1 week ago
Neurologist Explains How Older Brains Keep Learning After 60
A 64-year-old man completed a difficult engineering degree while holding a demanding job.
He even finished in the top 10 of a class filled mostly with younger students.
A neurologist says this shows that brains do not simply stop learning at a certain age.
The brain can change and build new connections when people practise unfamiliar skills.
Learning something genuinely new may challenge the brain more broadly than repeatedly doing the same puzzle.
Exercise and social conversations can also support brain health.
Rest and sleep are important because the brain continues building memories after studying.
Forgetting an occasional name can be normal, but getting lost in familiar places or struggling with familiar tasks may require a medical check.
Learning later in life may help build resilience, but no single activity is proven to prevent dementia.
A 64-year-old Uttar Pradesh government official completed an MTech while working full-time and ranked in the top 10 of his class.
His son, Shashank Srivastava, said his father studied during work travel covering nearly 1,000 kilometres a week.
Neurologist Dr Amit Agarwal said the brain remains capable of reorganising through learning and experience, a process called neuroplasticity.
Research cited by Agarwal suggests that challenging new skills can improve some cognitive abilities, while repetitive puzzles may mainly produce task-specific gains.
Agarwal recommends continued learning, exercise, social engagement and adequate sleep, while warning that persistent cognitive problems should receive medical attention.
- Who
- A 64-year-old Uttar Pradesh government official, his son Shashank Srivastava, and neurologist Dr Amit Agarwal.
- What
- The official completed an MTech in the top 10 of his class while working full-time, prompting discussion about learning and brain ageing.
- Where
- In Uttar Pradesh, with much of his studying done while travelling across districts for work; the potential next programme is at IIM Lucknow.
- When
- He completed the MTech last month; he had returned to work after retiring in 2022 and is now considering another programme.
- Why
- The story was used to explain neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve and ways to support brain health in later life.
Ageing-Brain Fatalism
Neuroplasticity Evidence
Whether the brain becomes fixed with age
Ageing-Brain Fatalism
The older assumption is that the brain becomes nearly fixed beyond a certain age and that cognitive decline must simply be accepted.
Neuroplasticity Evidence
Dr Amit Agarwal says the brain can reorganise through effort and experience, allowing older adults to continue learning.
Value of repetitive brain games
Ageing-Brain Fatalism
Regular activities such as Sudoku may appear to represent broad mental training.
Neuroplasticity Evidence
Agarwal says repetitive puzzles can create task-specific improvement, while genuinely new skills create more cognitive difficulty and require adapting to feedback.
What lifelong learning can prevent
Ageing-Brain Fatalism
A strong academic achievement might be interpreted as proof that education prevents dementia.
Neuroplasticity Evidence
Agarwal says learning may contribute to cognitive reserve, but no single activity or level of schooling is proven to prevent dementia.
Key facts
- Student's age
- 64
- Academic achievement
- Completed an MTech and ranked in the top 10 of his class
- Work status
- Deputy CEO at the regulatory body overseeing municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh
- Weekly travel
- Nearly 1,000 kilometres for work
- Next academic goal
- Applying to the Executive Education Programme at IIM Lucknow
- Research cited
- The ACTIVE trial and the Synapse Project
- Neurologist's advice
- Learn new skills, exercise, remain socially engaged and get enough sleep
Quotes
Dr Amit Agarwal
Senior Consultant of Neurology at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad
“Don't just practise what your brain already knows. Make it uncomfortable with something fresh now and then.”
firstpost.com
“One common myth I run across is that the brain gets nearly fixed beyond a certain age. It doesn't.”
firstpost.com
