Not every brain ages in the same way

With increasing age, the volume of our brain decreases, especially in the cerebral cortex. This process is known as cortical thinning. However, some people display greater resilience to it. Despite the usual loss of cerebral matter and the accumulation of some protein deposits with age, they have less cognitive impairment. Scientists hope to learn from these resilient brains how to better support the brain during healthy ageing.

Neurobiologist Adrian Wanner studies the changes that the brain undergoes as it ages. To do this, he measured neurons to an accuracy of four nanometres – less than a thousandth of the thickness of a human hair. © Paul Scherrer Institute PSI/Mahir Dzambegovic, Beat Henrich, Adrian Wanner and Gwendolin Schönfeld

Dr. Adrian Wanner
PSI Center for Life Sciences
Paul Scherrer Institute PSI

+41 79 795 50 32
adrian.wanner@psi.ch
[German, English]

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