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The aging human brain
Author(s) -
Creasey Helen,
Rapoport Stanley I.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410170103
Subject(s) - neurochemical , human brain , brain aging , neuroscience , wechsler adult intelligence scale , brain function , psychology , postmortem studies , neuroplasticity , brain morphometry , medicine , cognition , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology
Abstract Postmortem and computed tomographic studies demonstrate many anatomical, morphological, and neurochemical differences between brains of old and young human beings. The variability of the results is great, however, and brains of some old subjects have characteristics of brains of younger controls. Furthermore, important aspects of brain functional activity are not reduced in the elderly. These include resting cerebral oxidative metabolism and “crestallized” intelligence as represented by verbal subtests on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. In the absence of superimposed disease (which frequently limits aging studies), overall functions can be maintained at high and effective levels because of the plasticity and redundancy capabilities of the human brain.