Education-associated cortical glucose metabolism during sustained attention.
Despite research suggesting that education may mitigate cognitive sequelae of neural injury, little is known about interactions between education and regional brain function. We examined whether educational experience is associated with relative glucose metabolism in brain regions that are important for sustained attention and learning. Fourteen healthy adults, with 12-18 years of schooling, underwent positron emission tomography scanning with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose during an auditory continuous discrimination task. Years of education correlated positively with relative glucose metabolism in the lingual gyri (bilaterally), left posterior cingulate gyrus, and left precuneus. Previously, these structures have shown early impairment in dementia. Further investigation should explore whether metabolic changes in these regions contribute to the possible protective effect of education on cognition.
Eisenberg
Daniel P
DP
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. deisenbe@chpnet.org
London
Edythe D
ED
Matochik
John A
JA
Derbyshire
Stuart
S
Cohen
Lisa J
LJ
Steinfeld
Matthew
M
Prosser
James
J
Galynker
Igor I
II
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D004493:Education; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology
D005947:Glucose