret N, Lafont S, Letenneur L, Dartigues J, Mayo W, Fabrigoule C. The Effect of Education on Cognitive Performances and Its Implication for the Constitution of the Cognitive Reserve. Developmental Neuropsychology. 2003. doi:10.1207/s15326942dn2303_1. PMID: 12740188.
BibTeX
@article{lecarret2003-12740188,
author = {Le Carret, Nicolas and Lafont, Sylviane and Letenneur, Luc and Dartigues, Jean‐François and Mayo, Willy and Fabrigoule, Colette},
title = {{The Effect of Education on Cognitive Performances and Its Implication for the Constitution of the Cognitive Reserve}},
journal = {Developmental Neuropsychology},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1207/s15326942dn2303_1},
pmid = {12740188},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326942dn2303_1}
}
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Key findings
- Some studies have suggested that people with a high educational level have a lower risk of developing dementia compared to people with a low educational level.
- Multivariate analysis showed a significant effect of education on most neuropsychological performances, independently of the other variables, and more particularly, in the high-attention-demanding tests.
- A principal component analysis demonstrated that education specifically increases 2 cognitive components: controlled processes and conceptualization ability.
- All these results suggest that the effect of education on cognitive reserve may be explained by an in-crease in controlled processes and conceptualization abilities.
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Study details
- Participants1,022
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 27 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Developmental Neuropsychology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2003 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,022 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12740188) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 27 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 27 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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