new article about the aging brain

it's nice to know that as one traverses middle age, the brain gets better at seeing the big picture, recognizing significance and even solutions more quickly than a younger person can. maybe that makes up for those tip-of-tongue moments.

but we need to make new neural connections:

Educators say that, for adults, one way to nudge neurons in the right direction is to challenge the very assumptions they have worked so hard to accumulate while young. With a brain already full of well-connected pathways, adult learners should “jiggle their synapses a bit” by confronting thoughts that are contrary to their own, says Dr. Taylor.