The Environment Influences Brain Ageing, Research Finds

New research has found that a higher level of mental alertness and intelligence does not necessarily mean better genes than others who are not so lucky. Instead the research suggested that we may have more control over how we age than we might have supposed.

Age UK commissioned intelligence research, which included results that compared tests taken from people who were 11 years old and again when participants were 65. The most important finding was that a higher level of continued alertness into older age resulted from environmental factors more than genetic prowess.

According to an article in the Mail Online, this is a positive result. In the words of Professor James Goodwin from Age UK: “It is incredibly positive as it suggests that we can have a real influence on how our brain ages through our lifestyle and other external factors.”

Specifically, the research found that only 24% of intelligence changes over a lifetime can be attributed to genetic factors, with the rest resulting from the environment. The research is groundbreaking, giving researchers more information than they ever had access to before.

Although the researchers admitted that they did not yet have conclusive evidence regarding the specific genetic and environmental effects on brain function as people get older, the results provide a good basis for more research.

New data and genome technologies as well as analysis methods that were not available before have enabled researchers to learn more about the effect of the environment on the ageing process within the brain. One thing that was found conclusively is that the environment plays a vital role in our ability to function at a higher level as we get older.

Professor Goodwin said: “This research is extremely exciting as it provides a greater understanding about why mental abilities change throughout our lifetime.”

In a world with an increasingly aged population, this can be seen as important news indeed. By controlling the external factors that influence the ageing process, people can remain functional and active for a longer time.

By extension, this is also important news for the economy. Recent news has been rife with reports of struggling older people who are obliged to live on pensions far too slim to cover even their basic needs.

In the future, perhaps, the recognition that getting older doesn’t also mean mental deterioration will also mean less pressure on public funding for people who still can and want to function in the job market.

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