neuroscience of aging

Neuroscience of Aging

Sarah Baum, PhD candidateKinkaid School23 April 2013

Outline

• Physical changes in the aging brain– Gray matter changes– White matter changes– Pathological aging

• Cognitive changes in the aging brain– General slowing– Increased variability– Do brain games really work?

Physical changes in the aging brain

Physical Changes in the aging brain

• Even with healthy aging, there are a number of physical changes that occur in the aging brain– How these changes are related to cognitive

changes is not always known


• Thinning of the cortex

Fjell AM, Westlye LT, Amlien I, Espeseth T, Reinvang I, Raz N, Agartz I, Salat DH, Greve DN, Fischl B, Dale AM and KB Walhovd (2009). High Consistency of Regional Cortical Thinning in Aging across Multiple Samples. Cerebral Cortex 19:2001-2012.


• Thinning of the cortex: last in, first out?


• White matter integrity declines with age

Bartzokis G, Cummings JL, Sultzer D, Henderson VW, Neuchterlein KH and Minz J (2003). White Matter Structural Integrity in Healthy Aging Adults and Patients with Alzheimer Disease. Archives of Neurology 60(3):393-398.


• Loss of neuronal plasticity– The ability to alter how our neurons are

connected is thought to be how memory is physically stored in the brain

– The brain’s ability to change structure and function is decreased in the aging brain


• Morphology of neurons in the cortex of an older and younger rhesus macaque monkey

Hof PR and JH Morrison (2004). The aging brain: morphomolecular senescence of cortical circuits. TRENDS in Neurosciences 27(10).


• Certain diseases can also occur in the aging brain, which are associated with certain physical changes in the brain


• Alzheimer’s disease occurs in approximately 11% of adults 65 and older– Cannot officially be diagnosed without an autopsy– In 2013 Alzheimer’s will cost $203 billion in the US• Costs to Medicare/Medicaid and unpaid care provided

by family and friends of people living with Alzheimer’s– Currently very few options for treatment


http://pakmed.net/academic/age/alz/plaques_tanglesBorder.jpg


http://www.alz.org/braintour/healthy_vs_alzheimers.asp

Cognitive changes in the aging brain


Park DC and Bischof GN (2013). The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 15(1):109 119


• Older adults’ performance is often not only poorer than younger adults’, but also more variable (inconsistent)– This increased variability has been observed both

on a behavioral level and on a neuronal level– Not clear how neuronal and behavioral variability

are related


• Increased variability in older adults

Hultsch DF, MacDonald SWS, Dixon RA (2002). Variability in Reaction Time Performance of Younger and Older Adults. Journal of Gerontology 57B:P101 P115


• The Nun Study– Began in 1986 focusing on 678 Roman Catholic

sisters to study the onset of Alzheimer’s disease– Examined autobiographical essays written by the

nuns before joining the sisterhood (~ 22 yrs old)• Linguistic density (more complex sentences, fluency)

significantly predicted risk of developing Alzheimer’s

Riley KP, Snowdon DA, Desrosiers MF, Markesbery WR (2005). Early life linguistic ability, late life cognitive function, and neuropathology: Findings from the Nun Study. Neurobiology of Aging 26(3):341 347

Brain games: do they work?

Do brain games work?

• It is possible to train yourself to improve performance on certain tasks– Do these results transfer?


• “Brain-training programs promise even more– these programs are purported to enhance and ‘rewire’ the brain to make it better than ever… Nearly all of these claims are, at best, overly optimistic, and, at worst, blatant charlatanism.”



• “It is only when an individual experiences substantial and sustained demands on their cognitive system that plasticity will manifest itself.”



• Best results occur when using and developing critical thinking skills, creativity– Senior Odyssey• Frequent exposure to ill-defined problems• Collaborative context• Competition• Emphasis on creativity

Stine-Morrow, E. A. L., Parisi, J. M., Morrow, D. G., & Park, D. C. (2008). The effects of an engaged lifestyle on cognitive vitality: a field experiment. Psychology and Aging, 23(4), 778–786

Changes in the aging brain

• Suggested reading:– The Brain that

Changes Itself, Norman Doidge MD

Thank you!

neuroscience of aging

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