Aging affects the brain and intellectual abilities in varying ways among individuals. Some people manage to preserve their mental faculties well beyond the age of 70, despite the natural changes associated with aging. In-depth research conducted on over 2,500 healthy adults has provided a better understanding of the mechanisms behind these differences.<\/p>\n
Intellectual abilities do not all decline at the same rate. Skills related to problem-solving or learning, known as fluid abilities, tend to decrease with age. On the other hand, accumulated knowledge, such as vocabulary or the understanding of ideas, remains stable or even improves slightly. This distinction shows that the brain ages unevenly depending on its functions.<\/p>\n
The study also reveals that associative memory, which allows linking information together, is more affected by age than the memory of isolated facts or the quick recognition of familiar objects. For example, remembering the face of a known person becomes more difficult over the years, as does associating an object with a specific place. However, the ability to recognize previously seen objects or words remains relatively intact.<\/p>\n
Changes in the brain play a key role. With age, certain brain areas lose volume, particularly those involved in memory and reasoning. However, the way these areas interact with each other seems equally important. Better connectivity between brain regions, especially in networks related to attention and memory, is associated with the maintenance of intellectual abilities. This suggests that the brain can compensate for certain losses by optimizing its connections.<\/p>\n
Another determining factor is lifestyle. People who remain physically and socially active show greater preservation of their mental faculties. Regular physical exercise, for example, appears to protect the structure of nerve fibers and promote better blood circulation in the brain. Similarly, quality sleep and a balanced diet help slow cognitive decline.<\/p>\n
Finally, the study highlights that individual differences become more pronounced with age. Some people develop strategies to compensate for age-related losses, such as better organization of their thoughts or more effective use of their knowledge. These mechanisms explain why two people of the same age can exhibit very different levels of cognitive performance.<\/p>\n
These findings open avenues for better supporting aging. They suggest that it is possible to act on certain factors, such as physical activity or intellectual stimulation, to preserve brain function for longer. They also remind us that aging is not a uniform process and that each individual has unique resources to adapt to it.<\/p>\n
DOI:<\/strong> https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11357-026-02096-z<\/a><\/p>\n Title:<\/strong> Fifteen years on: a review of the Cam-CAN study of the cognitive neuroscience of ageing<\/p>\n Journal:<\/strong> GeroScience<\/p>\n Publisher:<\/strong> Springer Science and Business Media LLC<\/p>\n Authors:<\/strong> Henson R.N.; Cam-CAN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why Do Some People Retain Their Cognitive Abilities as They Age? Aging affects the brain and intellectual abilities in varying ways among individuals. Some people manage to preserve their mental faculties well beyond the age of 70, despite the natural changes associated with aging. In-depth research conducted on over 2,500 healthy adults has provided a… Continue reading Why Do Some People Retain Their Cognitive Abilities as They Age?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crseh.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}