title: Influence of Educational Attainment on Cognition-Based Intervention Programs for Persons with Mild Alzheimer's Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research retrospectively analyzed the effect of education on cognitive interventions carried out in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The total sample consisted of 75 patients with mild AD receiving treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors. The participants were divided into two groups: cognitive intervention (IG; n=45) and waiting list (WLG; n=30). Patients in the IG received either the Big Brain Academy (n=15) or the Integrated Psychostimulation Program (n=30) during 12 weeks. The influence of education on intervention effect was analyzed comparing mean change scores of the two study groups in the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog), stratified by educational level. The potential effect of age, sex, cognitive status, and type of intervention was examined using post hoc stratification analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher education was associated with faster cognitive decline in the WLG (effect size=0.51; p<.01). However, cognitive evolution was not influenced by education in the IG (effect size=0.12; p=.42).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that cognitive intervention might delay accelerated cognitive decline in higher educated individuals with mild AD.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Basic Psychology,Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioral Sciences.University of Salamanca,Spain.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Contador
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology,University of Salamanca,Spain,currently,Department of Psychology,The Federal University of Paraíba,Brazil.
authors.forename: Bernardino
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernández-Calvo
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Personality,Assessment and Psychological Treatment,University of Salamanca,Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: 4Department of Neurology,University Hospital Gregorio Marañón,Madrid,Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olazarán
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Cognitive intervention; Cognitive reserve; Dementia; Educational attainment; Psychosocial approaches