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Childhood and Lifestyle Impact on Brain Aging

A study reveals that childhood factors and adult lifestyle choices significantly impact cognitive aging, highlighting the importance of maintaining physical and mental health for better brain health in old age.

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English

United States

HealthLifestyleResearchAgingBrain

University Of EdinburghGenomic Press New YorkInstitute For Neurodegenerative Diseases

Simon CoxRichard IsaacsonSanjay Gupta

What lifestyle factors are associated with healthier cognitive aging?: Lifestyle factors like regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, bilingualism, and playing music are associated with better cognitive performance and slower brain aging. These factors, while individually having small effects, cumulatively contribute to a noticeable improvement in cognitive health.
What advice do experts offer for improving the health of the aging brain?: Maintaining overall physical health, including monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, is crucial for cognitive health. Tracking bone health, muscle strength, and grip strength are also important indicators of brain health outcomes. Regular visits to a primary care physician are recommended.
What did the brain scans of 73-year-old participants reveal about brain aging?: Brain scans of participants at age 73 revealed wide variation, with some brains showing minimal signs of aging while others showed significant shrinkage and damage. This highlights that brain aging isn't inevitable and motivates research into maintaining brain health.
What is known about "cognitive superagers" and their relevance to brain aging research?: Cognitive superagers, whose memory resembles that of much younger individuals, demonstrate that different aspects of brain aging don't always occur together. Further research is needed to identify which risk factors drive different patterns of brain aging.
What are the key findings of the study on human brain aging published in Genomic Psychiatry?: The study, using data from the Lothian Birth Cohorts, found that about half the variability in older people's cognitive abilities might be present in childhood. However, lifestyle factors in adulthood, such as physical and mental activity, also play a significant role.

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