Young at heart – the secret to brain health

Recent research published in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience journal reveals that a ‘young at heart’ mentality could be the secret to brain health.

Jeanyung Chey from Seoul National University in Korea wanted to investigate the link between subjective and real brain age. Her team recruited 68 healthy people aged 59-84 years and performed MRI brain scans on each of them to analyse the amount of grey matter in different areas.

The participants also completed a questionnaire about how old they were and whether they felt older or younger than their actual age. Their cognitive abilities and perceived health were also assessed.

The participants who said they felt younger than their actual age were more likely to get a better score on a memory test. Also, they appeared to consider themselves more healthy, and were less likely to be depressed.

It wasn't just performance results that were better. Participants who felt younger had increased grey matter volume in the inferior frontal gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus — areas of the brain associated with language, speech, and sound.

"We found that people who feel younger have the structural characteristics of a younger brain, said Chey. "Importantly, this difference remains robust even when other possible factors, including personality, subjective health, depressive symptoms, or cognitive functions, are accounted for."

The researchers don't know for sure whether younger brain characteristics are responsible for someone's subjective age or not, but they think those who feel older may be more aware of the ageing process of their brains.

Another possible explanation is that people who feel younger engage in more physical and mental activity, and lead a generally more stimulating life, that improves their brain health. Those who feel older may have resigned themselves to their age and stopped being so agile and spritely, which impacts their cognitive abilities.

"If somebody feels older than their age, it could be a sign for them to evaluate their lifestyle, habits and activities that could contribute to brain ageing. They should take measures to better care for their brain health," said Chey.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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