What is brain aging?
Brain aging is a process of generalized deterioration of the individual in which, due to different processes, the tissues degenerate, there is a limitation of cellular renewal and a slowing down of most of the processes.
However, this degeneration is not only due to the biologically centered aging process, but this deterioration also depends on environmental factors, such as the social and family sphere, but especially on the degree of stimulation received from these areas. Life experiences have a very close relationship with deterioration, the fact of having a fragile health, a poor education, the presence of some type of pathology or a lack of motivation, among numerous other causes, can be a reason for interference in the adequate manifestation of intellectual functions.
But not only are these factors related, but part of the decline attributed to age may also be due simply to a lack of cognitive stimulation. People who receive little stimulation from the environment suffer more rapidly from the decline of mental faculties than people exposed to large sensory stimulation; in other words, the more cognitive stimulation a person has, the more autonomy he or she will demonstrate.
This concept is known as cognitive reserve, which is the amount of knowledge, cognitive resources and coping strategies that a person accumulates throughout their life: the richer the stimulation a person has received (education, culture, experiences, challenges…) the more likely it is that they will have a reserve that allows them to face the changes associated with ageing and, therefore, better cope with the cognitive deterioration inherent to aging.
Main deficits observed in old age
Some of the main deficits observed in old age affect information processing, information learning and retrieval (memory), problem solving and speed of response.
The most important thing in this area is to ensure that people have the best quality of life for as long as possible. This concept is directly related to functional autonomy, which is characterized by:
- Being independent to perform activities of daily living, such as being able to do the shopping, being able to memorize and recognize a bus route, making food, being able to maintain one’s own hygiene, keeping accounts….
- Receive family and social support so as not to “detach” from the environment. Recent studies have shown that social contact is the most important factor against cognitive decline in the elderly. In addition, the relationship between social isolation, depressive symptoms typical of the change of life in old age, and cognitive impairment is very large.
- Being able to maintain an acceptable state of health based on one’s chronological age and evolutionary conditions. Physical exercise (at the right pace for each individual) not only improves the muscles of the body, but also improves mood and brain plasticity.
It has been shown that deterioration slows down and deficits are milder if subjects have lived in enriched environments and if they continue to stimulate their abilities through cognitive stimulation practices and exercises.
