The Brain At Middle Age: Our brain changes dramatically as we get older and yet some cognitive functions remain apparently unaffected as we get older. So our language comprehension is pretty much unaffected as we get older pg 444. Whereas other abilities, such as memory, is dramatically impaired as we get older. Despite the dramatic change in our brain, some cognitive functions are maintained and other not. Sometimes as the brain get older and start to shrink (atrophy), which causes loss of brain volume. On the other hand the in the brain there is gray matter and white matter. The gray matter basically, dense collections of cell bodies surrounding which is the surface of the brain referred to as the cortex which is all gray matter.
