Healthy Brain Connections Help Maintain Intellect in Old Age

May 30th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

TUESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) — Healthy brain nerve connections as
you age may be a key to retaining intelligence later in life, according to
a new study.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found that older
people with robust brain wiring (white matter, or nerve fibers that
connect different, distant brain areas) processed information quickly, a
sign of intelligence.

The study of 420 people who were born in 1936 and have been followed
since they were 11 years old also found that those with brain wiring in
poor condition had slower processing speeds, which also can impact
thinking abilities.

The study suggests that deterioration of white matter with age is
likely a significant cause of age-related mental decline, and that
intelligence is not found in a single part of the brain, researchers
said.

“Our results suggest a first plausible way how brain structure
differences lead to higher intelligence,” study author Lars Penke said in
a university news release. “The results are exciting for our understanding
of human intelligence differences at all ages.”

In the study, researchers measured seniors’ performance on timed tests
and how much water is in brain tissue, which they say is a window into the
condition of the white matter.

“This research is very exciting, as it could have a real impact on
tackling mental decline in later life, including dementia,” James Goodwin,
head of research at the charity Age UK, said in the news release. “With
new understanding of how the brain functions, we can work out why mental
faculties decline with age in some people and not others, and look at what
can be done to improve our minds’ chances of aging better.”

Age UK funded the study, which was published in the journal
Molecular Psychiatry.

More information

The Society for Neuroscience has more about healthy brain aging.