The Ageing Brain

by Lawrence J. Whalley

We joke about growing old. From the viewpoint of youth, old age holds few if any rewards - and at most those of increased dignity and wisdom. But as Lawrence Whalley shows in this fascinating overview of the ageing brain, we now have cause to be optimistic about old age - especially as mental and physical disability is much less common in old people than it was 20 years ago. In surveying the prospects of slowing or even preventing the worst effects of brain ageing, Whalley looks at the development of the brain and how this is influenced by environmental factors such as diet and stress; the biological and psychological mechanisms of brain injury and disease, and the range of possible treatments and preventatives; individual differences in brain ageing, and the relative roles of nature and nurture in determining our mental abilities; current strategies to slow brain ageing such as the 'use it or lose it' technique; and a look forward to the future of brain treatment, including gene therapy, silicon-neuron implants, virtual reality and intelligent environments.

Paperback

First published July 12, 2001

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had low expectations for this book since it is 15 years old - it was published in 2001. (I picked it up at a library discard.) I was quite surprised. As I started the reading I immediately felt that the book rather than being obsolete, is useful. It started describing the basic biology of the brain and the fundamental chemical processes. Those haven’t changed.

"Brain cells talk to each other all the time. Much of this is fairly low-level chatter." (Page 17)

"So far, more than 500 different substances have been found naturally in the brain and many of these meet the criteria for a neurotransmitter." (Page 27)

Chapter 3 show how hard it is to define old age, and covers several theories of aging.

"Alienation theory proposes that the five components of alienation - powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, and self-estrangement - are encountered much more frequently as one ages." (Page 83)

"The association between apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer's disease was first reported in 1993. Subsequent studies have confirmed that ApoE genotype is second only to age as a risk factor for the most frequently encountered subtypes of Alzheimer's disease. ... Alan Roses's group found that the frequency of APOE4 allele in late-onset Alzheimer's disease patients was 50 per cent, compared with only 16 per cent in control subjects." (Page 136)

"In Western developed countries, estimates of a non-disabled man age 65 surviving to age 80 and remaining non-disabled in the year before death are placed at around 1 in 4. For a non-disabled woman of the same age, the chances of surviving to age 85 without disability in the year before death are around one in six." (Page 145) "This type of successful aging is found in those who maintain an active lifestyle, eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink little alcohol, do not smoke, and continue social involvement. Although physical activity seems to be the single most important factor, each is likely a component of an overall healthy lifestyle, often well established by middle-aged." (Page 146)

The final chapter addresses the not-so-simple politics of people living longer.

I was planning on discarding the book after looking at it, but now it is a keeper. Four stars because it is old but it is definitely not obsolete.

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[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an old fart, I purchased this work to obtain an idea of what I have to look forward to as my organic computer wears out. The many things that can and will go wrong are disturbing but the science and resultant therapies give hope, if not to me, then perhaps to my children. Anyway, I figure that I'd rather understand what goes wrong when it happens than not. Very British but engaging writing.