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genxyyesterday at 6:50 PM2 repliesview on HN

People who would pass The Knowledge test might already develop dementia at a much lower rate.


Replies

monster_truckyesterday at 9:57 PM

They could also develop it at the exact same rate and mask it effectively. Had a very sharp family member who was completely lucid through all of dementia, it was like watching a tape rewind. Got to meet each decade's version of them over a couple of years. Towards the end they were completely normal

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inglor_czyesterday at 8:51 PM

Plausible, but then you'd expect to find the same effect in other people who passed similarly demanding tests once. For example in people who studied something geometry-heavy.

Also, The Knowledge Test is, IIRC, passed only once and then you do not have to retake it for the rest of your career.

If a test passed in your 20s or 30s predicted accurately a much lower incidence of Alzheimer's in your 60s, that would be a remarkably strong early signal. Not impossible, but worth extra scrutiny. For the vast majority of old age conditions, we cannot predict them so long in advance.