02 FEB 2014 by ideonexus

 Alternative Reason for Age-Related Cognitive Decline

As adults age, their performance on many psychometric tests changes systematically, a finding that is widely taken to reveal that cognitive information-processing capacities decline across adulthood. Contrary to this, we suggest that older adults'; changing performance reflects memory search demands, which escalate as experience grows. A series of simulations show how the performance patterns observed across adulthood emerge naturally in learning models as they acquire knowledge. The simulati...
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The idea that as we grow older, our brains have more information to sort through, which makes it take longer to find the data we need.

19 OCT 2012 by ideonexus

 Exercise Rejuvenates the Body

As noted earlier, mitochondrial degradation is a primary culprit in dwindling muscle mass. But recent evidence indicates that exercise can slow down this effect. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, resistance training activates a muscle stem cell called a satellite cell. In a physiological process known as ‘gene shifting,' these new cells cause the mitochondria to rejuvenate. Tarnopolsky claims that after six month...
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Strength training specifically prompts the body to produce stem cells that repair motochondria, promotes the production of telomerase to maintain DNA, increase lifespan by six to seven years, and improve cognitive function dramatically as we age.