Is There a Cognitive Footprint of Political Systems? The Case of Separation and Reunification of East and West Germany and Its Association With Later Life Cognitive Health

Ariane Bertogg, Jeffrey E. Stokes, Department of History, Sports Science and Empirical Educational Research, University of Konstanz, Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston

Research on Aging: An International Bimonthly Journal

Published online on October 04, 2025

Abstract

Research on Aging, Ahead of Print.
Germany’s division into the GDR (East) and FRG (West) in 1946, and subsequent reunification in 1989, had lasting impacts on individual life courses. While East-West differentials in physical health and mortality have been well-studied, cognitive health ...