Gerontology October 22 2012 New Ideas about the Aging Brain Central Nervous System Brain Spinal Cord Autonomic Nervous System Nerves in the rest of the body Changes in CNS Central Nervous System Age related changes begin very subtly microscopic difficult to document Changes occur mainly at the level of the individual brain cell or neuron and neurotransmitter What major changes occur in neurons Challenge Differentiating between normal and abnormal brain aging many of the same things Examples Develop neurofibrillary tangles Production of neuritic plaques Occurs with normal aging but also characteristic of Alzheimer s Disease How does neurons ability to communicate with each other change with age Age related changes in neurotransmitters Affect efficiency of information transmission between neurons Decrease in the level of dopamine controls motor movements Extreme decline Parkinson s Disease Declines in acetylcholine linked to memory The Good News Brain Aging Aging brain Enhanced creativity Challenging the brain keeps brain young
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