Does white/grey brain matter changes in aging make you bad at learning?
In: Biology
Myelin sheath strength correlates directly with the speed at which neurons can ‘communicate’ and ‘receive communication’ to/from each other through their dendrites and axons. This can weaken as one ages. However, I think the most important aspect about this question is in regards to how quickly we can learn in our youth (i.e. ‘kids’ brains are like sponges’) because we are continuing to grown synaptic connections at an extremely rapid rate. However, once you enter your mid-twenties or so, your synaptic connections begin to start ‘pruning’ which is cutting out the unnecessary connections. This does not mean that you can’t learn new things as you age, however. Just think of everything you learned through school, and then consider what you can remember now (assuming you are past your mid-twenties). Memorization and forging new synaptic connections does become more challenging if you are not constantly learning. This is why life-long learning is of the utmost importance.
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