title: Secrets of aging: What does a normally aging brain look like?
abstract: Over the past half century, remarkable progress has been made in understanding the biological basis of memory and how it changes over the lifespan. An important conceptual advance during this period was the realization that normative cognitive trajectories can exist independently of dementing illness. In fact, mammals as different as rats and monkeys, who do not spontaneously develop Alzheimer's disease, show memory impairments at advanced ages in similar domains as those observed in older humans. Thus, animal models have been particularly helpful in revealing brain mechanisms responsible for the cognitive changes that occur in aging. During these past decades, a number of empirical and technical advances enabled the discoveries that began to link age-related changes in brain function to behavior. The pace of innovation continues to accelerate today, resulting in an expanded window through which the secrets of the aging brain are being deciphered.
authors: Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute and Departments of Psychology and Neurology, University of Arizona Life Sciences North, Rm 355, Tucson, AZ 85724-5115 USA.
authors: Carol A
authors: CA
authors: Barnes