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Cognition is the process of knowing or being aware of thoughts and perception. All human activities rely on cognitive abilities.
Many older people fear the loss of cognitive abilities - minor problems with abilities such as memory and attention are commonly considered to be the beginning of a more serious deterioration leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
Recent research, however, has shown that cognitive skills can be strengthened much like muscle through physical exercise.It was once believed that the brain was hard wired after the first few years of life and that the connections between neurons would decline until there was a noticeable impact on cognitive abilities. More recent research shows that the brain is dynamic rather than static; neurons respond to stimulation and learning, continually reorganising and becoming stronger.
As a result of reliance on memory, for example, London taxi drivers have been shown to have a larger hippocampus than non- taxi driver controls at the same age. Unlike muscles, however, which has a limited time to demonstrate optimal performance, the brain can continue to improve well into older adulthood.