Abstract
Brain ageing can be classified into normal and pathological. The distinction may however be difficult with overlap in nearly all aspects seen on imaging. One of the most severe consequences of pathological brain ageing is dementia. Normal ageing may be subdivided into successful ageing (without any discernible deterioration) and the more commonly observed typical (usual) ageing. Typical ageing may encompass a variety of changes in the brain, including overall shrinkage, but also local alterations, such as white matter changes. Many of these ‘normal’ ageing phenomena have been linked to risk factors (e.g. vascular) and although cognitive function may appear preserved, subtle abnormalities may be detected on detailed neuropsychological testing. Such relationships are often only discernible on a group level, and inferences at the level of the individual subject are difficult to provide with any certainty.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Barkhof, F., Fox, N.C., Bastos-Leite, A.J., Scheltens, P. (2011). Normal Ageing. In: Neuroimaging in Dementia. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00818-4_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00818-4_4
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