From USNews.com:

The saying “You’re only as old as you feel” really seems to resonate with older adults, according to research from Purdue University.

“How old you are matters, but beyond that it’s your interpretation that has far-reaching implications for the process of aging,” said Markus H. Schafer, a doctoral student in sociology and gerontology who led the study. “So, if you feel old beyond your own chronological years you are probably going to experience a lot of the downsides that we associate with aging.

“But if you are older and maintain a sense of being younger, then that gives you an edge in maintaining a lot of the abilities you prize.”

Schafer and co-author Tetyana P. Shippee, a Purdue graduate who is a research associate at Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course, compared people’s chronological age and their subjective age to determine which one has a greater influence on cognitive abilities during older adulthood. Nearly 500 people ages 55-74 were surveyed about aging in 1995 and 2005 as part of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.

In 1995, when people were asked what age do you feel most of the time, the majority identified with being 12 years younger than they actually were.

“We found that these people who felt young for their age were more likely to have greater confidence about their cognitive abilities a decade later,” Schafer said. “Yes, chronological age was important, but the subjective age had a stronger effect.

“What we are not sure about is what comes first. Does a person’s wellness and happiness affect their cognitive abilities or does a person’s cognitive ability contribute to their sense of wellness. We are planning to address this in a future study.”

Schafer also said that the current study’s findings have both positive and negative implications.

“There is a tremendous emphasis on being youthful in our society and that can have a negative effect for people,” Schafer said. “People want to feel younger, and so when they do inevitably age they can lose a lot of confidence in their cognitive abilities.

“But on the other hand, because there is such a desire in America to stay young, there may be benefits of trying to maintain a sense of youthfulness by keeping up with new trends and activities that feel invigorating. Learning new technologies is one way people can continue to improve their cognitive abilities. It will be interesting to see how, or if, these cultural norms shift as the Baby Boomer generation ages.”

Other studies have shown that women are prone to aging stereotypes, so Schafer expected to see that women who felt older about themselves would have less confidence in their cognitive abilities.

“There is a slight difference between men and women, but it’s not as pronounced as we expected,” Schafer said. “This was surprising because of the emphasis on physical attractiveness and youth that is often disproportionately placed on women.”

Schafer also is studying how stressful events, such as family members’ health issues, affect aging, as well as how happiness and aging relate

Blockade of stress-induced increase of glutamate release in the rat prefrontal/frontal cortex by agomelatine involves synergy between melatonergic and 5-HT2C receptor-dependent pathways Tardito, Daniela Milanese, Marco Bonifacino, Tiziana Musazzi, Laura Grilli, Massimo Mallei, Alessandra Mocaer, Elisabeth Gabriel-Gracia, Cecilia Racagni, Giorgio Popoli, Maurizio Bonanno, Gianbattista info:doi/10.1186/1471-2202-11-68 BMC Neuroscience 2010, 11:68 2010-06-03 BMC Neuroscience 2010-06-03 11 1 Research article 68 -->Research article

Blockade of stress-induced increase of glutamate release in the rat prefrontal/frontal cortex by agomelatine involves synergy between melatonergic and 5-HT2C receptor-dependent pathways

Daniela Tardito

, Marco Milanese

, Tiziana Bonifacino

, Laura Musazzi

, Massimo Grilli

, Alessandra Mallei

, Elisabeth Mocaer

, Cecilia Gabriel-Gracia

, Giorgio Racagni

, Maurizio Popoli

and Gianbattista Bonanno

BMC Neuroscience 2010, 11:68doi:10.1186/1471-2202-11-68

Published:	3 June 2010

The reason I'm posting this research article is to point out the underlying control the pharmaceutical companies have on research. When reading this research article something didn't sound right when I got to the Results part. The researchers where making it sound like their medication was working much better than the Melatonin(natural) and the 5HT antagonist. They never tested 5HTP which is a natural serotonin enhancer. I felt this research article was biased even before I got to the end ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Usually at the end of the research articles the researchers will tell if there are any conflicts of interest. These researchers never did but they did acknowledge the Italian Ministry of University and research, and Servier. I was curious to who was Servier? I look them up and it just so happens to be they are a pharmaceutical Co. So this research paper on a pharmaceutical drug was payed for by a pharmaceutical company. You can figure the rest out.

From LATimes.com:

Let’s face it: Many of us looking to sharpen our intellectual edges have already passed the age when becoming a prodigy is an option. We missed the opportunity to start clarinet lessons at 5. We lacked the discipline to practice for hours on end. We were told we couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

It’s never too late, say researchers.

Just as second languages are more easily learned young, neuroscientists point to periods of heightened sensitivity — particularly before the age of 8 or 9 — when minds are more readily shaped by musical instruction.

With age, the “plasticity” that allows experience to mold the brain so easily declines. But it doesn’t disappear. At any age, learning a challenging new set of skills such as instrumental music is likely to return cognitive dividends, says Harvard University neurologist Gottfried Schlaug. And for adults, he added, the prospect of making music can be a far more effective motivator to practice than nagging parents are to younger musicians.

“Music is sort of the perfect activity that people can engage in from young to older years. It affects how the brain develops and affects how the brain changes in structure” at any age, Schlaug says.

For the mature brain, even listening to beloved music may have what scientists call a “neuroprotective” effect.

Dr. Antonio Damasio, director of USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, is an expert on emotion and a committed musicophile. Even if music did little more than lift our spirits, he says, it would be a powerful force in maintaining physical and mental health. The pleasure that results from listening to music we love stimulates the release of neural growth factors that promote the vigor, growth and replacement of brain cells.

In that way, Damasio says, just the simple act of absorbing music may help keep older minds healthy, active and resilient against injury and illness.

Time to pull out the Journey CD's.

I have had many patients that have tested low for B12. This can be dangerous if you have long term B12 deficiency you can end up with posterior spinal cord atrophy aka Posterior columns disease. This cause Numbness,tingling,balance problems and can lead to paralysis if not diagnosed.

I have to disagree with some of what Dr.Mercola is saying is the cause of childhood obesity. The main problem is the lack of parental guidance. If you as a parent let your kid pig out on junk food and than let them go play video games all day, whose to blame? The lack of exercise is the biggest contributor to obesity and not consuming high fructose corn syrup. I'm not a big fan of high fructose corn syrup but if you had plenty of exercise you would burn this off in a heart beat. Check out the organwiseguys.com if you want to help your kids.

I'm a pretty positive guy but always believed in the Boy Scout motto, " Be prepared." Most people don't understand inflation. The government can't keep printing money that has no value with out inflation occurring. I would look at precious metals to protect your savings. Watch this video it will explain where our country is headed