The cognitive changes in brain of an elderly person:
A characteristic of older brains:
Older brains tend to show more symmetrical activation, either because they have increased activation in a hemisphere that is less activated than in younger adults or because they show reduced activation in the areas most activated in younger adults. This has been shown for visual perception and in memory tasks.In the early years of life, the brain forms more than a million new neural connections every second. By the age of 6, the size of the brain increases to about 90% of its volume in adulthood. Then, in our 30s and 40s, the brain starts to shrink, with the shrinkage rate increasing even more by age 60.
The physical changes that occur to the Aging Brain:
General changes that researchers think occur during brain aging include: Brain mass shrinkage in the frontal lobe and hippocampus, which are areas involved in higher cognitive function and encoding new memories, starts at around the age of 60 or 70 years.The two physical changes commonly seen in the brains of the elderly are reduced brain weight and brain volume: these changes are probably caused by the loss of neurons. Reductions in the size of many areas of the cerebral cortex have been reported.
The cognitive changes in elderly person:
We develop many thinking abilities that appear to peak around age 30 and, on average, very subtly decline with age. These age-related declines most commonly include overall slowness in thinking and difficulties sustaining attention, multitasking, holding information in mind and word-finding.
In general, however, the symptoms of cognitive decline that are associated with aging include: Slower inductive reasoning / slower problem solving. Diminished spatial orientation. Declines in perceptual speed.
The neurologic changes in older adults:
Older need more time to retrieve information due to the loss of cerebral neurons that occurs with aging.
The brain change in older adults quizlet:
in late adulthood the brain actually shrinks and total brain mass declines. The declines also take place in certain neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and dopamine. The earliest symptom of alzheimer's disease is a loss of memory for recent events and familiar names and tasks.
Age for cognitive decline:The brain's capacity for memory, reasoning and comprehension skills (cognitive function) can start to deteriorate from age 45, finds research published on bmj.com . Previous research suggests that cognitive decline does not begin before the age of 60, but this view is not universally accepted.
(https://www.bmj.com › 2012/01/05
Cognitive decline can begin as early as age 45, warn experts | The BMJ)
The changes in the brain of a person with dementia (Alzheimer's disease):
In Alzheimer's disease, as neurons are injured and die throughout the brain, connections between networks of neurons may break down, and many brain regions begin to shrink. By the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, this process called brain atrophy is widespread, causing the significant loss of brain volume .
(Reference Research Paper entitled:Age, Neuropathology, and Dementia
George M. Savva , et al., for the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study May 28, 2009N Engl J Med 2009; 360:2302-2309
DOI: 10.1056/NEJM)
Research in Alzheimer's disease is focused mainly on younger old persons, whereas studies involving very old persons report attenuated relationships between the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Conclusions:
The association between the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is stronger in younger old persons than in older old persons. Age must be taken into account when assessing the likely effect of interventions against dementia on the population.
The four stages of dementia:
Stage 1: Normal functioning with no noticeable decline. Stage 2: The person may feel like they are experiencing some decline.
Stage 3: Early disease which may show effects in demanding situations.
Stage 4: Mild disease, in which the person requires some assistance with complicated tasks.
These early signs of dementia are:
Memory loss.
Difficulty planning or solving problems.
Difficulty doing familiar tasks.
Being confused about time or place.
Challenges understanding visual information.
Problems speaking or writing.
Misplacing things.
Poor judgment or decision-making.
The warning signs of dementia
Sign 1: Memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities.
Sign 2: Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
Sign 3: Problems with language.
Sign 4: Disorientation to time and place.
Sign 5: Impaired judgement.
Sign 6: Problems with abstract thinking
Common causes of sudden confusion for elders:
A lack of oxygen in the blood (hypoxia) – the cause could be anything from a severe asthma attack to a problem with the lungs or heart;an infection anywhere in the body, especially in elderly people;a stroke or TIA ('mini stroke') ;a low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia).
As we age our brains shrink in volume, particularly in the frontal cortex. As our vasculature ages and our blood pressure rises the possibility of stroke and ischaemia increases and our white matter develops lesions. Memory decline also occurs with ageing and brain activation becomes more bilateral for memory tasks.
Dr Bhairavsinh Raol
