Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Brain Power Peaks at Age 27

Source: BBC

Mental powers start to dwindle at 27 after peaking at 22, marking the start of old age, US research suggests.


Professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia found reasoning, spatial visualisation and speed of thought all decline in our late 20s.


Therapies designed to stall or reverse the ageing process may need to start much earlier, he said.


His seven-year study of 2,000 healthy people aged 18-60 is published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.


To test mental agility, the study participants had to solve puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols.


The same tests are already used by doctors to spot signs of dementia.

In nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22.


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