Neuroscience of Aging
Sarah Baum, PhD candidate
Kinkaid School
23 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
Physical Changes in the aging brain
• 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.
Physical Changes in the aging brain
• Thinning of the cortex: last in, first out?
Physical Changes in the aging brain
• 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.
Physical Changes in the aging brain
• 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
Physical Changes 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).
Physical Changes in the aging brain
• Certain diseases can also occur in the aging
brain, which are associated with certain
physical changes in the brain
Physical Changes in the aging 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
Physical Changes in the aging brain
http://pakmed.net/academic/age/alz/plaques_tanglesBorder.jpg
Physical Changes in the aging brain
http://www.alz.org/braintour/healthy_vs_alzheimers.asp
Cognitive changes in the
aging brain
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):109119
Cognitive changes in the aging brain
• 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
Cognitive changes in the aging brain
• 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:P101P115
Cognitive changes in the aging brain
• 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):341347
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?
Do brain games work?
• “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.”
Park DC and Bischof GN (2013). The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training. Dialogues in
Clinical Neuroscience 15(1):109119
Do brain games work?
• “It is only when an individual experiences
substantial and sustained demands on their
cognitive system that plasticity will manifest
itself.”
Park DC and Bischof GN (2013). The aging mind: neuroplasticity in response to cognitive training. Dialogues in
Clinical Neuroscience 15(1):109119
Do brain games work?
• 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!