According to researchers those parts of the brain function where new
learning takes place tend to become more rigid as we baby
boomers get older. When the plasticity is denigrated in these
parts of the brain we can’t effectively respond to stress or learning.KJ
Stress cuts aging brain’s ability to learn new tricks
Like other body parts, tiny cell structures become less flexible with time, study shows
By Jeanna Bryner
Like the saying, "You can’t teach an old dog new tricks," the aging human brain has a
tough time learning from new experiences, suggests a study on rats showing tiny
brain-cell structures needed for this process get quite rigid in their twilight years.
- Rats are generally reliable models for human brain studies, so the results
should hold for us, the researchers say.
The researchers looked at the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that controls various
cognitive processes and plays a role in higher learning. They knew that brain cells
in the prefrontal cortex of young animals are really flexible, or plastic.
Life experiences, particularly those that involve learning, can profoundly alter
the circuitry in this brain region. Continue reading
