A C TIV E A G EIN G :

TH E S C IEN C E O F O LD ER
A N D W IS ER
Dr Abhijit Das, MD, DM
Director of Neurorehabilitation
Consultant Neurologist
Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata

N EU RO SCIEN CE OFMemorys
AG EIN Gspeed
and accuracy begin
to slip around age
25 and keep on
deteriorating
Slowing of
processing speed
with ageing is one
of the most robust
neuropsychological
finding

The Anatom y ofAgeing

Brain is thinner, lighter more in some areas

Loss of N eural C ircuits and

B rain P lasticity

The ageing brain functions differently

Accum ulation ofdebris

The fate??

The reality is not that bad

TH E B R A IN TH AT C H A N G ES
ITS ELF

Aged Brain = D iff

erent Brain
The activation pattern in our brain

changes as we age
HAROLD - hemispheric asymmetry
reduction in older adults (Cabeza
2002)
PASA - posterioranterior shift in aging
(Davis 2008)
ELSA - The Early to Late Shift in Aging
(Dew 2012)

Ageing Brains are m ore

bilateral

Ageing brains are m ore

upfront

Ageing brains are reactive

A G EIN G
=
P O S ITIV ITY + W IS D O M

Ageing = Positivity
Older adults exhibit increased frontal

activations to emotional materials as

well as cognitive biases toward
positive versus negative stimuli.

Ageing = Positivity
Mechanisms
Semantic elaboration
Self-referential processing
Emotion regulation

Ageing = M ore inform ation

Not all cognitive performances decline
Ageing brain has more data takes

longer time to analyze them and to

respond

Ageing = W isdom
Cognitive templates develop in the

older brain based on pattern recognition

These can form the basis for wise
behavior and decisions.
Insights and perspectives from ones

cognitive knowledge to be wise (the

reflective dimension).
To understand and help others (the
compassionate dimension).

H O W TO B EN EFIT FR O M
A N A G EIN G B R A IN

Rem ain Fit & Active

High level of education
Physical exercise
Staying intellectually engaged, i.e.

reading and mental activities (such as

crossword puzzles
Maintaining social and friendship
networks
Maintaining a healthy diet, including
omega-3 fatty acids, and protective
antioxidants

The Cognitive Reserve

The ability of an individual to

demonstrate no cognitive signs of

aging despite an aging brain is called
cognitive reserve
Two people might have the same brain
pathology, with one person
experiencing noticeable clinical
symptoms, while the other continues
to function relatively normally.

Acceptance
An impediment to wisdom is thinking,

I cant stand who I am now because

Im not who I used to be,
Perceived worsening of
their looks
their physical abilities
their memory
their sexual performance

H ealthy and Active Ageing is

Possible

Monument Valley, AZ 2013

Thank