The Brain Works At Normal Pace And Refuses To Slow Down Before 60

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : February 24, 2022

We all have heard our parents or elders complaining about the fact that they think brain functioning is slowing down as they age. Recent studies disapprove of the possibility of the occurrence and believe that it is actually after the age of 60 years that a human brain actually shows signs of slowing down.

The Brain Works At Normal Pace And Refuses To Slow Down Before 60

The brain is one of the most important organs of the body and it is the center of the nervous system. The brain is actually enclosed within the strong skull bones of the body. It controls all the senses of the body as well as receive, forward, and regulates the messages to and from the different organs in the body.

The Brain Works At Normal Pace And Refuses To Slow Down Before 60

The human brain weighs 3 pounds for an average adult. 60% of the brain is fat and the other 40% is made up of a combination of carbohydrates, salts, proteins, and water. It is also made up of various nerves, blood vessels, and neurons.

The 3 main parts of the brain are:-

  • Cerebrum- It is the front part of the brain. It is mainly made up of grey matter and white matter. It is the largest part of the brain. It mainly helps in judgement, problem solving, vision and touch etc.
  • Cerebellum- It is the part of the brain which is located below the cerebrum. It mainly functions to coordinate the body’s muscles, maintaining posture and helping in keeping the body balance.
  • Brainstem – It connects both the cerebrum and the cerebellum to the spinal cord. It helps in conducting their body’s automatic functions. Some of the functions of the brain stem include heart rate, sneezing, digestion etc.

There are more than one reasons which might cause the brain processing to slow down. It can be due to the age-related decay of white matter in the brain. Although it is still to be understood in a better way, there is much research done on the topic.

Diseases like Alzheimer’s or any other new neurodegenerative illness can also be a cause of brain functioning to slow down. Even concussions have sometimes caused the brain to slow down.

According to a journal that published a report on 17th February 2022, the brain does not show signs of slowing down till the age of 60. The research was led by Mischa von Krause. Krause is a researcher for the Heidelberg University’s Institute of Psychology, Germany. 

The observation of the experiment all research was as follows

  • There were 1.2 million or more people who were a part of a brain reaction test. 
  • The data from the online experiment was evaluated and analysed By the research team.
  • They have to select some words and images which were shown to them. They had to put them in categories using a key for responding.
  • The results of the experiment show that they found a slower response for people above 20 but it mainly occurs due to situations other than the brain’s ability.
  • Finally it was revealed that brain functioning actually slows down after the age of 60.

Doctors around the world have appreciated the discovery and have claimed that discoveries like this can help in understanding the cognitive functioning of different age groups which could help doctors in curing cognitive disorders.

The recent research was very important as a discovery. It is important because it opened up the doors for understanding the variability of brain processing at different ages. So we can conclude by accepting the fact that this raised the enthusiasm regarding brain working and benefits we can get from the study.


Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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