The Aging Brain
What is meant by the "aging brain"?
Why study the aging brain?
How are we researching the aging brain?
Would you like to learn more about the aging brain?
Who researches the aging brain?
Would you like to support aging brain research?
What is meant by the “aging brain”?
The challenge of promoting the well-being of our aging population represents one of the most serious problems for the Canadian health system in the 21st century. With over 25% of the population predicted to be 65 and over by the year 2030, we foresee a tremendous societal need to allow the elderly to continue to function with dignity, independence, and in a fulfilling manner as they proceed through this important period in their lives.
Cognitive and behavioural declines are not inevitable consequences of aging. Accumulating evidence shows that it is possible to ward off age related declines in cognitive function by means of mental and physical activity. Activities as diverse as reading mystery stories, doing crossword puzzles, playing challenging card games, doing needlework, or even engaging in frequent and strong social interactions are all known to be predictive of successful aging. An important factor in aging successfully appears to be the avoidance of stress, and the maintenance of a happy upbeat disposition.
Why study the aging brain?
The diseases of the elderly are increasing in number as the population ages. Unless something is done, we project that over 1 million Canadians will suffer from a neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, by the year 2025. Stroke, already the third leading cause of death, and the leading cause of disability in Canada, is projected to double in its incidence in the next decade. The degenerative diseases of vision, such as macular degeneration and glaucoma, are also predicted to increase in incidence dramatically as the population ages.
The looming epidemic of age-related diseases combined with the tremendous need and opportunity to improve the lot of our aging population has led to the Brain Research Centre program entitled the Aging Brain.
The Aging Brain program is an interdisciplinary program in which Centre members, whose skills range from molecular biology to computer science, and whose interests span both basic and clinical investigations, have come together to develop a coordinated approach to helping our aging population. We investigate the aging brain to:
- understand the effects of the aging process on brain function, behaviour, and cognition.
- develop new methods of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation for age-related diseases.
- develop new strategies to promote successful aging in our population.
- develop new research strategies to extend the human life span.
A major effort in our Centre is to understand how these lifestyle choices affect the structure, function and chemistry of the brain. We need to understand the biological mechanisms through which strategies like mental exercise and stress avoidance work so that we can go beyond current concepts to more effective strategies.
How are we researching the aging brain?
Investigators world-wide are harnessing the power of genomics to understand the aging process, and the Brain Research Centre’s focus on technology enables us to stay at the forefront of this research effort. It has long been known that there is a genetic contribution to long life and to successful aging, and a whole range of genetic alterations have been discovered that promote longer life and avoidance of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. There appear to be several biochemical pathways that are involved in the aging process, and these include those that govern DNA repair, control the death and survival of individual cells in a process called apoptosis, control the functions of mitochondria in cells, regulate the organism’s response to oxidative stress, and govern metabolic consequences of glucose intake.
We also investigate the common biological mechanisms by which these pathways affect the aging of the brain. In addition, our program unifies biological, cognitive, and social/economic factors in aging to understand how best to promote the successful aging of our population.
Our program offers new hope for those afflicted with diseases associated with aging, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. Support is now needed to enable us to build on our record of success and develop the diagnoses and treatments that will enable us to promote successful, disease-free aging in our population.
Would you like to learn more about the aging brain?
Download a two-page summaryon the aging brain. A podcast of Dr. Cynader talking about the brain and how to age successfully is now available.
Who researches the aging brain?
Christopher Ahern, PhD Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences / Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, & Therapeutics
Douglas Allan, PhD Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
M. Stella Atkins, MPhil, PhD School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University
Vanessa Auld, PhD Department of Zoology
Shernaz Bamji, PhD Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
B. Lynn Beattie, MD Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine
Gordon Binsted, PhD Department of Human Kinetics, UBC Okanagan
Lara Boyd, PhD School of Rehabilitation Sciences
William Campbell, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Mark Carpenter, PhD School of Human Kinetics
Brian R. Christie, MSc, PhD Department of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
Elizabeth Dean, PhD School of Rehabilitation Sciences
Felix A. Durity, MD Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery
Andrew Eisen, MD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Janice Eng, MSc, PhD School of Rehabilitation Sciences
James T. Enns, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
Matthew Farrer, PhD Department of Medical Genetics
Howard Feldman, MD, CM Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Brian Fisher, PhD Department of Computer Science
Bruce B. Forster, MSc, MD Department of Radiology
Dean Foti, MD, CM Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Dan Goldowitz, PhD Department of Medical Genetics
Michael D. Gordon, PhD Department of Zoology
Peter Graf, PhD Department of Psychology
Kevin Gregory-Evans, MD, PhD Department of Ophthalmology
Farsheed Hedayati Vala, MD Faculty of Medicine
Manraj Heran, MD Department of Radiology
Clyde Hertzman, MD, MSc Department of Health Care and Epidemiology
Robin Hsiung, MD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Judy Illes, PhD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Timothy Inglis, MSc, PhD School of Human Kinetics
Claudia Jacova, PhD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Wilfred A. Jefferies, PhD Michael Smith Laboratories
William Jia, MSc, PhD Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery
David Katz, PhD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Alan Kingstone, PhD Department of Psychology
Andis Klegaris, PhD Department of Biology, UBCO
Michael Kobor, PhD Department of Medical Genetics
Blair Leavitt, MD, CM Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
David Li, MD Department of Radiology
Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD School of Rehabilitation Sciences
Ian Mackenzie, MD Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Ann Martin-Matthews, PhD Department of Sociology
David A. Mathers, PhD Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Edith G. McGeer, PhD Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Psychiatry
Patrick L. McGeer, PhD, MD Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Psychiatry
Graydon S. Meneilly, MD Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine
Dinesh Pai, PhD Department of Computer Science
Steven Pelech, PhD Department of Medicine
Glenda Prkachin, PhD Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia
Alexander Rauscher, PhD Department of Radiology
Andrew Rawicz, PhD School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University
Peter B. Reiner, VMD, PhD Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Psychiatry
Urs Ribary, PhD Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
A. Dessa Sadovnick, MSc, PhD Department of Medical Genetics
Weihong Song, MD, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Leigh Anne Swayne, PhD Division of Medical Sciences
William Tippett, PhD Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia
Holly Tuokko, PhD Department of Psychiatry, University of Victoria
Naznin Virji-Babul, PhD Department of Physical Therapy
Lawrence Ward, PhD Department of Psychology
Cheryl Wellington, PhD Department of Pathology
Andrew Wister, PhD Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University
Would you like to support aging brain research?
The Brain Research Centre is committed to advancing our knowledge of the brain and to exploring new discoveries and technologies which have the potential to reduce the suffering and cost associated with disease and injuries of the brain. We invite you to help us deliver on this commitment.
