Effect of Education on Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Healthy Controls, and Participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wada, Masataka^a | Noda, Yoshihiro^a | Shinagawa, Shunichiro^b | Chung, Jun Ku^c | Sawada, Kyosuke^a | Ogyu, Kamiyu^a | Tarumi, Ryosuke^a | Tsugawa, Sakiko^a | Miyazaki, Takahiro^a | Yamagata, Bun^a | Graff-Guerrero, Ariel^c | Mimura, Masaru^a | Nakajima, Shinichiro^{a; *} | for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative¹

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan | [b] Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan | [c] Multimodal Imaging Group, Research Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Shinichiro Nakajima, MD, PhD, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 3353 1211/Ext. 62454; Fax: +81 3 5379 0187; E-mail: shinichiro_nakajima@hotmail.com.

Note: [1] Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (http://adni.loni.usc.edu). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this report. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at: http://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_Acknowledgement_List.pdf.

Abstract: Background:Cognitive reserve is the acquired capacity reflecting a functional brain adaptability/flexibility in the context of aging. Educational attainment is thought to be among the most important factors that contribute to cognitive reserve. Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among duration of education and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) related neuroimaging biomarkers such as amyloid-β deposition, glucose metabolism, and brain volumes in each stage of AD. Methods:We reanalyzed a part of the datasets of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Participants were between 55 and 90 years of age and diagnosed as one of the following: healthy controls (HC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or AD. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among duration of education and amyloid-β deposition (n = 825), brain metabolism (n = 1,304), and brain volumes (n = 1,606) among three groups using data for 18F-Florbetapir (AV-45) imaging, fludeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Results:Duration of education had no correlations with amyloid-β deposition or brain metabolism in any groups. However, duration of education was positively associated with the total brain volume only in participants with MCI. Conclusions:Our findings suggest that education may exert a protective effect on total brain volume in the MCI stage but not in HC or AD. Thus, education may play an important role in preventing the onset of dementia through brain reserve in MCI.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), brain reserve, brain volume, cognitive reserve, education, mild cognitive impairment

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-171168

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 861-869, 2018