It’s inevitable that as we age, our brains get smaller. Nerves
die off, losing their connections, and that leads to a thinned
out network feeding our thinking functions. But brain shrinkage
isn’t inevitable, according to the latest study of elderly
adults. In recent years, as more research reveals the benefits
of staying both physically and mentally active into the golden
years, health officials have been urging older people to
exercise more and stay mentally engaged by maintaining a rich
network of friends and family connections and by learning new
skills to keep their brains sharp. Crossword puzzles, learning a
new language, playing board games — anything that requires some
thought can do the trick. But researchers wanted to know whether
physical activity or mental activity was better at keeping
cognitive functions intact, or whether there was something about
the combination that helped elderly stay sharp. So in the new
study, researchers examined the medical records of 638 people
from Scotland born in 1936