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Cited by 215Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchCognitive Abilities and TestingAging and Gerontology Research

Education and age-related decline in cognitive performance: Systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies

Seblova, D., Berggren, R., Lövdén, M.·2020·Ageing Research Reviews
DOI 10.1016/j.arr.2019.101005
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Abstract

Central theories of cognitive aging propose that education is an important protective factor for decline in cognitive performance in older age. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of reported estimates of an association between educational attainment and change in performance in six cognitive domains (episodic memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence, and global ability) in the general population of older individuals. The systematic search (11 th of October 2019) identified 92 eligible articles. The episodic memory domain had the highest number of estimates (37 estimates from 18 articles, n = 109,281) included in the meta-analysis. The fewest estimates (6 estimates from 6 articles, n = 5263) were included for fluid intelligence. Pooled mean estimates from an inverse-variance weighted random effects analysis were not statistically significant and indicated that any association between education and change in cognitive performance is likely of a negligible magnitude. The estimates for education's role (one additional year) for change in cognitive performance ranged from -0.019 (95 % confidence interval, CI = -0.047, 0.010) to 0.004SD (CI = -0.003, 0.012) per decade. Even if the larger positive point estimates (i.e., protective effects) are selectively considered, the influence of education on change is still at least 12 times less important for the cognitive functioning of an older individual than the association bet…

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  • Educational attainment, not years of education, drives the protective effect for future cognition and dementia.

    “Overall, it appears to be educational attainment, not the related years of education, which drives the protective effect for future cognition and dementia.”

    From Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission (2024) · cites this paper as [69]

  • Meta-analytic findings suggest education plays a critical role in maintaining higher levels of cognitive performance but does not demonstrate a consistent association with the rate of cognitive aging.

    “For instance, meta-analytic findings suggest that while education plays a critical role in maintaining higher levels of cognitive performance, education does not demonstrate a consistent association with the rate of cognitive aging (Seblova et al. 2020).”

    From Cognitive Aging Revisited: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the WAIS-5 (2025) · cites this paper as Seblova et al. 2020

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Authors
Seblova, D., Berggren, R., & Lövdén, M.
Affiliations
Stockholm University (SE)
ORCID
Lövdén, M.
Venue
Ageing Research Reviews
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-03
Volume
58
Pages
101005
ISSN
1568-1637 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.arr.2019.101005
OpenAlex
W2997277858
Cited by
215
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 1
FWCI
2.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Ageing Research Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
Keywords
educational attainment, cognitive aging, cognitive decline, episodic memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence, older adults, protective factors, cognitive domain
MeSH terms
Aged, Aging, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Educational Status, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Cohort Studies

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