Fure Brynjar, Engebretsen Erik Hauge, Thommessen Bente, Øksengård Anne Rita, Brækhus Anne
Seksjon for spesialisthelsetjenen, Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter for helsetjenesten, Ullevål, Norway.
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2011 Jun 3;131(11):1080-3. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.10.0577.
Numerous physiological changes occur in the nervous system with increasing age. On clinical neurological examination, such changes may be misinterpreted as pathology in the nervous system. The objective of this article is to provide a review of the clinical neurological findings that may be caused by normal ageing.
The present manuscript is based on a non-systematic search in PubMed as well as on the clinical experience of the authors.
Cognitive functions are usually fairly well preserved in old age, apart from executive functioning, psychomotor speed and episodic memory, which are reduced with increasing age. Physiological changes related to increasing age include, in particular, vertical eye movements (upwards), vibration sense, Achilles reflexes, primitive reflexes and motor speed. Muscle power is reduced by 20-40% in healthy individuals aged over 70 years.
A correct diagnosis based on findings in the neurological examination cannot be made without knowledge of how ageing affects the physiology of the nervous system. However, the evidence regarding physiological changes in the nervous system is limited, and more research is needed in this field.
随着年龄的增长，神经系统会发生许多生理变化。在临床神经学检查中，这些变化可能会被误解为神经系统的病变。本文的目的是综述可能由正常衰老引起的临床神经学表现。
本手稿基于对PubMed的非系统性检索以及作者的临床经验。
除执行功能、精神运动速度和情景记忆随年龄增长而下降外，认知功能在老年时通常保存得相当好。与年龄增长相关的生理变化尤其包括垂直眼动（向上）、振动觉、跟腱反射、原始反射和运动速度。70岁以上健康个体的肌肉力量会降低20% - 40%。
如果不了解衰老如何影响神经系统的生理学，就无法根据神经学检查结果做出正确诊断。然而，关于神经系统生理变化的证据有限，该领域需要更多研究。
