Blogs: Aging

Quantifying White Matter Development from Infancy to Early Adulthood

Research focusing on developmental changes of the human brain over time has dramatically advanced due to the improvement of novel imaging techniques. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows for an accurate analysis of the morphological modifications of white matter tracts connecting different brain regions. This technique provides for the visualization and quantification of the diffusion of water molecules in biological…

White Matter Lesions in Stroke Patients

Aging is associated with the appearance of increased white spots visualized on brain MRI scans. The presence of these anomalies, called white matter hyperintensities, characterizes elderly subjects as well as ischemic stroke patients, regardless of their age. White matter hyperintensities are thought to be caused by small vessel infarcts (restriction in blood flow) in the…

Aging Effects in the Neocortical Organization of Chimpanzees

Normal aging entails many physical, biological, chemical, and psychological changes and, like the rest of the body, the brain changes with every passing year. Aging affects the brain size, vasculature, and cognition. Studies have shown that the volume of the brain and its weight decline with age at a rate of around 5% per decade after…

Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle Changes with Aging

Adequate muscle activation and force are necessary to fulfill daily tasks, yet these exercises become increasingly difficult as a person ages. Skeletal muscle activity may be evaluated through electromyography (EMG), a tecnique performed to detect the electrical potential generated by muscle cells when they are electrically or neurologically activated. Studies using EMG show that spatial activation in muscles is not uniform…