What is the neuroscience of ageing?

The neuroscience of ageing looks at the impact of ageing on the nervous system and focuses on how the brain changes over time. Scientists have found that the human brain loses around 100 billion neurons and the associated nervous system cells with age. This process speeds up with age, leading to a loss of brain mass of around 11% in people aged 90.

The neuroscience of ageing

The loss of brain mass occurs mainly in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the prefrontal grey matter associated with planning and decision-making. Neural atrophy can also affect areas such as the somatic motor cortex, which handles walking and bodily movement. Another consequence of neuron loss is memory loss, even in older people who retain good cognitive function.

Recent research has shown that improving brain plasticity is the key for older people to maintain strong cognitive function later in life. Older people can increase the plasticity, or flexibility, of the brain by generating new neural growth.

Adults with more brain mass, a greater number of neurons and strong brain plasticity cope better with the impact of brain injury or disease. To maintain cognitive function, it is important to look after your brain by staying physically active, keeping a strong social life and continuing to learn new skills later in life.

Finally, it is worth noting that a person's attitude can also play an important role. A recent study found that those who perceived themselves as younger than their actual age had brains that were younger than their chronological age would suggest.

What are the recent papers on the subject?

Because scientific research moves quickly, new papers on the neuroscience of ageing are constantly being published. Here are some of the most recent and most relevant:

• "Aging and the Human Brain: A New Era of Brain Mapping" by Karen E. Anderson et al., published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A in 2022.
• "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging" by Roberto Cabeza et al., published in Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences in 2021.
• "Brain and Cognitive Reserve in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease" by Yaakov Stern, published in Handbook of Clinical Neurology in 2021.
• "The Brain in Time: Insights From Neuroscience Into the Aging Mind" by Megan E. Horn et al., published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest in 2020.
• "Cognitive Aging and Its Neurobiological Mechanisms: A Brief History and Future Directions" by Lars Nyberg et al., published in eNeuro in 2020.

It is worth noting that these papers represent only a small selection of recent research on the neuroscience of ageing, and that research in this field is constantly evolving.