Across the globe our life expectancy is increasing. In the UK, babies born since the year 2000, some who may be students at the University of Birmingham right now, have an average life expectancy of 100 years old. This increased life expectancy poses a real challenge: as we are living longer, there is a widening gap between lifespan (the length of time a person is alive) and health-span (the length of time a person is healthy). So how can we maintain brain health across the lifespan? How do we help older adults to develop and maintain functional ability and cognitive wellbeing? How can evidence from psychological and human neuroscience research inform societal policy, to enable people to be and do what they value throughout their lives?
This module will cover:
- Age-related changes in cognition
- Structural and functional brain changes
- Influences of lifestyle factors and interventions
- Pathological ageing and age-related diseases.