Abstract
The processes of maturation and aging of the brain are becoming increasingly relevant and active research areas as the average longevity of the population increases. In 1900, about 4% of the population of the United States exceeded the age of 65. In 1980, the figure approximated 12%, and it is predicted that by the year 2000, more than 15% of the population (at least 35 million people) will be 65 years of age or older. Although remarkably little is known about the aging process, it is increasingly clear that senility and aging are not synonymous. One of the major thrusts of recent neural research has been to separate the phenomenon of normal, vigorous aging from a broad range of disease patterns that alter the structure and function of the brain and the cognitive and psychosocial behavior of the individual.
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Further reading
Finch C, Hayflick L, eds (1977): Handbook of the Biology of Aging. New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold
Stein DG, ed (1980): The Psychobiology of Aging: Problems and Perspectives. New York: Else vier, North Holland
Diamond MC, Connor JR (1981): A search for the potential of the aging cortex. In: Brain Neurotransmitters and Receptors in Aging and Age Related Disorders, Enna SJ, Samorajski T, Beer B, eds Aging, 17:43–58. New York: Raven Press
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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Scheibel, A.B. (1989). Aging of the Brain. In: Abnormal States of Brain and Mind. Readings from the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience . Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_2
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-6770-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-6768-8
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