Why the Aging Mind Is Driven to Distraction

The L.A.Times reports:

Exploring the anatomy of attention, researchers have discovered that middle-aged people are more readily driven to distraction by interruptions because of age-related changes in how their brains work.

In research made public today, scientists at the University of Toronto and the Rotman Research Institute documented for the first time how age altered the brain's ability to ignore irrelevant intrusions.


"I have certainly found that as I have gotten older it is harder to deal with distractions," said lead author Cheryl L. Grady, 52, who studies the cognitive effects of aging. "This experiment tells me why that is. This is happening in my brain."

You'll want to read the whole thing.