Brain signals that it's aging faster than your body.

When it comes to the brain, there are signs of normal aging that need to be taken, and there are symptoms of serious diseases. They must pay attention, and if anything happens, immediately report them to your doctor. Here are the tips to look for:

First of all: there is a big difference between changes in the body of normal aging and cognitive impairment. For example, these signs may be symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. "In a normal healthy brain aging occur as the body ages, our neurons Moksha slow down," says Dr. Michael R. Wasserman (Michael R. Wasserman). Slowing down neurons means that it will take much longer to process incoming information or respond to new information than a person with a healthy brain . It should be noted that some people even at the age of 100 have kept the purity of mind and clarity of thought. And there are those who at a fairly young age begin to experience serious health problems. The following signs and symptoms should not be taken as part of aging; they should be taken as a signal to visit your doctor.

When it comes to aging brain disorders, Alzheimer's is the most common disease. This disease has a pretty clear early warning sign. "It is Alzheimer's that affects short — term memory," says Dr. Wasserman. "Thus, the main early symptom of the disease is short-term memory loss." And this feature should definitely pay attention. This includes forgetfulness of some important events, as well as the inability to repeat what was read. Here are some more of the early signs of Alzheimer's, which should also be considered. Repeated questions or quickly forgotten recent conversations are also among the indicators, experts say. "All this can be caused by a dysfunction of the medial temporal lobe. These are the first signs of Alzheimer's disease, as well as some other brain diseases," experts explain.

If your memory problems extend to things that happened a few years or decades ago, maybe you're dealing with another type of problem, says Dr. Wasserman. In people with Alzheimer's disease, long-term memory usually does not suffer. But other forms of dementia can cause problems with long-term memory. Experts say that brain diseases caused by multiple strokes, which interrupt blood supply, lead to damage to brain tissue. Strokes can affect the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory. Be sure to pay attention to this symptom.

Even a healthy 40-year-old can catch himself having trouble finding words when talking. If you often find it difficult to remember the basic vocabulary basics, primarily the words often used in everyday use, this may be the first sign of cognitive disorders. Difficulties in the parts of the brain that control the language and are responsible for conversation (left temporal or parietal lobe) can often mean the development of Alzheimer's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative disorders associated with structural brain damage or stroke — related damage, explains Dr. Holtzman.

Another early sign of Alzheimer's disease may be problems with the Executive function. These problems are related to an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. "Executive function is a higher — level thinking," says Dr. Wasserman. Therefore, if someone has problems with managing and performing tasks, as well as with reasoning and solving elementary tasks - all these are possible signs of an early stage of Alzheimer's disease."

Experts say that people with dementia of the brain may not understand that they have real problems with driving. However, the surrounding side may pay attention to the fact that such problems do exist. A number of physical factors may contribute to the reduced ability of older persons to drive (for example, vision problems). However, reduced concentration behind the wheel and problems with driving can also occur due to Alzheimer's disease, as well as other forms of dementia. Diseases related to brain activity can cause problems while driving on the road, affecting memory and decision-making skills. Therefore, if an adult has no reference point, forgetfulness when finding familiar places, etc., it is necessary to consult a specialist. It is possible that we are talking about serious brain diseases, and only a doctor can determine the severity of the disease.

Feeling or even apathy should also be a concern. "If a person suddenly becomes more passive, or has constant manifestations of depression, it can also be an additional sign of cognitive disorders," explains Dr. Holtzman. "It can be caused by changes in the frontal lobe. The cause may also be the same Alzheimer's disease or other serious brain diseases."

When it comes to serious brain disorders, some other physical symptoms may also occur. For example, multi-infarction dementia can be accompanied by the following physical signs: loss of balance, trembling and pain in the limbs and some types of hallucinations, including auditory hallucinations.

Not only is a decrease in your ability to smell an early sign of degenerative Parkinson's disease disorder, the area of your brain responsible for smells is also associated with Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, several studies conducted in 2016 have shown that experts can detect early stages of Alzheimer's disease by testing a person's ability to identify odors. If the patient loses the ability to identify aromas, most likely, it is a bell in order to urgently seek medical advice.

In fact, there are many causes of hearing loss — from infection to perforated eardrum, but Alzheimer's disease may be one of them, experts say. According to scientists, plaques formed in the brain can affect the ability of the auditory center to function normally.

If there is one important point that Dr. Wasserman would like to clarify: cognitive changes such as memory loss or delayed reactions that interfere with your normal life should not be perceived as a normal stage of aging.

Cognitive changes that affect everyday life are an occasion to talk to your doctor to find out what the real scale of the problem is.

Reduced memory and thinking, signs visible to others, are a clear change in your health. All of these signs should prompt a person to investigate if there was any reason, beyond normal aging, say the experts.