Mentally fit in old age: How to maintain your cognitive abilities
It doesn't mean you have dementia if you forget where your car keys are or what you should have brought home from the shop - apart from milk and eggs. Even if your cheeky grandchildren are quick to accuse their grandparents of this. Like wrinkles on your face, age leaves its mark on your brain, which sometimes becomes visible. It is a normal process for forgetfulness to increase while your ability to react decreases. However, as you get older you can draw on prudence and a wealth of experience to compensate. But how exactly does the brain age and how can you keep it functioning optimally?
The grey cells – what’s behind them?
As we grow into adulthood, the human brain grows to around 100 billion nerve cells. These are supported and protected by just as many glial cells. A nerve cell consists of the cell body, an axon and dendrites. The axon is the nerve cell's transmission tower, an elongated extension through which signals are transmitted from the cell body to other nerve cells. Axons can reach a length of over a meter. Dendrites, on the other hand, are the receiving stations. They can connect with the axons of other nerve cells and transmit signals to the cell body. The connection points between axons and dendrites are called synapses. Glial cells are found in greater numbers in the area of the axons because, among other things, they form the myelin layer, a fatty layer that insulates the nerve cells from one another, like the plastic sheath around an electrical cable. The cerebral cortex is predominantly made up of cell bodies. Because of their appearance, they are also referred to as gray matter - or gray cells. Axons mainly run inside the brain. Because of the protective layer of fat, this area appears white and is therefore also called white matter. The gray matter is used to process information, while the white matter is used to transmit information.
The brain loses mass
As we age, the mass of the brain decreases. This affects both the grey matter and the white matter. Up to ten percent of nerve cells can be lost in old age. However, with 100 billion cells, a lot still remains. The loss of white matter is actually more serious. Nerve impulses may be processed less efficiently as a result. This can be noticeable in reduced fine motor skills or a generally worse reaction time. Age-related changes in the blood vessels are a determining factor in the breakdown of the myelin sheath. This is exacerbated by risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high fat levels and of course harmful environmental influences, especially smoking. All of this means that the finest blood vessels can no longer transport enough oxygen and micronutrients. Both the myelin sheath and the nerve cells suffer as a result.
Network expansion in the attic
In addition, the ability to form synapses decreases with age. More important than the number of grey cells present is their synaptic connection. For the brain, learning means that nerve cells are networked with one another through the formation of synapses in order to handle complex tasks. This creates different regions in the brain that are responsible for specific tasks. The more often a certain task has to be solved, the more the corresponding network develops. This is comparable to a traffic network in which heavily used routes are expanded. Routes that are no longer used, however, deteriorate over time. This process takes place throughout life, but the network is expanded more in young years, while unused connections are increasingly broken down as we get older.
Compensating for brain deterioration processes in old age
However, the brain remains flexible well into old age. The normal deterioration process caused by the loss of substance can be compensated for by using different areas of the brain to solve tasks in order to maintain normal brain function. This effect was observed in the 1000 Brains study by the Jülich Research Center. Since 2011, researchers have been studying the brains of more than 1000 subjects between the ages of 55 and 85 to understand the changes in the brain during the aging process. The results to date also suggest, however, that using different areas of the brain means more resources are tied up for one task. This could explain why it can be more difficult to do several things at once as we get older.
Greater wealth of experience in old age
Where young people boast speed and quick reactions, old people can rely on prudence and experience. As part of a study by the Leibniz Institute in Dortmund, test subjects of different ages had to respond to various signals by pressing a corresponding button. While the younger test subjects were significantly faster, the older study participants made fewer mistakes. In addition, older people often find it easier to understand complex issues. This is probably due to the greater wealth of experience that older people have. Compared to younger people, their toolbox is filled with more than just a hammer. And even if the search takes a little longer, they still have the more suitable tool at hand.
Practice makes perfect
Getting older therefore presents the brain with a number of new challenges. But that doesn't automatically make everything worse. The motto applies: if you don't use it, you lose it. Staying as physically and mentally active as possible maintains the synapses and keeps the brain vital. Even if there is less new to discover as you gain life experience, it is still worth leaving your familiar surroundings every now and then. Learning new things, such as a foreign language or juggling, may be more difficult as you get older, but it can even lead to brain matter growing again. This was observed in a study by the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in 2008. The brains of 44 subjects between the ages of 50 and 67 were examined. The group was asked to learn to juggle over three months and to practice the cabaret every day. The subjects' brains were examined using magnetic resonance imaging before and after the training session and after a three-month break from training. The researchers were actually able to see an increase in gray matter in the areas of the brain responsible for motor tasks. After the training break, these areas partially regressed.
A healthy mind lives in a healthy body
Mental fitness also benefits significantly from a generally good physical condition. In addition to physical activity, a balanced diet can make a significant contribution to maintaining health. A varied menu not only increases well-being, it also ensures the supply of necessary vitamins and trace elements. Some foods are even called brain food because their influence on normal brain function is said to be so positive ( find out more about brain food and the influence of nutrition on mental performance here ).
How to stay mentally fit into old age
As we get older, mental abilities such as the ability to concentrate, react quickly, or even memory performance can decline. But the brain remains flexible into old age and can even regain mass if it is trained sufficiently. In addition, as we get older, we can increasingly benefit from our experiences. A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, and an active lifestyle form the basis for long-term mental fitness. If you add to this the proverbial wisdom of old age, i.e. the ability to face the changes of old age and to focus on your strengths, you can calmly cheat your cheeky grandchildren out of their pocket money over a game of chess.
The 5 best tips for maintaining mental fitness in old age
1. Stay physically active
Physical activity can have a positive effect on your mental fitness. Endurance sports in particular are good for improving your thinking skills, memory performance and attention. Cycling, swimming or hiking can be suitable depending on your disposition.
2. Learn something new
Whether it's a new language, an instrument or a new card game: the brain has to develop new structures and that keeps you fit. You've never baked a nut cake before? Then now is the best time to learn!
3. Maintain social contacts
Meeting other people is the easiest way to stay mentally active. Do you want the cherry on top? Meet in cafes, at the cinema, theater, museum or for a walk in the woods.
4. Keep your mind busy
Whether it's crossword puzzles, Sudoku or reading a new book - everything helps. The more variety you have, the better. There are also a whole host of puzzle programs for PCs, tablets or mobile phones. You don't get on well with these devices? Excellent, learn how to do it!
5. Sleep well
Sleep not only helps us recover and gives us energy for the next day, but everything we learn is also best stored during sleep. This is another reason why a restful night is so important for us.
