Weird. But then again, I personally have experienced the opposite effect and have only gotten more intelligent as time went on. I'm constantly adapting to new ideas and in taking more information even as I get older. I love learning and I'll never stop. Maybe it's a genetic thing. But then, if I be honest with myself, have I actually been taking a lot of androgens? No. Plus my IQ test is at 134 on avg. Haven't noticed it decrease either. Maybe it's set point related.
When you study the cognitive issues most common to aging, it's pretty clear this "ossification" of the brain is the default for both sexes. It's so common it's not really considered an impairment, just a characteristic for people of a certain age. Nursing homes are full of people in this mode. Maybe, from an primitive, evolutionary perspective, it's intended to solidify the patterns of behavior that managed to get you to an older age, because obviously they kept you alive this long, and changing them when you're old, with questionable senses, isn't a formula for success.
But this doesn't work in a technologically advanced society with much longer lifespan. Ensuring you maintain the ability to adapt and even discard old ideas, more difficult than it sounds, as needed is vital for a high quality of life imo.
A relentless pursuit of intellectual challenges and stimulus is one way. Maintain curiosity.
From a physical standpoint, TLDR, exercise helps, and there's evidence certain nootropics help keep the brain flexible and able to form new memories. Referring back to Modafinil for instance. It stimulates the genesis of neurons, and enhances the number and distance of connections they can make to other neurons, the basis of memory formation.
There's a limit to this of course. You won't become infinitely more intelligent as you continue using it, it peaks at a certain point.
But what it does do is maintain cognitive flexibility and the ability to continue to absorb new information and "rewire" previously established networks. An ability that begins to steadily deteriorate once we reach adulthood.
(just a small part of the complex mechanism behind this process. This topic is virtually bottomless, with research as recent as 2024 acknowledging the mechanism of action isn't well understood, though neuroenhancement for healthy individuals is widely observed)
Finally a little on the ethical aspect of use and its potential for increasing the disparity between those with access to a "cheat" and everyone else....
The use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals has been a feature for much of recorded history. Cocaine and amphetamine are modern cases of drugs initially enthusiastically acclaimed for enhancing cognition and mood. Today, an ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
