Mild memory loss is neuropathology, not 'normal aging'

There is an erroneous popular notion that mild memory lapses, so-called 'senior moments', are a normal consequence of aging. A study just published in the journal Neurology introduces more evidence that age-related memory decline does not occur in the absence of the same kind of neuropathologic brain lesions associated with full-blown dementia. The authors' intention was...

"To assess the contribution of dementia-related neuropathologic lesions to age-related and disease-related change in cognitive function."

They examined 354 subjects for up to 13 years with annual clinical evaluations including detailed tests of cognitive function. At death their brains underwent autopsy and were examined for neuropathologies including neurofibrillary tangles, Lewy bodies and cerebral infarct (evidence of stroke)—the same pathologies known to be associated with dementia. Their data offers strong encouragement to learn how to take care of your brain:

"During follow-up, rate of global cognitive decline was gradual at first and then more than quadrupled in the last 4 to 5 years of life consistent with the onset of progressive dementia. Neurofibrillary tangles, cerebral infarction, and neocortical Lewy bodies all contributed to gradual age-related cognitive decline and little age-related decline was evident in the absence of these lesions. Neurofibrillary tangles and neocortical Lewy bodies contributed to precipitous disease-related cognitive decline, but substantial disease-related decline was evident even in the absence of these lesions."

In other words, not everyone experiences memory decline with age. When it does occur, it is due to the same damage to brain tissue that can evolve into dementia. As the authors state in their conclusion:

"Mild age-related decline in cognitive function is mainly due to the neuropathologic lesions traditionally associated with dementia."

See earlier and forthcoming posts in the Brain Health category for more science on how to take care of your brain.