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- TORONTO - A
new Canadian
study suggests that anyone who believes older people
inevitably have trouble
learning new skills should think again.
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- The research by
doctors in Toronto, to be published this
week, found that seniors
simply learn differently, not poorly.
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- Indeed, some older people in
their eighties can memorize
information as quickly as young adults in
their twenties.
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- To compare different age groups, doctors scanned the
brains of
individuals solving a simple puzzle.
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- They found that older people
used a different part of
their brains to process the
information.
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- The study's author, Dr. Randy McIntosh, believes as people
age
they can make up for areas of the brain that are failing or injured
by
using other parts still working well.
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- "I think the idea is that
your brain is adaptable,"
says McIntosh, of the Baycrest Centre
for Geriatric Care.
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- "It's not as if it's a lost cause once you hit 40
or 50, or whatever. You can do things to try and make it work as well
as you possibly can," he says.
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- Doctors say more research needs
to be done, particuarly
on developing ways for older people to build
new circuits in the brain.
One day, drugs may be used.
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- Until then,
physicians have a simple recommendation:
the best way to stay sharp is
to keep learning.
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- And seniors don't have to go back to school either. Reading
and
talking to other people are good ways to stay alert.
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