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Chapter Two - Brain Mechanisms of Aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2025

Angela Gutchess
Angela Gutchess
Affiliation:
Brandeis University, Massachusetts
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Summary

This chapter reviews findings about the structural changes to the brain, considering effects on both gray matter and white matter and relationships between these measures and behavior. It also reviews research on changes with age to the connectivity of the brain and the default mode network. Findings related to effects of aging on perception and sensation as well as neurotransmitters are presented. The chapter ends with extensive coverage of individual difference factors, including genetic influences, intelligence, cognitive reserve, bilingualism, personality, and stress.

Keywords

white mattergray matterindividual differencesdefault mode networkperceptionintelligencecognitive reservepersonalitystressbilingualism
Type
Chapter
Information
Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging , pp. 23 - 54
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

For Further Reading

Fjell, A. M., Westlye, L. T., Grydeland, H., Amlien, I., Espeseth, T., Reinvang, I., … Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2014). Accelerating cortical thinning: unique to dementia or universal in aging? Cerebral Cortex, 24(4), 919–934. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs379.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Park, D. C., Polk, T. A., Park, R., Minear, M., Savage, A., & Smith, M. R. (2004). Aging reduces neural specialization in ventral visual cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(35), 13091–13095.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rieck, J. R., Rodrigue, K. M., Park, D. C., & Kennedy, K. M. (2020). White matter microstructure predicts focal and broad functional brain dedifferentiation in normal aging. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 32(8), 1536–1549. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, E. T., Hennessee, J. P., Wig, G. S., Frank, S., Gonzalez, H., Bacci, J., Chan, M., Carreno, C. A., Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Hertzog, C., & Park, D. C. (2023). Longitudinal changes in grey matter correspond to changes in cognition across the lifespan: Implications for theories of cognition. Neurobiology of Aging, 129, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.04.014.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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  • Brain Mechanisms of Aging
  • Angela Gutchess, Brandeis University, Massachusetts
  • Book: Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging
  • Online publication: 14 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009354233.003
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  • Brain Mechanisms of Aging
  • Angela Gutchess, Brandeis University, Massachusetts
  • Book: Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging
  • Online publication: 14 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009354233.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Brain Mechanisms of Aging
  • Angela Gutchess, Brandeis University, Massachusetts
  • Book: Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging
  • Online publication: 14 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009354233.003
Available formats
×