10 Facts to Explain What is Normal Brain Aging

1. Fact: A healthy aging brain shrinks with age

As we age, our brains do shrink. The white matter, which is like the electrical cables that connect the various areas of the brain, is not as effective as it used to be. So, the white matter is somewhat damaged as we get older. When this change of brain cell structure takes place, the brain becomes smaller.

How much does a human brain shrink by age 70?

It depends on the person, but it can shrink in volume as much as 10 percent to 15 percent. And brain shrinkage doesn’t mean that you’ve lost cells. It means that the size of the cells and the connective tissue, the surrounding tissues that keep the brain healthy, have shrunk.

2. Fact: Our neurons don’t die off in large numbers

There is some neuron loss, but it’s way less than what we used to think.

Across your lifespan and even into your 90s, it’s probably at most 10 percent. Which is not a lot because we have millions and millions of brain cells.

3. Fact: It is possible to regenerate brain cells

As far as we know, the brain can to some extent, regenerate itself. Neurogenesis does happen, even in the hippocampus.

We don’t know enough about how to make it happen faster. However, there is some suggestion that exercise and learning can increase neurogenesis, even in the elderly.

4. Fact: There is not just one way of aging

Every 20-year-old brain looks about the same. But that’s not true when I look at 70 and 80-year-old brains. You see huge individual differences.

And we know some of that is related to health and to diseases, but it must be related to other things that we don’t yet understand.

5. Fact: In normal brain aging, it takes longer to acquire new information

There are a few things that change in memory with age. One of them is that as you get older, you have a little more difficulty learning new information. So, when you’re trying to acquire a new skill or new information, it’s going to take you a little bit longer. However, once you acquire it, you will retain it just as well as young people do. It’s as if the system is getting a little inefficient. But once you gain that knowledge, you maintain that information.

6. Fact: In normal brain aging, it takes longer to retrieve information

There is a second change in memory with aging. For most older adults, when they say they have memory problems, they mean they can’t get the information back out. They can’t retrieve the information. This is a big differentiation between Alzheimer’s and normal aging. In Alzheimer’s, you lose that knowledge. In aging, it’s the access that misfires sometimes.

7. Fact: Autobiographical memory is not lost with age

You remember things that happened to you in your 20s and maybe even when you were 12 or five just as well as a 30-year-old does. You may not get all the details of it, but you remember these events. Autobiographical memory does not decline with age.

8. Fact: Your brain is not at its sharpest in your 20s

We really do not see much change in memory function and decision-making until people are in their 60s. There isn’t a lot of difference in memory performance between those in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s. It’s not until you get into your 60s that you see decreases due to the aging process. Believing that your brain is at its sharpest in your 20s is a myth. It comes from research that shows graphs where, from your 20s into your 80s, your memory performance declines across people’s lifespan. It’s not true.

9. Fact: Good for the heart, good for the brain

This fact has a very positive message. The last 20 years of research have shown that when you do things that are good for the heart, you are also doing things that are good for your brain.

10. Fact: Learning New Things Isn’t Limited to Formal Education

Learning new activities requires you to use your brain and, in many cases, use your hands, use your body. And that’s perfect when you’re using both your brain and your body. Both your body and your brain can learn.

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