Brain aging is something most people don’t want to experience. But just as other organs in the human body age, so does the brain. Yet brains age at different rates based on genetics and lifestyle. For example, aerobic exercise seems to delay brain aging by boosting volume in a key area of the brain involved in memory and cognition called the hippocampus.
Studies suggest that diet plays a role in brain aging too. Genetics is a factor in how quickly our brains age, but lifestyle is the most important, based on many studies. Other factors that affect brain health and aging are level of education and a history of head injury.
The Role That Gender Plays in Brain Aging
Is there a gender difference in how fast brains age? Some research suggests that women have brains that age at a slower rate than a man’s. Where does the idea that women have younger brains come from? A study called the Cognitive Function and Aging Study followed the aging brains of around 8,000 male and female seniors. Their findings in a nutshell were that women were less likely to develop a decline in memory and cognitive skills with aging relative to men.
This isn’t the only research to find slower brain aging in women. A study from Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri used imaging studies and based on chronological age the average woman’s brain is around three years younger than a man’s of the same chronological age.
In the study, researchers also found senior women performed better on tasks involving memory and problem solving than senior men. Also, the researchers discovered that the female brain, on average, was more youthful relative to the male brain in subjects as young as their 20s. So, the discrepancy starts early in life and persists throughout life. You might wonder why a woman’s brain ages at a slower rate and how it stays more youthful than a male’s. One study might offer insight.
The Youthful Female Brain
The area of the brain that has the highest density of nerve cells is the gray matter of the brain. This is in contrast to white matter where the axons are that connect portions of the gray matter together. It’s the gray matter in the brain that controls the motor and sensory activity while white matter helps transmit that information faster. Without myelin, motor and sensory information would travel at a snail’s pace. A study found that women lose gray matter slower than men, so they retain their processing ability longer, on average than men of the same age.
Another area of the brain called the thalamus seems to age faster in men than in women too. The thalamus is a deep structure within the brain and lies between the cerebral hemispheres. This part of the brain functions as a relay center for sensory and motor signals that enter and leave the brain.
The thalamus also sends signals to the cerebral cortex of the brain, a major structure that plays a role in consciousness. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain. It is made up of grey matter and covers the two inner parts, known as hemispheres, that make up the cerebrum. These two hemispheres are called the left cerebral hemisphere and the right cerebral hemisphere. The function of these parts is to control sensory perceptions, emotions, speech, thoughts, and movement among others.
So, women may lose gray matter at a slower rate than men and their thalamus, the relay station, between the cerebral hemispheres may age slower.
Age-Related Brain Diseases
Another finding is that men are affected by some brain-related medical conditions more than women — and Parkinson’s disease is one of them. In fact, a man is 1.5 times as likely to develop this condition, which attacks a portion of the brain and can make movement difficult and lead to tremors and a decline in brain function.
It’s not clear why women are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, although some scientists believe female sex hormones, like estrogen, offer some protection. There’s also some evidence that men are genetically more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease.
However, the news isn’t all good. Despite a more youthful brain at a similar chronological to men, females are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease relative to males. Again, scientists believe the loss of estrogen after menopause contributes to the higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, even when women and men have equal beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, misfolded proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease, women retain their cognitive skills better than men. Males also lose volume in key areas of the brain associated with cognitive function faster than women.
The Bottom Line
Women’s brains seem to age more slowly than men’s based on research. However, there are a few tricks that both genders can tap into to maximize brain health. A Mediterranean-style diet and regular aerobic exercise are strategies, backed by science, that help optimize brain health and slow brain aging. In fact, studies show that aerobic exercises slow the age-related loss of volume in the hippocampus of the brain, an area involved in memory. The take-home message? Feed your brain clean food and exercise your body. These are lifestyle factors that may lower your risk of a variety of health problems and that applies to both genders.
References:
- International Business News. “Women’s brains age better while men’s brains decline faster” December 10, 2015.
- org. “Women’s brains appear three years younger than men’s”
- Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. “Men More Likely to Develop Parkinson’s Disease than Women”
- Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2002 Jun; 4(2): 197-210.
- Volume 46, Issue 3, 1 July 2009, Pages 652-657.
- Science Daily. “Long-term aerobic exercise prevents age-related brain changes” October 29, 2015.
- Medical News Today. “Mediterranean-style diet may protect against brain aging” October 22, 2015.
- AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 21:112-118, January 2000.
- “Ageing and the brain.” 28 Apr. 2005, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596698/.
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