"Neurogenesis and Age-Related Forgetfulness: The Fountain of Youth Brain Explained"

2023-05-17 15:22:00

Fountain of youth brain: what are neurons?

With the beginning of life, you are accompanied through life by about 100 billion nerve cells¹. 86 billion of them are active as brain cells² and keep the brain running smoothly. At every stage of life, the brain cells help and support a person to learn to live or to regulate mood. Memory is also linked to the neurons. They work together with the so-called synapses. This bond ensures that you learn things or unlearn them³.

When neurons become sluggish: what is age-related forgetfulness?

Our brain is as old as we are. Sometimes we forget that when we ask ourselves why we can’t think of exactly what we’re looking for right now. From around the age of 30, the neurons in the brain begin to degrade naturally. This does not mean, however, that cognitive performance must immediately decrease rapidly. In the normal aging process, it is usually only noticeable after the age of 50 that the brain performance has become somewhat slower. Precisely this means that we think a little more slowly and remember things a little more than we used to¹. This is age-related forgetfulness, also known as mild cognitive disorder.

What is neurogenesis?

Neurogenesis means formation of new brain cells. Neurogenesis takes place in our brain throughout life, so new nerve cells are constantly growing. Until recently, researchers disagreed as to whether brain cells could still grow after the age of 13. However, it is now clear that it may be more difficult for an older brain to develop new brain cells, but it is possible⁴. This gives the brain the ability to learn and remember for a lifetime.

What does neurogenesis have to do with age-related forgetfulness?

An older brain cannot produce as many brain cells as quickly as a younger one. The connections with other neurons that help us to memorize something is then also more difficult. Therefore, it often happens in older people that cognitive performance decreases because the two halves of the brain can no longer communicate properly with each other. However, age-related impaired neurogenesis is not a cause for concern, but normal for every person.