We know that when we train our brains at these ages, there are positive changes in some cognitive functions as well as modifications in the structure and way of functioning of the organ that directs our lives. Of course, research continues because there is still much to know about the keys to brain training and its benefits. These deficiencies, according to the scientific community, seem more evident in the brains of older people … are older brains just as plastic?
A recent study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex (2015) has analyzed the changes produced in a group of elderly people after a 12-week cognitive training. Sandra B. Chapman, from the University of Texas and several researchers from other North American centers, evaluated the neural changes in the brains of the participants using magnetic resonance imaging, as well as the possible improvements in neuropsychological performance in various tests.
Compared with a control group of participants who did not undergo cognitive training, those who did train showed interesting changes. In the first place, it increased its cerebral blood flow, especially in the default processing network that is activated when we are not doing any specific activity. Second, it was also observed that there was greater connectivity between these brain areas.
Third, it improved the cerebral white matter in the left uncinate fascicle, a structure that links parts of the limbic system with the orbitofrontal cortex and has been linked to verbal memory. Finally, performance was significantly better than before training in a reasoning task in which meaning had to be extracted from complex materials.
One more finding in favor of the idea that brain plasticity is maintained even in advanced age and that, in view of the results, training the brain could be a good way to deal with the losses associated with aging.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
