For years, experts believed that higher education and mentally active lifestyles could reduce the risk of dementia. However, new research challenges this assumption, particularly in relation to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is primarily characterized by progressive memory loss. Some recent studies suggest that lifelong education may not prevent or slow the disease, even though it was previously thought to enhance cognitive reserve — the brain’s ability to maintain function despite damage.

A new study led by Dr. Rebecca Gottesman at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, found no link between midlife cognitive reserve and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, did find that people with higher education may maintain cognitive function longer, simply because their cognitive reserve takes more time to be depleted.

Dr. Gottesman explains, “Our study was designed to look for trends, not prove cause and effect. The major implication is that exposure to education and better cognitive performance when you’re younger can help preserve cognitive function for a while, even if it’s unlikely to change the course of the disease.”

Ironically, the researchers note that this may make highly educated individuals more vulnerable to undetected dementia, as the disease can progress further before noticeable symptoms appear. Conversely, people with lower cognitive reserve may detect cognitive decline earlier.