BRAIN AGING IN NORMAL EGYPTIANS - NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL, ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND CRANIAL TOMOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT

Eighty-eight normal Egyptian volunteers above the age of 40 years were studied for brain aging and subjected to neuropsychological (the Pace d Auditory Serial Addition Test; the Trailmaking test A, B; the Digit Symbol Substitution Test; sensory and secondary memory tests), electro physiological (computerized EEG, P300 and reaction time measures), and Computerized Cranial Tomography (CCT) assessment, A significant corre lation was found between age and both perception (Digit Symbol Substit ution Test (DDST)) and psychomotor performance (Trailmaking B lest (TM b)), reaction time (RT) and the size of the third ventricle, Whereas f emales were worse in attention (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (P ASAT)), males had worse performance in secondary memory test. Elderly subjects with vascular risk factors did worse in psychomotor performan ce (TMa) than subjects with no risk factors, Non-educated subjects sho wed worse perception (DSST) than educated subjects, A significant decr ease in upper and lower limit percent power of the alpha band was foun d in subjects above 60 years, males, and non-educated subjects, A sign ificant increase in a activity was found only in non-educated subjects , It is concluded that decline in specific cognitive functions occurs with advancing age. Vascular risk factors and lack of education early in life enhance these changes, Moreover, the EEG slowing in the elderl y was linked to lack of education early in life.