Less Grumpy With Age?

A brain analysis found that we get less grumpy with age.

20:27 26 January 2017

A recent analysis shows that the brain undergo changes as we mature making us less grumpy as we age.

 

Brain scientists from the University of Cambridge mapped the brains of 500 volunteers and concluded that brain changes are a part of the natural process that the organ go through as it matures.

 

Based on the study, those whose cortex is thicker and less wrinkly are more prone to mood changes. As one ages, the brain’s surface becomes thinner and more folded or wrinkly, creating a bigger surface area. Researchers claim that this explains the findings that we do mellow with age.

 

Dr Luca Passamonti, of Cambridge's Department of Clinical Neurosciences, said: 'Evolution has shaped our brain anatomy in a way that maximises its area and folding at the expense of reduced thickness of the cortex. 

 

'It's like stretching and folding a rubber sheet – this increases the surface area but the sheet becomes thinner. We refer to this as the 'cortical stretching hypothesis.’

 

Fellow researcher Professor Antonio Terracciano, of Florida State University, added: 'The thickness of the cortex tends to decrease while the area and folding increase,' said the professor.

 

'People often talk about becoming more mature. They take more responsibility and become less antagonistic, less combative, and many studies show this.

 

'By finding brain regions closely linked to personality, they highlight the important role biology plays in our personality. Our research highlights a possible explanation for the biological mechanism behind these changes.'