Mental capacity in old age
Memory lapses, memory problems, limited learning ability: ageing threatens to reduce mental performance. But there is another way! In this article you will learn about the state of the brain and mental performance in old age and what you can do about it.
Until now, it has been common opinion that cognitive performance declines steadily with age, a process that begins before the age of 30 and then inevitably progresses. New studies reveal that science and general opinion have seen this far too one-dimensionally. According to a study by the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), certain functions of cognitive intelligence reach their peak at different stages of life. For example, the frontal lobes in the neocortex, the front part of the brain, do not fully form until around 35 years of age, which leads to a peak in the activities needed to control one's own behaviour. This includes functions such as working memory and planning ability. The situation is different, however, with processing speed: Like the physical performance curve, this peaks at around 19 years of age. With linguistic abilities, on the other hand, the researchers found a steady increase. They do not peak until the mid-60s and can last for a long time, provided other factors have a favourable effect, such as nutrition, exercise and a sense of happiness.
The brain as a miracle
Our brain needs more than a fifth of the oxygen as an energy carrier in the blood, although it only makes up about two percent of our total body weight. Moreover, it changes more than any other organ in the course of life. Each of the brain's more than 100 billion nerve cells forms up to about 200,000 connections (synapses). Neuroplasticity is the term used when new brain structures develop as a result of accumulated experience, i.e. when connections develop between nerve cells and certain areas of the brain that are associated with new abilities. For example, learning to play an instrument trains those areas of the brain that have to do with fine motor skills, the sense of hearing and mathematics. New synapses are formed there; a figurative comparison may be permitted: first a small sandy path, which with a lot of practice becomes a motorway. It is true that neuroplasticity decreases somewhat in the course of time, but just as a songbird learns a new song every spring, so humans can learn throughout their lives.
It is the same with neurogenesis; however, this reduction in the formation of new brain cells does not mean that our mental and performance capacity diminishes. Let's take a closer look at the intelligence functions:
Loss of benefits and gain in old age at the same time!
The personality psychologist Raymond Cattell has identified two essential components of human intelligence: One is what is known as fluid intelligence, the other is crystalline intelligence. In various test series, Joshua Hartshorne (MIT) and Laura Germine, postdoctoral fellow at MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital), have confirmed the first form - fluid intelligence - as the one that is actually more pronounced at a young age. The plasticity of the brain is even higher here. Fluid intelligence describes the ability to think quickly and abstractly. This includes, among other things, spatial understanding, the ability to solve problems, learning, quick comprehension and a good memory.
Crystalline intelligence, on the other hand, describes experiential knowledge, vocabulary, analogical understanding and the ability to integrate new information into already existing contexts. It increases with age, which seems logical to us: if we have absorbed more knowledge and experience, we can do more with it. Researchers suspect that these learning functions are very much dependent on the hippocampus. Along with the frontal lobe, this part of the brain has the highest rate of new cell formation with advancing age.
Both forms of intelligence are linked, because the development of crystalline intelligence can only develop in dependence on fluid intelligence, which is assumed to be genetically determined.
The intelligence combo makes the difference
In one respect, crystalline intelligence cannot replace what 'fluid' abilities are declining. For example, the ability to learn new things quickly and to develop new motor skills. But this is offset by the wealth of experience of the 'crystalline' older person, who can compensate for this excellently. This is evident, among other things, when it comes to evaluating new information that has been absorbed, separating the important from the unimportant and developing strategies that relate to existing knowledge.
Thus, a person's highest mental capacity is expressed by both areas of intelligence working together; determining a time or age when this reaches an optimal point in mentally active people depends on many individual factors, often as late as the forties. In certain cases, it even depends on occupation: People who work in the field of mathematics and computer science, for example, reach this stage earlier because their profession requires enormous mental flexibility and analytical thinking.
Cognitive deficits in ageing - what is normal?
While you are telling a nice anecdote, you suddenly can't remember the name of a former colleague? Kind of worrying ... Is this the beginning of Alzheimer's? No, not in most cases - that's what the medical experts say. Because the following losses are medically found to be "normal":
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Memory declines (including numbers, names, appointments and completely new information)
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Ability to multitask, i.e. process several things at the same time, decreases.
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Flexibility to immediately adapt to a changed situation decreases.
Doctors explain this by saying that the brain mass in the areas of the hippocampus and frontal lobe that are important for certain thought processes decreases slightly, which can be dampened with sufficient fluid intake. In addition, the production of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) slows down, as does the rate of new cell formation in the entire body. We notice this when small wounds and scratches or even broken bones take longer to heal. Feelings of happiness and alertness also decrease.
Disease-related limitations, on the other hand, are accompanied by greater cognitive losses. These include stroke, dementia and brain damage as well as anaesthesia or coma. You can minimise the risks of brain disease by avoiding obesity, sweet foods and lack of exercise.
Ageing intelligently
The entire spectrum of fluid intelligence - including memory - can be trained at any age, despite the degradation effect described above. An ideal example of this is brain jogging, which trains skills such as processing speed, flexibility, memory and mental fitness in general. You might think of crossword puzzles or certain memory tasks. Some people like them, others not so much. But one thing is certain: they train cognitive performance. Solving arithmetic problems, however, will not improve your language comprehension or your creativity. To achieve a transfer of the acquired skills to other areas of life, according to the latest findings, it is more beneficial to set yourself small new tasks in a variety of situations every day. These can be the following things:
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Driving a new way without a navigation system
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Making pictorial associations with names
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Using the magic of new beginnings
Move out of the familiar, look for challenges away from the routine and the constantly same daily routine. This is the best way to challenge your brain. This is best done while you are living and enjoying your life.
Super Agers
Anglicism, with a Latin loanword, refers to those people whose brain volume shrinks less. They are as mentally fit at 80 as others are at 50. "They manage to stay healthy throughout their lifespan. And - they live really well, healthy lives and enjoy their lives," says Emily Rogalski, a professor at the Center of Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease (CNADC) at Northwestern University Feinberg in Chicago.
Just in case you're not one of those super agers, it's been proven that we all have the power to counteract cognitive decline. This is helped by
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regular exercise: dancing is at the forefront of this as it engages a lot of brain areas!
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intellectual stimulation (puzzles, games, curiosity)
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Maintaining friendships and social contacts
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minimise stress
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Eat healthy (high fibre and low carbohydrate) and drink healthy food
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get sufficient and restful sleep (sleep hygiene)
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Playing an instrument and singing
An old saying goes: time spent singing does not detract from time spent living; dancing stimulates both body and mind, and you are in company at the same time. Go for a walk and use the joints in the paving stones for a little play by not stepping on them. Astrid Lindgren said at the age of 84: there is no ban on old women climbing trees - because she did it with a childhood friend. The two girls were super-agers before the word existed.
