Education, income, and an active lifestyle may help the brain stay resilient against Alzheimer’s-related changes. A new study by Dario Bachmann, Valerie Treyer and colleagues from the University of Zurich shows that higher socioeconomic status and stimulating activities can buffer the effects of harmful brain pathologies on memory and language.
Why do some people with clear signs of Alzheimer’s disease pathology in their brains continue to function well for years, while others decline more quickly? A new study provides answers by examining how socioeconomic status (SES) and lifestyle activities influence brain health and cognition in older adults.
The researchers followed more than 200 participants, with an average age of 67, over a period of 3.4 years. Each year, participants underwent cognitive testing, and the majority also had repeated brain scans. At the same time, their SES and lifestyle factors – such as education, occupation, physical activity, social engagement, and mentally stimulating hobbies – were assessed through detailed questionnaires.
The results showed that people with higher SES and more active lifestyles performed better on memory, language, and thinking tests at the start of the study. Over time, SES and lifestyle did not directly prevent decline, but they did act as protective buffers when brain pathologies were present. Participants with active lifestyles experienced less language decline even in the presence of amyloid deposits and white matter lesions. Meanwhile, those with higher SES showed slower memory decline because they were less affected by amyloid-related brain atrophy. The protective effects of an active lifestyle, in contrast, seemed to work independently of brain atrophy.
These findings suggest that lifestyle and SES support brain resilience through distinct pathways. They also underline the importance of timing: interventions to reduce socioeconomic disadvantages may be most effective early in life, while promoting stimulating activities can help preserve cognitive function also later in life.
Reference: Bachmann, D., Wybitul, M., Studer, S., Saake, A., Rauen, K., Buchmann, A., von Rickenbach, B., Gruber, E., Nitsch, R.M., Hock, C., Gietl, A. and Treyer, V., Protective Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Lifestyle on Amyloid- and White Matter Hyperintensity-Related Longitudinal Brain Atrophy and Cognitive Decline. Ann Neurol. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.70022
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