Early cognitive development may influence developing dementia later in life

A new study underscores the link between early life cognitive enrichment (ELCI) — things such as school performance and socioeconomic status in childhood — and dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Previous research has suggested that higher ELCI could also indicate a lower likelihood of dementia later in life. In the new study, researchers looked at post-mortem data from 813 participants and found that those with higher ELCI scores tended to have less cognitive decline as well as lower scores on a test that measures for Alzheimer's disease. Some caveats: The findings only represent an association, and the participants in the study were largely white and tended to have higher education levels, which may not be generalizable for the larger aging population.