Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Nov;29(4):737-52.
doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2013.07.002.

Normal cognitive aging

Caroline N Harada  1 , Marissa C Natelson Love, Kristen L Triebel
Affiliations
Review

Normal cognitive aging

Caroline N Harada et al. Clin Geriatr Med. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Even those who do not experience dementia or mild cognitive impairment may experience subtle cognitive changes associated with aging. Normal cognitive changes can affect an older adult's everyday function and quality of life, and a better understanding of this process may help clinicians distinguish normal from disease states. This article describes the neurocognitive changes observed in normal aging, followed by a description of the structural and functional alterations seen in aging brains. Practical implications of normal cognitive aging are then discussed, followed by a discussion of what is known about factors that may mitigate age-associated cognitive decline.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Dementia; Mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest:

Drs. Harada, Natelson Love, Triebel: none

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prefrontal cortex (orbitofrontal, dorsolateral frontal, and frontopolar regions): atrophy is associated with deficits in executive function, working memory and increased perseveration. Keep the arrows and the labels Dorsolatateral prefrontal cortex and Orbitofrontal cortex. On top of the arrows on the left hand side include term: Prefontal Cortex Modified From: Dickson, Victoria V., PhD, MSN, CRNP, Tkacs, Nancy, PhD, RN, Riegel, Barbara, DNSc, RN, CS, FAAN. Cognitive influences on self-care decision making inpersons with heart failure. American Heart Journal. 2007;154:424–431.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hippocampus and entorhinal cortex- atrophy has been associated with deficits in episodic memory.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vincent GKaV, Victoria A. THE NEXT FOUR DECADES, The Older Population in the United States: 2010 to 2050. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2010.
    1. Minder CE, Muller T, Gillmann G, Beck JC, Stuck AE. Subgroups of refusers in a disability prevention trial in older adults: baseline and follow-up analysis. American journal of public health. 2002;92:445–50. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ford JG, Howerton MW, Lai GY, et al. Barriers to recruiting underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials: a systematic review. Cancer. 2008;112:228–42. - PubMed
    1. Lezak M, Howieson D, Bigler E, Tranel D. Neuropsychological Assessment. 5. New York: Oxford University Press; 2012.
    1. Williams JD, Klug MG. Aging and cognition: methodological differences in outcome. Experimental aging research. 1996;22:219–44. - PubMed

Publication types