Aging effects starts in the late 20s
Declining mental function is often seen as a problem of old age, but certain aspects of brain function actually begin their decline in young adulthood
Declining mental function is often seen as a problem of old age, but certain aspects of brain function actually begin their decline in young adulthood.
Researchers from America studied more than 2,000 healthy adults between the age of 18 and 60 years to examine the decline in mental function in young adults. The study included healthy, educated adults who took standard tests of memory, reasoning and perception at the outset, and at some point over the next seven years. The tests were designed to detect subtle changes in mental function, and involved solving puzzles, recalling words and details from stories, and identifying patterns in collections of letters and symbols.
It was found that certain aspects of cognition generally started to decline in the late-20s to 30s. Mental functions, including measures of abstract reasoning, mental speed and puzzle-solving started to dull as early as age 27. Dips in the memory generally became apparent around age 37 years.
The researchers state that this does not mean that young adults need to start worrying about their memories as most people's minds function at a high level even in their later years. Indicators of a person's accumulated knowledge like performance on tests of vocabulary and general knowledge keep improving with age.
The study does suggest that some types of mental flexibility decreases relatively early in adulthood, but the amount of knowledge one has and the effectiveness of integrating it with one's abilities, may increase throughout adulthood if there are no pathological diseases.
The findings shed light on normal age-related changes in mental function, which could help in understanding the process of dementia. Further work analysing health and lifestyle is required to see which factors might influence age-related cognitive changes.
Neurobiology of Aging
April 2009
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