Neurogerontology: A Reviev

Abstract

During the aging process of the human being, especially at advanced age, severalneurologic findings emerge which cannot be explained by any disease. It is important to be aware of these changes for it may help reduce mistakes in diagnosis. Neurogerontology has recently gained popularity because of the speedy increase in the number of the aged people. With advancing age; brain weight, cerebral blood flow, the number of nerve fibers and their conduction velocity decreases steadily. After age 70, this process is accelerated. In addition, findings partly change in the normal neurologic examination. These are mainly related to the neuroophthalmologic, pyramidal and extrapyramidal systems. With regard to cognition, functions that fail in the senile population are visual perception, whereas mnemonic abilities remain quite normal. Old age also has various ejjects on the personality trait. The essential morphological changes in the nervous system that accompany senility are reduction in the size of the neurons and decrease in their number in certain anatomical regions. As a result of this, activities of some neurotrnsmitters like acetylcholine and norepinephrin are also reduced.