Physiological Changes in Brain as We Age

University of Michigan (US) scientists have identified specific breakdowns in brain connections that slow reaction times as we age.  Rachael Seidler and colleagues have identified an age-related breakdown affecting the corpus callosum, the part of the brain that modulates cross-talk between the two hemispheres of the brain.  The team has shown that cross-talk happens even while older adults are at rest; but this resting cross-talk is now shown to hinder response times and thus may contribute to confusion. The researchers observe that: “We suggest that reduced interhemispheric connectivity reflects a loss of the ability to inhibit the non-dominant hemisphere during motor task performance for older adults, which has a negative impact on performance.”