Education, cognitive function, and severity of neuropathology in AD

 
   Lead Investigator:    Tom Koepsell
   Institution      :     
   E-Mail           :    koepsell@u.washington.edu
   Proposal ID      :    282


   Publications:


1  Koepsell T, Kurland BF, Zhou XH, Harel O, Kukull WA
   Education, cognitive function, and severity of neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease
   2005   Abstract  7th Intl Conference AD/PD Book of Abstracts   67   , 

   PUBLISHED



2  Koepsell TD, Kurland BF, Harel O , Johnson EA,  Zhou XH, Kukull WA
   Education, cognitive function, and severity of neuropathology in Alzheimer disease
   Journal Article  Neurology,70:1732-1739,2008,

   PUBLISHED





   Proposal Description:
   Education is associated with the risk and clinical course of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the mechanisms remain unclear. More-educated persons may have better test-taking skills, "cognitive reserve" that delays appearance of cognitive decline, or slower rates of cognitive decline with advancing neuropathology. We examined associations among cognitive function, severity of AD neuropathology, and education in a large national sample. We studied 2,060 patients age 65+ years enrolled before July, 2002 at AD Centers throughout the U.S. who died and underwent autopsy. All had taken the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) within 2 years before death. Braak  Braak stage, neuritic plaque density, and CERAD  and NIA/Reagan diagnostic classifications were used to measure AD neuropathologic severity. Multivariate analyses modeled MMSE as a function of education and neuropathologic severity,adjusting for age.