Study Reveals the Ageless Part of the Human Brain

A study finds brain area related to spatial attention like touch, sight and hearing remains active in our old age.

Age induced conditions like shrinkage of brain volume, poor functioning and less stimulation in regions concerning memory and cognition affects quality of life and well-being in most people. Researchers at the University of Adelaide discovered a part of the brain that remains ageless even during later years. Their research involved 60 participants both old and young who underwent tests to assess their level of responses to visual and non-visual stimuli, reports IANS.

The subjects wore blindfolds and were instructed to feel wooden objects placed on a table. They had to guess the center of the object. It was observed majority of participants said the wooden object's center was towards left-hand side of the actual location. All individuals of old (55 to 95 years) and young age (18 and 38 years) group fared similarly in the tasks measuring their spatial attention skills.

"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," said Joanna Brooks, study author and visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide, reports the Business Standard.

"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," Brooks said.  

However, these findings highlight the need to identify why other brain regions are more prone to aging. The authors believe the study results can be employed in understanding brain alterations and diseases like Alzheimer's.

The research will be presented at the International Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Australia.