__Tucked in the back of Brocaâs area is the Pars triangularis, which is implicated in the semantics of language. When you stop to think about something someoneâs saidâa line in a poem, a jargon-heavy sentenceâthis is the part of your brain doing the heavy work.
Know the causes. Brain atrophy is shrinking of the brain caused by the loss of its cells, called neurons. Two types of brain atrophy can occur; generalized and focal. Generalized atrophy refers to neuron loss throughout the entire brain, and focal atrophy refers to neuron loss in a specific brain region.
Atrophy of the brain is usually moderate in healthy older people. From ages 30 to 70, blood flow to the brain decreases by 15 to 20 percent. At about age70, memory loss accelerates and reaction times slow down. Changes in brain structure and biochemistry do not generally affect people's ability to think and behave.