Purpose: The association of education and the risk of developing dementia are reviewed. Proposed underlying mechanisms are discussed with the particular reference to social aspects.
Methods: The discussion is based on recent work published on the association of education and dementia risk dealing with incident cases.
Results: Strength and consistency of the association as well as the partly established dose response relationship indicate that higher education is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. This had been explained as a consequence of a greater "brain reserve capacity", which might be constituted by different mechanisms in early periods of CNS-development and during adulthood.
Conclusions: Education rather compensates neuro-degenerative changes than protects from dementia. Clinical signs of dementia will be delayed but not prevented. The knowledge about social aspects of this process implies the search for interventions.