Co-sponsored by the Annual Mechanisms of Aging and Dementia Training Program and The CNADC Seminar Series

Peter R. Rapp, PHD

Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology. National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD

Lifespan, Mindspan, and the Aging Brain

SEMINAR ABSTRACT: Deficits in memory and other domains of cognitive function are among the most troubling signs of aging. Beyond the devastating impairments of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, many individuals experience milder decline in cognitive health that nonetheless compromises the quality of life and capacity for independent living. An earlier view was that neuron death is an inevitable consequence of growing older and the proximal cause of age-related cognitive impairment. Marked and distributed neuronal degeneration, however, is now understood to be a signature of pathological aging, and considerable evidence suggests instead that the brain changes associated with normal aging are regionally selective, involving relatively subtle alterations in connectivity and a blunted capacity for dynamic modification. The magnitude of these neurocognitive changes varies substantially across individuals, and accordingly, growing interest has focused on strategies to promote optimally healthy outcomes. Studies in experimental animal models have provided a valuable window on these issues.

Seminar Date and Time: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Seminar Location: Hughes Auditorium, R.H. Lurie Medical Research Center, Northwestern University, Chicago Campus

Link to Plan-It-Purple: http://planitpurple.northwestern.edu/event/407452