Why Do Some Older People Retain a Good Memory?

The myriad ways in which the brain changes with age are in some ways very well explored, but overall still a dark forest, little understood in fine detail. One approach to gain greater understanding of the processes that cause declining cognitive function with age is to compare people with good function and people with poor function, first categorizing, and then secondly assessing the properties of the brain, as best researchers are able to do so, given limited access to the inside of the cranium. Today's research materials are an example of this sort of research, focused on trying to better understand why some older people retain a good memory function, while their peers decline. There are numerous possibilities, even looking at broad categories of potential mechanisms. This could be a matter of slower degeneration, that some people make good lifestyle choices throughout life and as a result take longer to reach critical thresholds of damage and dysfunction that impact memory. One might look at recent research that suggests the hippocampus is running right at the upper limit of its supply of nutrients, and thus better maintained physical fitness into later life ensures that blood supply remains sufficient. Alternatively, some people may be more resilient to specific mechanisms of damage that impact areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, that are important to memory. Some individuals have a high burden of amyloid-β in the brain, but little to no sign of neurodeg...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs