How education shapes dementia risk across countries, generations, and sexes
Official title: Differences in the association of education with ADRD across countries, historical eras, and men and women
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11508132 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will look at how different levels of schooling relate to Alzheimer’s and related dementias in people from different countries, birth cohorts, and men and women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | May 15, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $37,500 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG081248-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11508132 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (typically older adults) who are part of long-term cohort or twin studies and can share education and health history—especially twin pairs—across participating countries are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate clinical treatments for dementia or those under age 21 are unlikely to receive direct medical benefit from this observational research.
What this research studies
You would be contributing information from long-term twin studies in the IGEMS consortium, where researchers compare education, jobs, and cognitive health across countries, birth years, and sexes. The team harmonizes education using international scoring (ISCED) and analyzes twin pairs to separate social influences from genetic ones. They also examine how these links changed for people born in different eras and between men and women, and include genetic risk measures when available. This work uses existing observational data rather than testing a clinical treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal social and genetic factors that protect against dementia and help target prevention efforts to groups who would benefit most.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has consistently linked higher education to lower dementia risk, but this large international twin-consortium approach is relatively new and aims to separate social from genetic influences.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Finch, Brian K. — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Finch, Brian K.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How education shapes dementia risk across countries, generations, and sexes
Looking at how different levels of education relate to dementia risk for adults across countries, birth cohorts, and between men and women.
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How education affects dementia risk across countries, generations, and genders
This work looks at whether the amount and type of schooling people get changes their chances of Alzheimer's and related dementias across different countries, birth years, and between men and women.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.