Two Key Brain Functions Get Better After Age 50?
A new study shows that some aspects of a person's brain IMPROVE with age, especially after age 50.
Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center studied hundreds of people between 58 and 98 and found two key brain functions get better in old age:
They include attending to new information and focusing on what's important in a given situation. Those things contribute to critical aspects of cognition like memory, decision making, and self-control, and are even vital in navigation, math, language, and reading.
The study looked at three brain "networks" overall . . . and only one declined with age. It was referred to as "alerting," and it's characterized by "a state of enhanced vigilance and preparedness in order to respond to incoming information."
So are there any benefits to this information . . . beyond giving older people something new to lecture their grandchildren about?
Yes, hopefully. Scientists say that this data could lead to better therapies for Alzheimer's disease, and protecting against dementia.
(GUMC)
Originally posted on August 31st, 2021