During the first years of a person’s life, the brain grows at a very rapid rate: about 1% per day for the first three months of life. The brain of a 5-year-old child is approximately 90% the size of an adult. However, already in the period between 30 and 40 years, the volume of the brain begins to decrease. The rate of these changes increases by age 60 and continues to increase thereafter. The frontal lobe and hippocampus, which are mostly responsible for cognitive functions, shrink. Other changes include less effective communication between neurons, decreased blood flow, and increased inflammation.
Changes in the brain can be associated with heart disease and diabetes, among others. They can even affect mental function in healthy older adults. But there is also evidence that the brain retains its ability to change and adapt as we age. It’s even improving in some respects.
Changes specific to aging can be defined as decreased productivity. In other words, as we get older, it becomes more difficult to cope with tasks that require rapid processing, processing multiple pieces of information simultaneously, and remembering new information without any internal structure. There is scientific evidence to show that these changes can begin as early as age 30, although some do not experience these changes until several decades after that age.
Other normal brain changes that occur with aging include difficulties mastering new technologies, performing mental calculations, and word forgetting (the inability to remember a word when it is on the tip of your tongue). You can also walk into a room and forget why you went there.
But as you get older, your ability to play word games and solve puzzles may remain the same or improve. Vocabulary tends to increase over time.
Additionally, older adults (ages 60 and older) report better emotional health than middle-aged and younger adults. This refers to a state of good mental health and the ability to remain stable even in difficult situations.
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Source: Ferra
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
