Getting older is inevitible. As your body ages, so does your brain. Recent work in our lab (Gordon et al., 2008) has shown anatomical differences between young and old adults by analyzing images of the brain. The data indicate that there are numerous areas of tissue loss throughout the brain.

Tissue lost with age

The good news is that many individuals are able to remain healthy and active in their old age. Aerobic exercise has numerous benifits on your overall health. It turns out that one of these benefits includes preserving your brain. Older adults with higher levels of aerobic fitness had better preserved grey matter than their less active counterparts. In addition, greater years of education was related to better preserved white matter, the fibers that connect various regions of the brain.

	White Matter Perserved in old with Higher Levels of Education
	Grey Matter Preserved in older adults with higher levels of fitness