Language, brain, and aging: A life-long complicity
Type de matériel :
73
The neurobiological bases of language remain activated long after the period of language acquisition. Growing evidence shows that the neurofunctional organization of language develops throughout one’s lifetime and thus contributes to the maintenance of communication abilities, an important element for active aging. However, the maintenance of communication abilities in older people is in contrast with the observed neurobiological changes taking place, therefore demonstrating that a paradox exists, known as the brain-cognition mismatch. It has been hypothesized that neurofunctional reorganization allows the brain to compensate for age-related neural decline and maintenance of various cognitive abilities, such as language. Several phenomena such as cognitive reserve, HAROLD, PASA, CRUNCH, and STAC have attempted to explain the mechanisms of cerebral reorganization. Yet no theory has fully explained this phenomenon yet, as the brain displays flexible strategies for adapting to aging. This review compares the semantic treatment of words—a language component usually well preserved during aging—between younger and older adults, while observing the characteristics of neurofunctional reorganization.
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