# Genetic Differences in the Causal Effect of Education Quantity and Quality on Cognitive Functioning and Dementia Diagnosis Later in Life

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $817,898

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Gains in life expectancy and population aging are driving a sharp rise in Alzheimer's Disease and Related
Dementias (ADRD). In this context, it is crucial to understand what factors can modify ADRD risk and cognitive
decline in older ages. Education has been identified as one potential modifier, as higher education is robustly
associated with lower ADRD risk. However, little is known about how much of this association reflects a causal
effect from education to ADRD risk and how much is driven by common third factors, such as genetics, that may
confound and moderate this relationship. In addition, the relevance of factors beyond the quantity of education
– in particular the importance of education quality as a driver of ADRD risk, as well as a moderator in the
relationship between education and ADRD – are not well understood. Filling these knowledge gaps is essential
to the design of effective policies aimed at improving cognitive health and reducing disparities in ADRD risk.
In this project, we propose to study how much of the association between education, cognition and ADRD risk
in late-life is due to a causal effect running from education quantity and quality to cognition/ADRD risk. To deal
with the fact that different people self-select into different types and quantities of schooling, we will use two
natural experiments: one school reform that affected education quantity (years of compulsory schooling) and
another that affected quality (academic curriculum). We will supplement existing datasets with the construction
of polygenic indexes (PGIs) for educational attainment (EA) and for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and by linking
participants to local historic school quality measures such as pupil/teacher ratios and teacher pay. This will allow
us to study the role of genetics and school quality in moderating the effects of both school reforms on ADRD.
We will use data from three large international aging cohorts: the UK Biobank (UK), FinnGen (Finland) and
Lifelines (the Netherlands). These cohorts allow us to study administrative-based measures of ADRD diagnosis,
ADRD risk factors and survey-based measures of cognition. Moreover, the three cohorts were genotyped,
allowing us to explore the role of genetics in driving ADRD risk as well as in moderating the relationship between
education and ADRD risk.
Establishing whether education has a causal effect on late-life cognition and ADRD risk is challenging but
essential for identifying clinical and policy interventions. Without causal evidence, policy makers do not know
whether education improves individuals' later-life cognitive health or whether the education-ADRD association
reflects differences in the characteristics of individuals who self-select into education. Moreover, it is equally
important to know what aspects of education causally affect ADRD risk. What is the relative benefit of increasing
the quantity of education versus improving its quality? Are individuals who ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10512946
- **Project number:** 1R01AG078522-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Silvia Helena Barcellos
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $817,898
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10512946

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10512946, Genetic Differences in the Causal Effect of Education Quantity and Quality on Cognitive Functioning and Dementia Diagnosis Later in Life (1R01AG078522-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10512946. Licensed CC0.

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