In wake of Biden report, experts explain how aging affects the brain

No model predicts how an individual’s mind changes or memory fades over time, according to local experts.

“It’s very much an individual thing,” said University of Pittsburgh associate psychology professor Marc Coutanche. “You can have someone who’s very sharp right into their 80s, and you can have someone in their 60s who has lost significant memory function and isn’t doing well.”

Mental fitness of aging public officials was back in the spotlight Thursday after the release of a special counsel’s report investigating President Joe Biden’s possession of classified documents.

The report described the 81-year-old Democrat’s memory as “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor” and having “significant limitations.” In response, Biden held a news conference in which he lashed out against special counsel Robert Hur.

“My memory is fine,” said Biden, who was visibly angry. Yet even as he defended himself, he committed another gaffe while discussing the Israel-Hamas War and mistakenly referred to Egypt’s leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as “the president of Mexico.”

Biden’s likely opponent, former President Donald Trump, is 77. Whether either wins, he would be among the three oldest people to serve in the office. Biden already is No. 1, followed by Ronald Reagan (77 when he left office) and Trump (74 when his first term ended).

Changes in memory are inevitable, said Allegheny Health Network physician Carol Schramke. Just as almost everyone gets gray hair and age spots, everyone’s brain changes over time, she said.

“It’s normal aging,” said Schramke, director of behavioral neurology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh’s North Side. “There’s a variability with all aspects of it.”

Genetics and behavior play a role in memory loss, she said. Much of it can’t be stopped. There’s a reason athletes are in their prime in their teens and 20s, she said.

Public information from the National Institute for Aging, part of the federal National Institutes of Health, outlines a significant difference between age-related forgetfulness and cognitive impairment or dementia.

According to the institute, signs that indicate a more serious problem can include:

• Asking the same questions over and over again;

• Getting lost in places you used to know well;

• Trouble following directions;

• Poor personal care — eating poorly, not bathing or behaving in an unsafe manner.

In the earlier stages of memory loss, confusion can be mild. Often, an affected person realizes what is happening and is likely frustrated or scared by the inability for recall simple words or ideas, said Bonnie Jo Stapchuck, the administrator at Concordia of Fox Chapel.

The facility treats people with memory-related illnesses.

“You can’t stop it or prevent it, but you can treat it,” Stapchuck said. “They might forget the purpose of common items like forks or phones, or maybe it’s hard for them to process what people are saying in conversation.”

She said it’s important to maintain regular medical care through adulthood as the main cause of memory loss is progressive damage to brain cells.

Lifestyle plays a significant role in the trajectory of a person’s memory faculties, Coutanche said.

“You can have a person in their 80s who is able to jog down the street if exercise has been part of their life, but you can have someone who is 60 with a bad hip who can’t do it at all,” he said. “Part of that individual difference is genetics, but part of it is also how you’ve used it.

“Studies have shown things like aerobic exercise are helpful in protecting overall brain function as we get older.”

Just like the rest of the body, the brain begins to wear out over time.

Cognitive decline is linked to how active or stimulated a person is, Schramke said. Learning new things is a great boost for brain health, as is exercise.

“If it’s not used, it can deteriorate more,” she said. “You can learn French into your 60s, 70s and 80s. Those sorts of things are expected to make your brain better.

“You have to stack the deck in your favor.”

There also is good old-fashioned attribution bias, Coutanche said.

“As we get older, there’s evidence that we attribute classic memory failures to age,” he said. “We forget where our keys are after turning 40 and think, ‘God, my memory’s shot.’ But people lose their keys when they’re 20 — it’s just that you attribute it to age now that you’re older.”