What are the threats to successful brain and cognitive aging?

Neurobiol Aging

Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address:

Published: November 2019

The structure and function of the brain change over the life span. Aged brains often accumulate pathologic lesions, such as amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which lead to diminished cognitive ability in some, but not all, individuals. The basis of this vulnerability and resilience is unclear. Age-related changes can alter neural firing patterns and ability to form new memories. Risk factors for cognitive decline include male sex and apolipoprotein E genotype. Physical activity seems to be protective against cognitive decline. Longitudinal studies have shown that, although the onset of amyloid pathology and associated cognitive decline can vary greatly, once it begins, the rate of deposition is similar among affected individuals. This session of the Cognitive Aging Summit III explored fixed and modifiable factors that can threaten cognitive function in aging adults and approaches to modulate at least some of these risks.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6859944PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.04.016DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cognitive decline
12
cognitive
7
threats successful
4
successful brain
4
brain cognitive
4
cognitive aging?
4
aging? structure
4
structure function
4
function brain
4
brain change
4

Similar Publications

Influence of lung function on macro- and micro-structural brain changes in mid- and late-life.

Int J Surg

January 2025

Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Introduction: Lung function has been associated with cognitive decline and dementia, but the extent to which lung function impacts brain structural changes remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of lung function with structural macro- and micro-brain changes across mid- and late-life.

Methods: The study included a total of 37 164 neurologic disorder-free participants aged 40-70 years from the UK Biobank, who underwent brain MRI scans 9 years after baseline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This research seeks to address the gap in past studies by examining the role of the Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) and HO-1 (heme oxygenase-1) signaling pathways in hypoxia and the potential effects of alpha-pinene on these factors. Wistar rats were divided into 7 experimental groups (n = 7): 1) control, 2 and 3) groups receiving alpha-pinene 5 and 10 mg/kg (i.p.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline. Despite extensive research, therapeutic options remain limited. Varenicline, an αβ nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, shows promise in enhancing cognitive function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, has presented unprecedented challenges to older adults' mental health, including increased posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. The current study examined potential war- and age-related factors associated with probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinical depression (probable depression), and generalized anxiety disorder (probable anxiety) among older adults during the ongoing war. Moreover, due to the continued threat of death, we examined whether death anxiety is an additional contributing factor to older adults' probable PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurodegeneration is presumed to be the pathological process measure most proximal to clinical symptom onset in Alzheimer Disease (AD). Structural MRI is routinely collected in research and clinical trial settings. Several quantitative MRI-based measures of atrophy have been proposed, but their low correspondence with each other has been previously documented.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!