3 ms·

This study is more rigorous than this title implies. It isn't about age vs. mental acuity; it's a test of myelin density vs. mental acuity. Myelin tends to disa

by rw 18y ago

This study is more rigorous than this title implies. It isn't about age vs. mental acuity; it's a test of myelin density vs. mental acuity. Myelin tends to disappear as we get older, after about age 39, so that is how these researchers got the connection to aging.

nickjames 18y ago
this study is just a whole lot of bullshit.
lutorm 18y ago
Actually, it's myelin density vs the neural processing speed. It doesn't say anything about whether your mental acuity declines after 39, just that it does things slower. (Which is good, I can deal with thinking slower as long as I don't get dumber. Hopefully my increased experience and accumulated wisdom will outweigh the slower cognitive processes... ;-)
- a-priori 18y ago
  I haven't read the article yet, so I may be off base here, but... While I don't doubt their results, you make a good point that it's important to not over-generalize the results by mistaking neuronal processing speed for mental acuity. Motor control, maybe, and this may help explain why the elderly are frail and unsteady. However, to make any claims about reduced cognitive abilities, you need to show that neuroplasticity cannot compensate for the impaired processing speed. However, even if it can be compensated for, it would still a case of "use it or lose it".
  - Retric 18y ago
    There is a direct link between processing speed and intellect. The faster you think the more things you can think about at the same time which is probably why reading faster increases comprehension. One of the ideas is that when you bring up a memory you keep it "alive" for a consistent fraction of a second, but if you can bring more things into focus you have more time to work out relationships before your first memory / idea times out. PS: Think about what it's like once you "load up" a complex problem. You can't think about other things while coding, which is why people hate to be interrupted while coding.

by rw 18y ago

nickjames 18y ago

this study is just a whole lot of bullshit.

lutorm 18y ago

Actually, it's myelin density vs the neural processing speed. It doesn't say anything about whether your mental acuity declines after 39, just that it does things slower. (Which is good, I can deal with thinking slower as long as I don't get dumber. Hopefully my increased experience and accumulated wisdom will outweigh the slower cognitive processes... ;-)

a-priori 18y ago
I haven't read the article yet, so I may be off base here, but... While I don't doubt their results, you make a good point that it's important to not over-generalize the results by mistaking neuronal processing speed for mental acuity. Motor control, maybe, and this may help explain why the elderly are frail and unsteady. However, to make any claims about reduced cognitive abilities, you need to show that neuroplasticity cannot compensate for the impaired processing speed. However, even if it can be compensated for, it would still a case of "use it or lose it".
- Retric 18y ago
  There is a direct link between processing speed and intellect. The faster you think the more things you can think about at the same time which is probably why reading faster increases comprehension. One of the ideas is that when you bring up a memory you keep it "alive" for a consistent fraction of a second, but if you can bring more things into focus you have more time to work out relationships before your first memory / idea times out. PS: Think about what it's like once you "load up" a complex problem. You can't think about other things while coding, which is why people hate to be interrupted while coding.