PART OF BRAIN STAYS YOUTHFUL IN OLD AGE

-

At least one part of the human brain may be able to process information the same way in older age as it does in the prime of life, according to new research conducted at the University of Adelaide.

A study compared the ability of 60 older and younger people to respond to visual and non-visual stimuli in order to measure their "spatial attention" skills.
Spatial attention is critical for many aspects of life, from driving, to walking, to picking up and using objects.

"Our studies have found that older and younger adults perform in a similar way on a range of visual and non-visual tasks that measure spatial attention," says Dr Joanna Brooks, who conducted the study as a Visiting Research Fellow with the University of Adelaide's School of Psychology and the School of Medicine.

"Both younger (aged 18-38 years) and older (55-95 years) adults had the same responses for spatial attention tasks involving touch, sight or sound.

"In one task, participants were asked to feel wooden objects whilst blindfolded and decide where the middle of the object was -- participants' judgements were significantly biased towards the left-hand side of the true object centre. This bias is subtle but highly consistent," Dr Brooks says.

"When we think of ageing, we think not just of the physical aspects but also the cognitive side of it, especially when it comes to issues such as reaction time, which is typically slower among older adults. However, our research suggests that certain types of cognitive systems in the right cerebral hemisphere -- like spatial attention -- are 'encapsulated' and may be protected from ageing," she says.

Dr Brooks, who is now a Research Fellow in Healthy Ageing based at the Australian National University, recently presented her results at the 12th International Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Brisbane. Her project is part of an international collaboration with scientists at the University of Edinburgh and Queen Margaret University in Scotland to better understand spatial attention in the human brain.

"Our results challenge current models of cognitive ageing because they show that the right side of the brain remains dominant for spatial processing throughout the entire adult lifespan," Dr Brooks says. "We now need to better understand how and why some areas of the brain seem to be more affected by ageing than others."

Dr Brooks' research could also be helpful in better understanding how diseases such as Alzheimer's affect the brain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EASY PRESCRIBER 2ND EDITION

-
Image
EASY PRESCRIBER 2 ND EDITION OF THE BEST-SELLER Author: Dr. K S Gopi, BSc, BHMS, MD. Former Professor Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College Kozhikode, Kerala. India. SALIENT FEATURES ·        More additions, including Covid-19, and more psychiatric diseases ·        A practical guide for practitioners and medical students. ·        Includes almost all disease conditions and their Homeopathic Management ·        Special arrangement of medicines will help easy selection of remedy and potency. ·        Dose and repetition of dose is clearly mentioned in each disease ·        Crown ¼ size, 980 pages, doble colour printing and hard bound, PRICE: Rs .2250 (India), $ 100 FOR COPIES CONTACT - email-plantmedicines@yahoo.com, WhatsApp-+919207011814, Amazon.in, Homeomart.com  
Read more

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR DE QUERVAIN'S TENOSYNOVITIS

-
Image
De Quervain's tenosynovitis  is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist. Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports, or lifting your baby — can make it worse. Causes- Chronic overuse of your wrist is commonly associated with de Quervain's tenosynovitis. Tendons are rope-like structures that attach muscle to bone. When you grip, grasp, clench, pinch or wring anything in your hand, two tendons in your wrist and lower thumb normally glide smoothly through the small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. Repeating a particular motion day after day may irritate the sheath around the two tendons, causing thickening and swelling that restricts their m...
Read more

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR IMPETIGO

-
Image
Impetigo  is a common and highly contagious skin infection that mainly affects infants and children. Impetigo usually appears as red sores on the face, especially around a child's nose and mouth, and on hands and feet. The sores burst and develop honey-colored crusts. Causes - Impetigo is most often caused by staphylococcus aureus. Non –bullous impetigo can also be caused by group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus pyogenes. The  bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched — such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys. Symptoms - Classic signs and symptoms of impetigo involve red sores that quickly rupture, ooze for a few days and then form a yellowish-brown crust. The sores usually occur around the nose and mouth but can be spread to other areas of the body by fingers, clothing and towels. Itching and soreness are generally mild. A less common form of the disorder...
Read more