Philosophical Consideration On The Human Cognitive Aging

Life implies time. The biotime of a human being has two main components: the development-time and the aging-time. Life is temporal. Thus, there is a succesion of changes from birth until to death, in the case of human being. Here, I want to appreciate, again, some of the main causes and conditions on which aging depends.

Aging is a process, but is a process that affects either an unicellular or a multicellular object. That is why, aging have to be a process that affects the cells.

The cells are micro-objects of which functional characteristics depend on their compositional and structural characteristics.

Being open and active systems, the cells consume energy. Every activity implies energy consumption. The reduction of energetical resources affects the activity or the functioning of cells.

That is, it is supossed that, the continuous reduction of the energetical resources of cells causes a continuos reduction of the activity or functioning of cells.

(Skolnick, Andrew A. JAMA. Chicago: Apr 22, 1992). The later reduction means and causaly explain a part of aging.

The subcause of this reduction-cause are the accumulation of the genetical or lesional alterations of mitocondrias, which are the main energetical resources of cells, which make them non-functional. That is, the reduction of the cellular energetical resources has a causal role in the explanation of aging, in general. In this moment, it is unclear if the mitocondria is the only energetical resource of the cell and is afirmed that a method for preventing or slowing loss of cognitive function may be as simple as maintaining adequate blood glucose levels. (Skolnick, Andrew A. JAMA, Chicago: Apr 22, 1992; Gold) In accord with the hypothesis of Bartzokis, the speed has an important role in the explanation of cognitive aging.

More precisely, the author refers at the speed of transmission of electrical signals trough the neurons axons. The speed would make it possible the integration of the information encoded distributively along and through the extended areas of some neuronal networks. The integration of information distributed along the areas of some extended neuronal networks is essential for the realization of the higher-order cognitive functions. Additionally, if not even alternatively, some scientists consider that, the stability that is represented by the state of brain between some biotemporal limits is in fact an equilibrium between some regenerative and degenerative processes. Regeneration can mean neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. Degeneration can mean apoptotic neuronal losses and/or qualitative deterioration of the brain s cells.

That is, on the one hand it is sustained a reduction of the speed of transmission of the potentials of action, therefore a negative change of the quality of interneuronal communication, on the other hand it is sustained an unbalance between the proportion of regeneration and that of degeneration. Certainly, all this facts are effects of some ...