Aging: Cognitive Changes That Take Place With Age

"Reading, after a certain age,
diverts the mind too much
from its creative pursuits.
Any man who reads too much
and uses his own brain too little
falls into lazy habits of thinking."
A.Einstein

Scientists agree that as we age, we are more likely to use both sides of our brain. A recent research showed that people over 50 use both sides of the brain at the same time when they perform tasks. The brains of younger adults tend to be more asymmetrical – one side is more dominant than the other.

According to doctors, people have the capacity to produce brain cells all of their lives. As we age, we tend to rely on positive rather than negative emotions. Some brain-imaging studies indicate that the older people and the young process positive emotions the same way, but negative emotions are less intense in those who are older.

Though we have to accept some physical deterioration with aging, our brains can remain vibrant. Some activities like educational classes, writing and book groups, volunteer or paid work and arts programs are really good for aging people.

The research shows that wisdom of the aging comes from both, life experience and physiological development of the brain. The aging people may not be able to move – or even think – as fast as they once could, but with both sides of the brains engaged, they can perform any task the same  efficiently, plus with much energy and enthusiasm.

Today, many researches of human brain activity focus around the study of cognition processes in different ages. Let us take a look at the most recent research results.

Cognition refers to mental processes used for perceiving, remembering, and thinking. Most studies show that, cognitive abilities are the greatest
when people are in their 20s and 30s. After that, cognitive abilities may start to decline, but these changes remain slight for decades. Even by
the late 50s or early 60s, cognitive abilities may decline only to a small degree. The effects of cognitive changes are usually not noticed until
the 70s and beyond.

At the same time, there are wide variations in cognitive ability within each age group. Let us take a look at general findings about age-related cognitive change. They do not necessarily happen to everyone.

One study of intelligence over a lifetime found that by the age of 81, two-thirds of people at this age had only a small amount of decline. And
only certain cognitive abilities decline, while others may improve. Areas of cognition that may be affected by aging include intelligence, processing speed, attention, memory, and compensation.

Intelligence
Commonly, scientists categorize intelligence into "fluid" and "crystallized" intelligence. Fluid intelligence is the information processing system. It refers to the ability to think and reason, also known as "executive function." It includes the speed with which information can be analyzed, and also includes attention and memory capacity. Crystallized intelligence is accumulated information and vocabulary, which we acquire from school and everyday life. It also encompasses the application of problem solving skills and knowledge. Many studies have shown that fluid intelligence is more likely to decline with age than crystallized intelligence. In fact, crystallized intelligence may continue to improve with age. Many people continue to gain expertise and skills in particular areas throughout life.

Scientists say that much of the cognitive decline with age can be traced back to deficits in the information processing system (fluid intelligence). Tasks that use well-practiced skills or familiar information are generally not affected by age. However, complex tasks that require taking in new information and analyzing it may become more difficult.

Processing speed
Numerous scientific studies show that mental processing and reaction time become slower with age. This actually begins in young adulthood (the
late 20s), although it is almost unnoticeable at first. By the time people are past 60 or older (depending on the individual), they will generally take longer to perform mental tasks than younger people. On tests of intelligence that require the person to perform tasks within a short time frame, older adults often do worse than younger counterparts. But experts think that older adults don't lose their mental competence; it simply takes them longer to process the necessary information. Also, some mental processes are slowed more than others. In addition to this, there is a decline in motor function. Older adults may have less coordination than when they were younger. They may walk slower and take a longer time to react.

Attention
Attention is the ability to focus on certain bits of information and to decide whether and how much further to process it. It's only possible to pay attention to a limited amount of information at a time. Certain changes in attentional ability have been reported with older age. For example, many older adults have increasing difficulty distinguishing between information that is relevant and information that is irrelevant to a particular task. They have difficulty focusing only on the necessary information, and become distracted easily. This may slow down the speed of performing a mental task and may compromise accuracy.