New research shows cognitive reserve may prevent against damage caused by air pollution – Alzheimer’s Society comment

The study looked at a population of women aged 65 to 79 years, who did not have dementia at the time of enrolment, over the course of 14 years.

The study confirmed that living in locations with high air pollution increased the risk for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Importantly, older women with higher cognitive reserve only showed a 21% increased risk due to living in polluted locations compared with a 113% increased environmental risk for those with lower cognitive reserve. 

Alzheimer’s Society has created a report on air pollution and dementia, which is available here.

Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, says:

'We know that women living with dementia outnumber men two to one across the globe, but we still don’t fully know why this is the case.

'This study points the finger of blame at a specific type of air pollution particle, thought to contribute to the development of numerous heart and lung diseases as well as potentially dementia.

'But before we all start evacuating cities, this link was only found in a small group of women, particularly those who were less educated. 

'The theory goes that those – men and women – who attended higher education have greater amounts of cognitive reserve. If dementia sets in, and brain cells start to die, the idea is that they are capable of compensating for the loss of brain cells up to a point, meaning that the process of decline will take longer.

'Our own report into the subject found that air pollution induces heart damage, thereby indirectly raising dementia risk, but there is still more research needed in this area.'