"Cognitive aging" refers to the changes that happen to a person's thinking abilities as they get older. It can include things like memory decline, slower decision-making, and difficulty learning new information.
Full definition
One study found that women with the highest intake of berries appeared to have a delay
in cognitive aging by a whopping 2.5 years.
One research study concludes that
normal cognitive aging can be differentiated from dementia simply by assessing the ability to perform activities of daily living.
Some researchers have speculated that the effect of estrogen
on cognitive aging might differ depending on when exposure occurs.
Studies in
cognitive aging show that older respondents experience a decline in cognitive processes closely related to financial decision making.
Adam Gazzaley, neurobiologist and photographer, began his studies
of cognitive aging with a microscope.
«There is still more to learn about the biological process involved
with cognitive aging, but there are interventions that can be made now,» says Dr. Inouye.
It appears that caffeine is able to reverse the effects of
cognitive aging by stimulating the energy resources of elderly subjects8.
In the paper, she redefines
healthy cognitive aging as a result of learning strategies and habits that are developed throughout our life.
Saskia Hagenaars, a PhD student from The University of Edinburgh's Centre
for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, who jointly led the research, said: «We identified hundreds of new genetic signals.
We are entering a
new cognitive age where AI agents, like IPsoft's Amelia, can overcome the limits of human - powered live chat and be programmed to deliver superior performance.
In a typical test procedure for evaluating working memory,
cognitive aging researcher Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia asked people to perform arithmetic computations while also trying to remember the last digit in each problem.
Therefore, promoting healthy
cognitive aging among menopausal women should be a major public health goal.»
Wu makes the case that we naturally tend to shift from «broad learning,» to «specialized learning,» when we begin our careers, and at that point,
cognitive aging begins.
«You're not too old to learn that: New theory suggests that adults can
combat cognitive aging by learning like an infant.»
«A lot of work in
cognitive aging focuses on memory, but in fact cognitive flexibility and other executive functions have been shown to better predict daily functioning than memory does,» she said.
«Without early - life measures of cognitive ability, it would have been tempting to conclude that preservation of cortical thickness in old age is a foundation for
successful cognitive aging when, instead, it is a lifelong association,» says Dr. Karama, who has done extensive research into factors that influence cognitive development.
Adding these foods together, along with others that have been shown by science to benefit our brains, only seems to make sense if your goal is to do what you can to reduce dementia risk and
slow cognitive aging.
According to a study, flavonoid - rich strawberries and blueberries could
reduce cognitive aging in the elderly.
The results of this study provide measures associated with
normal cognitive aging in Border collies, and thus could be used as a basis for breed comparisons as well as early recognition and treatment of certain cognitive deficits.
A drug like metformin, [which is] an insulin sensitizer in the body, may also be an insulin sensitizer in the brain,» said Dr. Richard Lipton, director of the division
of cognitive aging and dementia at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
«Our study is the first to examine whether learning a second language impacts cognitive performance later in life while controlling for childhood intelligence,» says lead author Dr. Thomas Bak from the Centre
for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.
In a study of older adults published in Annals of Neurology, blueberries enhanced the removal of amyloid beta plaques in the brain,
delaying cognitive aging by up to two and a half years.
A better understanding of the neural determinants of changes in fluid intelligence is therefore necessary for improving our understanding of
healthy cognitive aging, and may aid the development of early markers for individuals at risk of rapid decline.
Participants practiced far more meditation than is feasible for shorter - term programs that might aim to help
with cognitive aging, and despite practicing that much meditation, participants did not generally improve over years; these benefits instead plateaued.
A six year study of 16,010 elderly participants found that blueberries and strawberries were linked to delays in
cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years (26).
«When you look across the lifespan from infancy, it seems likely that the decline of broad learning has a causal role
in cognitive aging.
It is also one of the first abilities to decline in both normal
cognitive aging and pathological aging of the sort that precedes dementia.
As a person ages there is a gradual, but marked change in these cognitive functions, which is referred to as «
cognitive aging.»
«
Cognitive aging is not a disease or a level of impairment — it is a lifelong process that affects everyone,» explains lead author Dr. Sharon K. Inouye, Director of the Aging Brain Center at the Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, Massachusetts and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
An expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine clarified
the cognitive aging process by making a distinction from Alzheimer disease and related dementias, and provided recommendations to enhance cognitive health in older adults.
«Given the sizable number of adults approaching older age, understanding the impact of
cognitive aging has become a significant health concern.»
The concept of MCI describes an intermediate state between normal
cognitive aging and dementia.
Perhaps this is why some aspects of
cognitive aging are self - imposed.»
«In the future, we hope that we will be able to use neural stem cells for brain repair — for example for diseases such as
cognitive aging, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease or major depression,» summarizes Jessberger.
These findings suggest that common genetic variants may underlie
both cognitive aging and risk of schizophrenia.
Focusing on the Big Picture Adam Gazzaley, neurobiologist and photographer, began his studies of
cognitive aging with a microscope.
«The Lothian Birth Cohort offers a unique opportunity to study the interaction between bilingualism and
cognitive aging, taking into account the cognitive abilities predating the acquisition of a second language» concludes Dr. Bak.
The work was undertaken by The University of Edinburgh Centre for
Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR / K026992 / 1) and has been made possible thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).
SOURCES: Rachel Whitmer, Ph.D., epidemiologist, division of research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.; Richard Lipton, M.D., director, division of
cognitive aging and dementia, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; July 15, 2013, presentation, Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Boston
Balci, F.; Moore, H.; Brunner, D. Timing Deficits in Neuropathology In
Cognitive Aging: Integrating Models.