Good thing sheer brain power is only a small part of achieving remarkable things.
You over 39?
I'm 23.
Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
11–20 of 29 posts
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#12[deleted]
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#13Does it mean we should not elect politicians who are over 39?
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#14I just turned 27. I've been told we learned more about the brain in the 90s than all previous history combined. My hope is the given the amount of research going into myelin breakdown because of diseases like MS, by the time I'm 39, that date can be pushed back a bit. Escape velocity with respect to anti-aging is a delightful idea.
The article says they found a striking correlation - I wonder how one gets to be one of the outlying data points (on the good side)? What's the betting it can be affected with dietary changes?
I would bet on Omega-3 fatty acids.
no proof, but enough correlation to raise my eyebrow.
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#15Does it mean we should not elect politicians who are over 39?
electing old people is another unavoidable problem with democracy. only the best connected can ever get serious backing, and it takes years to gain that kind of backing.
then there is the problem that the old are out of touch with the needs and desires of "normal people". People become strange once their sex drive deserts them. And it is the sex drive that forms society (desire for maximization of offspring survival encourages cooperation. Animals with extended gestation periods tend to be the most social. Of course it could be that being social allows for longer gestation. chicken and egg.)
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#16Does it mean we should not elect politicians who are over 39?
electing old people is another unavoidable problem with democracy. only the best connected can ever get serious backing, and it takes years to gain that kind of backing. then there is the problem that the old are out of touch with the needs and desires of "normal people". People become strange once their sex drive deserts them. And it is the sex drive that forms society (desire for maximization of offspring survival…
There is such a thing as youthful folly, though. I have changed my mind on a lot of things, and I am only 35 yet. I think some experience is good for a politician.
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#17This study is more rigorous than this title implies. It isn't about age vs. mental acuity; it's a test of myelin density vs. mental acuity. Myelin tends to disappear as we get older, after about age 39, so that is how these researchers got the connection to aging.
Actually, it's myelin density vs the neural processing speed. It doesn't say anything about whether your mental acuity declines after 39, just that it does things slower. (Which is good, I can deal with thinking slower as long as I don't get dumber. Hopefully my increased experience and accumulated wisdom will outweigh the slower cognitive processes... ;-)
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article says they found a striking correlation - I wonder how one gets to be one of the outlying data points (on the good side)? What's the betting it can be affected with dietary changes?
I would bet on Omega-3 fatty acids. no proof, but enough correlation to raise my eyebrow.
I would bet on advancement in drugs used to treat MS. They would be applied more broadly in short order.
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#19This study is more rigorous than this title implies. It isn't about age vs. mental acuity; it's a test of myelin density vs. mental acuity. Myelin tends to disappear as we get older, after about age 39, so that is how these researchers got the connection to aging.
Actually, it's myelin density vs the neural processing speed . It doesn't say anything about whether your mental acuity declines after 39, just that it does things slower. (Which is good, I can deal with thinking slower as long as I don't get dumber. Hopefully my increased experience and accumulated wisdom will outweigh the slower cognitive processes... ;-)
I haven't read the article yet, so I may be off base here, but...
While I don't doubt their results, you make a good point that it's important to not over-generalize the results by mistaking neuronal processing speed for mental acuity. Motor control, maybe, and this may help explain why the elderly are frail and unsteady. However, to make any claims about reduced cognitive abilities, you need to show that neuroplasticity cannot compensate for the impaired processing speed.
However, even if it can be compensated for, it would still a case of "use it or lose it".
Re: Brain peaks at 39 years of age and declines thereafter
#20Young folk, don't be discouraged by this article. You don't have to wait until you're 39 to do great things.