{"doi":"10.1002/alz.70222","title":"Biological imprint of education and rights‐based brain capital","abstract":"Recent findings on the biological embedding of educational disparities in aging and dementia, evidence that access to high-quality education is both a human rights imperative and a critical public health strategy. Education quantity and quality and related factors shape cognitive health and vulnerability to dementia. These factors are particularly salient in low- and middle-income countries, where austerity policies and systemic disparities frequently compromise brain capital. We advocate for a transdisciplinary approach linking education, social justice, and neuroscience within a rights-based framework. Addressing structural determinants through education policy can promote healthy brain aging and reduce inequities. We commend Timothy Daly 1 for highlighting recent crucial findings 2 regarding the biological embedding of educational disparities. Daly commentary underscores a powerful and timely message: equitable access to education across the Americas—and globally—is both a matter of human rights and a determinant of national brain health and societal resilience. We now have robust neuroimaging evidence linking insufficient education with reduced brain volume and disrupted neural connectivity in later life and in dementia 2. These findings provide a compelling neurobiological basis for understanding how early-life educational disparities leave lasting imprints on brain health trajectories. However, the issue is more complex than simply the number of years spent in school. Educational attainment alone does not capture the full picture 3. The quality of education 4, the social determinants of health 3, and other broader structural inequities 5 critically shape the biological pathways through which literacy—or lack thereof—affects aging and cognitive decline. The quality and contextual relevance of education, especially in underserved settings 6, significantly influence cognitive stimulation, neural development, and resilience against unhealthy aging. In many regions, especially in low- and middle-income countries and across parts of Latin America and Africa, the right to education is further undermined by austerity policies, fragile public systems, and entrenched systemic inequities. These structural forces erode access to quality education, compromising the dignity of individuals by depriving them of opportunities for social mobility and health equity 6, 7. When children grow up in environments where basic educational infrastructure is lacking, where teachers are underpaid, or where gender, ethnic, or socioeconomic discrimination limits access, the downstream consequences for brain health and aging are profound. Education interacts dynamically with other determinants of health. Studies have shown that lifestyle factors, demographic variables, and societal instability are all powerful predictors of cognitive functioning and brain health, especially in developing countries 3, 8. The relationship between household income and education is notably bidirectional 9. Higher-income households are more likely to access and afford high-quality educational opportunities, while access to quality education enhances individuals’ lifetime earning potential. This mutual reinforcement forms a feedback loop that deepens inequality across generations 6. Individuals in low-income households often face multiple concurrent barriers that compound the effects of educational disparities. These include limited access to proper nutrition, essential healthcare services, and safe living conditions—all of which are known to affect cognitive development and brain health across the lifespan 5. Without addressing these interconnected factors, interventions focused solely on improving educational metrics risk falling short of meaningful impact. From this broader perspective, protecting and enhancing the quantity and quality of education must be seen simultaneously as a fundamental human right and a powerful public health strategy. Health promotion cannot be di","journal":"Alzheimer s & Dementia","year":2025,"id":538214,"datarank":0.24141568686511508,"base_score":1.6094379124341003,"endowment":1.6094379124341003,"self_citation_contribution":0.24141568686511508,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.24141568686511508,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":4,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9486,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2025-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":996531,"name":"Temitope Farombi","orcid":"0000-0002-9109-7164","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":282310,"name":"Agustín Ibáñez","orcid":"0000-0001-6758-5101","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":9,"raw_metadata":{"citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:52:21.389196Z","pmid":"40313096","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}