The belief that healthy older brains is substantially smaller than younger brains not are possibly arising from studies, people which go undetected, slowly developing brain disease was, kill cells in key areas, according to new research.
As a result, previous findings can atrophy and normal size for the older brain underestimated by the report "the prevalence of cortical gray matter atrophy may be overestimated in healthy aging brain," appears in the issue September 2009 the American Psychological Association Journal of Neuropsychology have overestimated.
The new brain study tested participants in Holland's long-term Maastricht aging study, who freely neurological problems such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease Parkinson's disease or stroke. Once participants were different from healthy, they took neuropsychological tests, including a screening test for dementia on the baseline and every three years for nine years.
The participants received in year 3, seven different parts of the brain MRI scans to measure areas and the frontal and cingulate areas of the cognitive critical cortex including memory-laden hippocampus, the areas around the hippocampus as e.g. Parahippocampal.Hippocampus plays an important role in the long-term and spatial navigation during field Parahippocampal, the hippocampus surrounds an important role in memory encoding and retrieval plays.
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain damage suffered; problems with memory and disorientation appear cingulate areas of cognitive critical cortex functions under the first Symptome.Die as an integral part of the limbic system that emotion formation and processing, learning, memory and respiratory control.
Study yields surprising results
After examining the behavioral data collected from 1994 to 2005 (with MRIs taken between 1997 and 1999 depending if people entered the study), the researchers participants divided into two groups: a group of 30 people showed significant cognitive decrease but were still dementia-free (average starting age 69.2 years) and a group of 35 cognitively healthy people stayed free of dementia (average starting age 69.1 years).
Cognitive decline was by drop of at least 30 per cent to two or more of the six core tests of the verbal learning and fluid, callback, processing speed, and complex information processing and/or drop of 3 or more points, fairs or scores of 24 or lower (raising suspicion for cognitive impairment) on the mini-mental state examination screening tool for dementia.
30 People cognitively over nine years showed a significant effect for ages in the hippocampus and Parahippocampal declined and in the frontal and cingulate Cortices while 35 cognitively healthy people nicht.Unter had the older participants the people whose understanding is deteriorating, smaller brain areas as younger Teilnehmer.Laut reflects the authors the apparent age atrophy in gray matter more likely pathological changes in the brain, the significant cognitive decline as aging itself behind.
The bottom line
As long as people remain healthy cognitive, the gray matter of areas could support of cognition don't ever verkleinert.Den according to researchers, should these findings scientists caution on conclusions of brain studies that use objective definitions and screen participants in the course of time.
