Our bodies change in striking ways as we grow. Our hair greys, our skin wrinkles, and its losses its elasticity. Less obvious are the changes occurring in our brains.
Ageing causes changes in brain size, vasculature, and cognition. The brain shrinks with age, and there are changes in all situations, from motes to morphology. Prevalence of stroke, white matter lesions, and madness also rise with age, as does the position of memory impairment, and there are changes in situations of neurotransmitters and hormones.
Physical changes
The volume of the brain or its weight declines with age. The size of the brain begins to shrink when we’re in our 30s or 40s and accelerates around age 60s. The volume loss isn’t uniform throughout the brain, and many areas deteriorate faster than others. These changes may get noticed by checking the grey and white matter of the brain.
Cognitive changes in brain
The normal ageing process brings subtle changes in cognitive abilities. New information and recalling names and numbers can take longer. Certain aspects of attention can get hard as our brains age. We may have a hard time focusing on things. Divided attention also becomes tiring with age.
Neuronal Changes
Changes at the level of individual neurons contribute to the shrinkage and cortical thinning of the ageing brain. Neurons shrink and withdraw their dendrites, and the fatty myelin that wraps around axons deteriorates. With increasing age, dendrites shrink, their branches turn less complex, and they lose dendritic spines, the tiny lumps that receive chemical signals. The formation of new neurons, known as neurogenesis, declines with age.
Chemical Changes in brain
As we age, our brains may also induce low chemical messengers. Old brains synthesize lower dopamine, and there are lesser receptors to bind the neurotransmitter. Our brains suffer many changes during the ageing process. Still, scientists are learning how adopting a healthy life can delay or minimize the negative consequences of these changes.