Are We Not Fat Heads?

NPR offered a commentary on advances in neuroscience that offers middle-agers a good/bad sandwich.  As we age, our memories fade both in ability to store and access.  Of course reaction times slow down as well. Then this bit - adults continue accreting myelin sheath, a form of fatty tissue analogous to electrical insulation on the nerves well into middle age.  This allows for faster transmission of complex signals - permitting the more mature to excel at complex reasoning and judgment. Is gaining acuity in this world an unmixed blessing?  Regardless, next time someone calls you a fathead, it could actually be a compliment.