Effects of Aging to Brain and Memory

Effects of Aging to Brain and Memory
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Effects of Aging to Brain and Memory
The brain controls numerous aspects of cognitive abilities. The coordination and optimal performance of these activities rely on the health and nature of the brain. Some of these functions include remembering, making decisions, and organizing. The cognitive function of the brain ultimately determines memory. The ability to store and recall information undergoes certain changes as aging progresses. Some of the changes observed in memory and cognitive functions as people age include being significantly slower in finding the right words to use and having difficulties recalling names (Knight, 2019). Aging may also present a mild inability to pay attention.
Psychological researchers have helped unearth some of the changes that occur to the brain as one age and how those changes affect memory. Additionally, there is ongoing research to help understand why the aging process affects people in significantly different ways. For instance, some people maintain good memory characteristics even in old age, while others start losing it as soon as old age knocks. To understand the changes in memory that occur during aging, it is important to focus on some of the changes that the brain undergoes during the process of aging. The first change is that some parts of the brain decrease in size. The shrinking particularly affects the parts that are responsible for learning and carrying out complex cognitive abilities. Secondly, in some regions of the brain, nerves do not communicate effectively, leading to delayed processing of stimuli. This situation means that the neural junctions in the brain are not functioning optimally.
Thirdly, evidence has revealed that blood flow to the brain during old age may decrease. The brain is dependent on oxygen for optimal function. One of the roles that oxygen plays is in the breakdown of glucose to provide the brain with the energy needed for functioning. These fundamental changes can significantly affect the cognitive function and memory of aging persons. The changes make it hard for more accessible storage and retrieval of information, leading to continued memory loss. Evidence has shown that these changes continue to worsen with time which explains why those in the higher tiers of old age have more nuanced effects on memory.
As shown above, the aging process adversely affects the brain and consequently leads to a decline in memory ability. ...