![]() The brain matter can be broadly classified as either grey matter, or white matter. The different functions of different tissues in the brain may be more or less susceptible to age-induced changes. The brain is very complex, and is composed of many different areas and types of tissue, or matter. Regional volume reduction is not uniform some brain regions shrink at a rate of up to 1% per year, whereas others remain relatively stable until the end of the life-span. More recent MRI studies have reported age-related regional decreases in cerebral volume. CT scans have found that the cerebral ventricles expand as a function of age. The STAC model looks at factors like neural changes to the white matter, dopamine depletion, shrinkage, and cortical thinning. ![]() ![]() These various changes have attempted to be mapped by conceptual models like the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC) in 2009. Structural changes Human brain in the sagittal plane Ventricles of the brainĪging entails many physical, biological, chemical, and psychological changes and the brain is no exception to this phenomenon. This page is an overview of the changes associated with human brain aging, including aging without concomitant diseases. Recent reports in model organisms suggest that as organisms age, there are distinct changes in the expression of genes at the single neuron level. However, research suggests that the aging process is associated with several structural, chemical, and functional changes in the brain as well as a host of neurocognitive changes. While much research has focused on diseases of aging, there are few informative studies on the molecular biology of the aging brain (usually spelled ageing brain in British English) in the absence of neurodegenerative disease or the neuropsychological profile of healthy older adults. Īging is a major risk factor for most common neurodegenerative diseases, including mild cognitive impairment, dementias including Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Since life extension is only pertinent if accompanied by health span extension, and, more importantly, by preserving brain health and cognition, finding rejuvenating approaches that act simultaneously in peripheral tissues and in brain function is a key strategy for development of rejuvenating technology. Aging of the brain is a process of transformation of the brain in older age, including changes all individuals experience and those of illness (including unrecognised illness). ![]()
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