Different parts of the body age differently. The age of our brain does not always correspond to passport data, and a “young” brain can help prolong life and preserve its quality. Memory researcher Prof. William Klemm shares early scientific findings and new perspectives on longevity.
We are as old as we feel, says a well-known saying. Actually not quite like that. Of course, the inner self in the depths of our brain is as old as the brain itself. But his age may not coincide with the calendar.
The other day at the fitness club, I once again saw a black guy with a body like Captain America — our training schedule sometimes coincided. We did not know each other, but he unexpectedly approached me with the words: “You are my inspiration! Now I believe that I can practice even at your age.” Whoa, I thought. I serve as an example for someone!
However, the delight pretty much subsided from the realization that he determined my years by appearance. Maybe the figure does not look at 83, but the bald head and wrinkles on the face give me away. The point of the story is that not all parts of the body age at the same time.
For example, time significantly affects the condition of the skin. Internal organs can be of different ages. It depends on whether they have been exposed to destructive effects, for example: the skin — the sun, the liver — alcohol, the lungs — nicotine, or adipose tissue — the influence of a large number of calories.
The brain can age faster than other parts of the body if it is destroyed by drugs or concussions, if narrow arteries are clogged with high cholesterol, if synaptic connections are shriveled by lack of mental exercise or excessive stress.
Is it possible to find a biological equivalent to tree rings in order to understand the true age of your brain? Imperial College London scientist James Cole is working on an interesting approach to this problem. Moreover, his technique seems to be able to even approximately calculate when we will die.
To date, the study has performed MRI scans of the brains of 2001 individuals aged 18 to 90. From the data obtained, the computer program compiled the norm for each age. The MRI results of a group of 669 people born in 1936 were compared with her. In some subjects, the brain turned out to be older than standard indicators. At the same time, their level of fitness, walking speed, lung function and mobile intelligence were lower than those of the rest.
These people also had an increased risk of dying earlier. The predictions became more reliable after brain MRI scan data were compared with DNA methylation data, a marker of the influence of life experience on gene expression. Other researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have determined that it is these types of gene changes that predict the risk of imminent death.
This team of scientists, led by Steve Horvath, analyzed the changes in this gene expression in the tissues of different parts of the body of a 112-year-old woman. They found that her brain is younger than other organs. That is, a «young» brain can improve the quality and duration of life. This study helps us draw two worldly conclusions.
The first is that lifestyle and environment influence the age of each of us, and not all parts of our body age synchronously. Secondly, perhaps now it will become clear what measures to slow down the aging of the brain are effective. We used to believe that exercise, antioxidants, special diets, and stress reduction help in this.
Now objective measurements of the level of aging of the body in general and the brain in particular will help us decide which of the preventive measures are effective. It is likely that this research technique will also help identify those who age too quickly. And then it will be clear in which direction to improve therapy.
These technologies are still being improved. And we should remember about an important symptom of progressive brain aging — memory loss. This is the «first sign» of the emerging problem. By doing memory exercises, you can slow down the aging process and live fully even in old age.
About the author: William Clemm is a senior professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas and author of Strengthening Memory for Brain Health. Memory problems are the first sign.
Source: psychologytoday.com