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Mental decline in normal aging: a review.

W E Rinn1

  • 1Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114.

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology
|July 1, 1988
PubMed
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Mental decline in aging is not natural but a life-span deterioration starting in early adulthood. This subclinical dementia stems from treatable brain changes, not age-related slowness or disadvantages.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Aging

Background:

  • Aging is often associated with significant mental decline.
  • Previous explanations included motor/mental slowness, educational disadvantage, or cohort effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the notion of inevitable age-related cognitive decline.
  • To propose an alternative explanation for mental decline in the elderly.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis and argument based on existing literature.
  • Re-evaluation of the causes of cognitive changes in aging.

Main Results:

  • Mental decline is argued to be a life-span deterioration, not an artifact of aging.
  • This decline is proposed to be a form of subclinical dementia.

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  • Pathological brain changes, potentially treatable, are identified as the cause.

    • Conclusions:

    • Age-related mental decline is not a natural consequence of aging.
    • Subclinical dementia resulting from treatable brain pathologies offers a new perspective.
    • Intervention targeting early-life or ongoing pathological conditions may mitigate cognitive decline.