Older & Wiser Brains
According to a
New York Times article, an increasing number of studies are finding that brain power doesn't decrease with aging. Rather, the aging brain takes in more information and attempts to filter through a clutter of information, often to its long-term benefit.
The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, "Progress in Brain Research." While Alzheimer's disease and dementia do make some brains deteriorate with age, the authors say much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number.
For example, in studies where subjects are asked to read passages that are interrupted with unexpected words or phrases, adults 60 and older work much more slowly than college students. That indicates that they are not just stumbling over the extra information, but are taking it in and processing it.