Brain Growth and Aging: New Insights into Cognitive Changes
A study using advanced 7 Tesla MRI scans found that certain parts of the brain, specifically layers five and six of the sensory cortex, tend to shrink with age, while layer four actually enlarges in healthy older adults, challenging previous beliefs that the brain uniformly degenerates with age. These changes may influence sensory sensitivity and cognitive flexibility in aging, and are shaped by lifestyle and experience, with some evidence of compensatory mechanisms in older brains.