The aging of organs

Aging processes lead to biochemical, physiological and morphological changes at the organ level and are overlaid by pathological aging mechanisms (Platt 1978, 297).

Changes to the most important organs associated with aging:

• Studies show that the ganglionic cells of the central nervous system are able to divide during the whole lifetime with the appropriate external stimuli.
• Reduction in the size of the dendrites and networking of nerve cells
• Loss of neurons between 25 and 50% in different areas of the central nervous system (Mechling 2005)
• Reduction of efficiency of the sense organs due to senile atrophy of the ganglionic cells
• Decrease in taste buds on the tongue by up to 65%, and age-related deafness due to depletion of the ganglionic cells in the cochlea (Theimer 1981, 270)