By Barry Volk
Studies show that older adults with significant brain shrinkage are much more likely to have cognitive and movement disorders than similarly aged people with normal brain size. They are also at an increased risk of vascular death and ischemic stroke.
In addition, atrophy of specific brain regions has been associated with a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and mental health problems. Shrinkage of the temporal lobes, for example, is associated with a 181% increase in the risk of major depression.
Perhaps most alarmingly, brain shrinkage sharply increases risk of early death:
- Younger individuals with overall brain shrinkage have as much as a 70% increase in the chance of dying,
- In a study of people aged 85, temporal lobe atrophy is associated with a 60% increase in the risk of dying,
- Severe atrophy of the frontal lobe (behind the forehead) increases the risk of death by 30%.
Even though brain shrinkage is progressive, a growing number of neuroscientists believe...










