Higher literacy is associated with better white matter integrity and cognition in middle age

Elisa de Paula França de Resende; Feng Xia; Stephen Sidney; Lenore J. Launer; Pamela J. Schreiner; Guray Erus; Nick Bryan; Kristine Yaffe

doi:10.1002/dad2.12363

Higher literacy is associated with better white matter integrity and cognition in middle age

Elisa de Paula França de Resende, Feng Xia, Stephen Sidney, Lenore J. Launer, Pamela J. Schreiner, Guray Erus, Nick Bryan, Kristine Yaffe

Epidemiology & Community Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction: Literacy can be a better measure of quality of education. Its association with brain health in midlife has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We studied, cross-sectionally, 616 middle-aged adults (mean age of 55.1 ± 3.6 years, 53% female and 38% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We correlated literacy with cognitive tests, gray matter volumes, and fractional anisotropy (FA) values (indirect measures of white matter integrity) using linear regression. Results: The higher-literacy group (n = 499) performed better than the low-literacy group (n = 117) on all cognitive tests. There was no association between literacy and gray matter volumes. The higher-literacy group had greater total-brain FA and higher temporal, parietal, and occipital FA values after multivariable adjustments. Discussion: Higher literacy is associated with higher white matter integrity as well as with better cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of focusing on midlife interventions to improve literacy skills.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e12363
Journal	Alzheimer's and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring
Volume	14
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12363
State	Published - 2022

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© 2022 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.

Keywords

CARDIA study
cognitive reserve
literacy
white matter integrity

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10.1002/dad2.12363

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title = "Higher literacy is associated with better white matter integrity and cognition in middle age",

abstract = "Introduction: Literacy can be a better measure of quality of education. Its association with brain health in midlife has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We studied, cross-sectionally, 616 middle-aged adults (mean age of 55.1 ± 3.6 years, 53% female and 38% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We correlated literacy with cognitive tests, gray matter volumes, and fractional anisotropy (FA) values (indirect measures of white matter integrity) using linear regression. Results: The higher-literacy group (n = 499) performed better than the low-literacy group (n = 117) on all cognitive tests. There was no association between literacy and gray matter volumes. The higher-literacy group had greater total-brain FA and higher temporal, parietal, and occipital FA values after multivariable adjustments. Discussion: Higher literacy is associated with higher white matter integrity as well as with better cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of focusing on midlife interventions to improve literacy skills.",

keywords = "CARDIA study, cognitive reserve, literacy, white matter integrity",

author = "{de Resende}, {Elisa de Paula Fran{\c c}a} and Feng Xia and Stephen Sidney and Launer, {Lenore J.} and Schreiner, {Pamela J.} and Guray Erus and Nick Bryan and Kristine Yaffe",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1002/dad2.12363",

language = "English (US)",

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AU - de Resende, Elisa de Paula França

AU - Xia, Feng

AU - Sidney, Stephen

AU - Launer, Lenore J.

AU - Schreiner, Pamela J.

AU - Erus, Guray

AU - Bryan, Nick

AU - Yaffe, Kristine

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Introduction: Literacy can be a better measure of quality of education. Its association with brain health in midlife has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We studied, cross-sectionally, 616 middle-aged adults (mean age of 55.1 ± 3.6 years, 53% female and 38% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We correlated literacy with cognitive tests, gray matter volumes, and fractional anisotropy (FA) values (indirect measures of white matter integrity) using linear regression. Results: The higher-literacy group (n = 499) performed better than the low-literacy group (n = 117) on all cognitive tests. There was no association between literacy and gray matter volumes. The higher-literacy group had greater total-brain FA and higher temporal, parietal, and occipital FA values after multivariable adjustments. Discussion: Higher literacy is associated with higher white matter integrity as well as with better cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of focusing on midlife interventions to improve literacy skills.

AB - Introduction: Literacy can be a better measure of quality of education. Its association with brain health in midlife has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We studied, cross-sectionally, 616 middle-aged adults (mean age of 55.1 ± 3.6 years, 53% female and 38% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We correlated literacy with cognitive tests, gray matter volumes, and fractional anisotropy (FA) values (indirect measures of white matter integrity) using linear regression. Results: The higher-literacy group (n = 499) performed better than the low-literacy group (n = 117) on all cognitive tests. There was no association between literacy and gray matter volumes. The higher-literacy group had greater total-brain FA and higher temporal, parietal, and occipital FA values after multivariable adjustments. Discussion: Higher literacy is associated with higher white matter integrity as well as with better cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of focusing on midlife interventions to improve literacy skills.

KW - CARDIA study

KW - cognitive reserve

KW - literacy

KW - white matter integrity

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Higher literacy is associated with better white matter integrity and cognition in middle age

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