Education and income show heterogeneous relationships to lifespan brain and cognitive differences across European and US cohorts

0 views • Oct 28, 2021
0
Save
Cite
Share

Author(s)

Author Name

Kristine B. Walhovd

Anders M. Fjell

Uploader

Yunpeng Wang

Inge K Amlien

Athanasia M. Mowinckel

Published 4 Projects

Neuroscience Hippocampus Brain Genetics Mri

Ulman Lindenberger

Sandra Düzel

David Bartres-Faz

Klaus P. Ebmeier

Christian A Drevon

William Barre

Paolo Ghisletta

Louise Baruel Johansen

Rogier A. Kievit

Richard N Henson

Kathrine S Madsen

Lars Nyberg

Jennifer Ruth Harris

Cristina Solé-Padullés

Sara Pudas

Oystein Sorensen

Published 4 Projects

Neuroscience Hippocampus Brain Genetics Mri

Rene Westerhausen

Eniko Zsoldos

Laura Nawijn

Torkild Hovde Lyngstad

Sana Suri

Brenda WJH Penninx

Ole J Rogeberg

Andreas Brandmaier

Add New Author

Socio-economic status (SES) has been proposed to have facilitating and protective effects on brain and cognition. Here we show that relationships between SES, brain volumes and general cognitive ability differ significantly across European and US cohorts (4-97 years, N ≈ 500,000; 54,000 with brain imaging). Education was positively related to intracranial (ICV) and total brain gray matter (GM) volume. Income was related to ICV, but not GM. Relationships varied significantly across samples, and SES was more strongly related to brain and cognition in US than European cohorts. Differences in neuroanatomical volumes explained part of the SES-cognition relationships. SES was more strongly related to ICV than to GM, implying that SES-cognition relations in adulthood are less likely grounded in neuroprotective effects on GM volume in aging. Rather, a relationship may be established early in life. The findings underscore that SES has no uniform association with, or impact on, brain and cognition. ### Competing Interest Statement Christian A Drevon is a cofounder, stock-owner, board member and consultant in the contract laboratory Vitas AS, performing personalized analyses of blood biomarkers. None of the other authors declare competing interests.

Brain
Brain 5 Projects
Cognitive Function
Cognitive Function 1 Project
Neuroscience
Neuroscience 179 Projects
Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic Status 1 Project
Aging
Aging 5 Projects
Lifespan
Lifespan 5 Projects
Development
Development 6 Projects