Ageing population

People loose performance sharpness on tasks by aging, both at physical and mental level. Environmental factors also proved to affect cognitive function. However, how these effects take place is not clear yet. Quantifying cognitive fitness is also challenging, as is seperating social factors from cognitive stimulation.

Recently a six month randomized clinical trial on older groups compared impacts of different type of physical activities on cognition ageing, demonstrating that aerobic group showed increases in both grey and white matter volumes. (Nature, Mar 2007).

The largest study of ageing and retirement ever undertaken, conducted for HSBC by the University’s Institute of Ageing, has found that far from being a drain on society, older people are huge contributors to their nation’s economies and families and have little interest in retiring early. According to the researchers, people in their 60s and 70s also reported feeling in good health: 76 per cent in Canada, 73 per cent in the UK, and 72 per cent in the United States. The global picture was generally positive, with the exception of South Africa, Turkey, and most notably Russia where only 8 per cent of people in their 70s said they felt healthy. (Oxford Univ. news, May 24).

Keeping physically fit or cognitively challenged prove to delay aging. The same is true with increased social engagement and adding environmental dimension and awareness to the life of aged, which needs further studies to find scientific credibiility. İn a rapidly ageing population, attempts to captive the market based on prolonging active life of aged is gaining pace. There is the task of enhancing cognitive capabilities for running an independent and productive life and then, comes the task of motivation to carry on the life style.


Ref.:
Nature nerroscience, Editorial, , Vol 10, No 3, Mar 2007
Nature, p. 19, Vol 447, 3 May 2007 (Dorothy Bishop, neuroscientist at Oxford Univ)
Timothy Salthouse, Univ of Virginia, Researcher of Cognitive ageing
Colcombe. S.J. et al. Med. Sci. 61,1166 - 1170 (2006)



A 72-YEAR-OLD Oxford academic has broken a world long-distance running record after completing ten marathons in ten days.

It turns out that Sir Christopher, a grandfather, who, as head of Keble from 1980 to 1988, previously equalled the world record without anyone ever knowing.

He said that after following the achievement of explorer Sir Rannulph Fiennes, who ran seven marathons in seven days on different continents, he decided to set himself a similar target at the age of 69.

"I ran seven marathons in seven days in 2004, running the length of the Thames from the source in Gloucestershire to Tower Bridge in a week.

"At the end I thought that I could increase this."

He went on to organise the Ten in Ten challenge to raise thousands of pounds for the Brathay appeal, a charity which helps troubled youngsters. Sir Christopher told The Oxford Times that he had detested running throughout his life.

He took it up after he was advised to take more exercise by his doctor. But it turns out he also took up running to test out one of his theories about education, using himself as a guinea pig.

Sir Christopher said: "I became fascinated with the subject of human learning and why some people learn better than others. I have never bought the idea that it is all down to the fact that some people are clever and others stupid.

"For me the important thing is self-belief and motivation. People learn because they really want to.

"So I wanted to carry out an experiment with myself to see if it was possible to turn around a negative attitude that gets in the way of success.

"I chose running because it is something I had always hated."

Source: The Oxford Times, May 25
http://www.theoxfordtimes.net/display.var.1424224.0.0.php