1. Structural changes in the aging brain
- Author
-
Warren D. Taylor and Meghan Riddle
- Subjects
education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Population ,Cognition ,Disease ,medicine.disease ,Neuroimaging ,Medicine ,Dementia ,Aging brain ,business ,education ,Pathological ,Cognitive psychology ,Neuroradiology - Abstract
The population of elderly adults will almost double from 43.1 million in 2012 to an estimated 83.7 million in 2050. These demographic changes will result in increased cases of dementia and illustrate the need for a better understanding of normal and pathological structural changes in the aging brain. Moreover, it highlights the need for better clinically focused tools to apply scientific findings at the individual level. A better understanding of how brain aging underlies changes in cognitive function and performance can allow us to better distinguish “normal” from pathological brain aging patterns, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This chapter will review our understanding of normal brain aging in older adults, at times highlighting specific findings that may have diagnostic or prognostic value for neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, we will highlight advances in neuroimaging and automated tools for image analyses over the last decade and briefly discuss new approaches and commercial software programs designed to translate research into clinical neuroradiology.
- Published
- 2020
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