Bywyd Hwyrach Corff Cymru

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-We're all different.

-We all live a life

-that's unique to us.

-From our first breath...

-..throughout our life...

-..we learn and change...

-..we learn and change...

-

-..as we adapt to our surroundings.

-I'm Dr Anwen Jones,

-a Physiology lecturer...

-..at Cardiff Metropolitan

-University.

-I'm Dr Katie Hemer, a Bioarchaeology

-specialist at Sheffield University.

-We'll look at the key developmental

-steps for body and brain...

-..as we grow, mature and welcome

-new members to our midst.

-In each programme, we focus

-on a specific stage of our life.

-This is our journey through life.

-Later Life

-As we get older, our bodies

-and our way of thinking change.

-Why do we age? What challenges

-face the body as we get older?

-What's the secret

-to a long, healthy life?

-One thing's for certain -

-having a good time is crucial.

-We've followed the Smith family

-throughout the series.

-They've helped us find out more...

-..about life's developmental stages.

-I talked to Marilyn about being

-a mother and a grandmother...

-..and about life after retirement.

-Marilyn, you're 68.

-When you were in your 20s, how did

-you picture life in your 60s?

-In my head, I feel the same.

-I think like I did when I was young,

-so not a lot changes there.

-Of course, I don't have

-as much energy as I did before.

-Is it important

-to keep busy as you get older?

-Yes, otherwise you sit in a chair

-watching television.

-It's just boring.

-I'm not like that.

-I've never been like that.

-I always

-need to have something going on.

-I enjoy painting

-and I do it when the mood takes me.

-I go out with my friends

-for a coffee and a chat.

-I enjoy walking along the beach

-searching for driftwood.

-I enjoy collecting things.

-I see quite a lot of Non...

-..and I help her

-have a bit of free time...

-..without the children.

-James and Non can go out for a meal

-or to meet their friends.

-I enjoy joining in

-and doing things with the children.

-I can be like one of them!

-Why not?

-What's the secret

-to a long and healthy life?

-It depends how you look at it.

-If you've lived a busy life,

-you just carry on.

-Things don't have to stop,

-just like that.

-You just do things differently.

-What happens to the body as we age?

-The skin get thinner

-and less elastic...

-..as its collagen

-and elastin levels drop.

-This results in wrinkles.

-Gravity doesn't help either

-as the skin sags.

-Our hair thins and most of us

-are grey by the age of 60.

-Cells which produce melanin, which

-gives hair its colour, disappear...

-..so, as new hair grows no colour

-is fed into it, so it will be grey.

-We lose hair on our heads but hair

-begins to sprout in other areas.

-This is true in men and women.

-Light hairs all over the body

-begin to darken.

-We even shrink.

-Between the age of 50 and 70,

-men shrink by an inch in height...

-..and women shrink by two inches.

-It happens because bones, especially

-the spine, become compressed.

-Our senses become less sensitive

-as we age.

-This makes it harder

-for us to communicate...

-..and to pay attention

-to our surroundings.

-But it can also

-work to our advantage.

-Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins

-to affect middle-aged people...

-..and it continues into later life.

-Treatments are available

-to slow the condition...

-..but they don't suit everyone

-and there's no cure at the moment.

-One reason for this is there are

-many types of the disease.

-At the Cardiff School Of Medicine

-Arthritis UK research centre...

-..they study the many types

-to better understand the disease.

-I met Dr Gareth Jones

-to find out more.

-Gareth,

-what causes rheumatoid arthritis?

-It's a process where the cells

-in the body's autoimmune system...

-..start to attack the joints

-and damage bones and cartilage.

-It's permanent.

-The damage caused to the bones

-and cartilage is irreversible.

-Unlike osteoarthritis,

-which is caused by wear and tear...

-..rheumatoid arthritis

-is an autoimmune disease.

-The body's immune system

-includes many different cells...

-..which usually work as a team

-to protect the body from disease.

-For some reason, these cells attack

-the joints in rheumatoid arthritis.

-What is the focus of your research?

-I try to better understand

-the different rheumatoid diseases.

-As you see here, we use

-fluorescent antibodies...

-..to recognize the different types

-of immune cells in the joint.

-The pattern reveals a lot...

-..about what type of inflammation

-is affecting the joint.

-Different types

-of rheumatoid arthritis...

-..give you different patterns

-on the screen?

-Yes, the immune cell patterns

-are totally different.

-What part do genes play in it?

-Looking at the joint, different

-patterns of immune cells...

-..mean that different genes

-are active in the joint.

-Different groups of genes are active

-in different types of rheumatoid.

-In the future, the hope is

-to use these different genes...

-..as some sort of flag...

-..to tell us this person

-has a specific type of rheumatoid.

-How effective

-is the current treatment?

-There are some fantastic therapies

-available for rheumatoid.

-But we don't know enough about the

-types at the point of diagnosis...

-..so we don't use these therapies in

-the most effective way possible.

-For example, around 40%

-of rheumatoid sufferers...

-..don't react well to

-the best therapies on the market.

-In the future,

-you're looking for two things.

-Identifying the specific type

-of rheumatoid a person has...

-..so that you can better treat it.

-Secondly, to try to halt rheumatoid

-before it can cause damage.

-Yes, because it's permanent damage.

-The brain remains plastic.

-That means it changes and adapts

-throughout childhood and adulthood.

-What happens to the brain

-as we get older?

-Does it retain its plasticity and

-continue to change and develop...

-..or does our capacity

-to learn new things stop?

-Dr Emily Cross's team

-at Bangor University...

-..looks at the way the brain changes

-throughout our life.

-They devised a research project

-to look at this.

-Volunteers aged between 60 and 80

-dance to a computer game.

-Before the research starts,

-they have a brain scan...

-..as they see pictures

-of people dancing.

-They dance to a computer game

-for five days.

-They then have a second scan.

-Researchers compare

-their brain activity at the end...

-..to their brain activity

-before they started dancing.

-There's all these myths out there

-that we stop learning.

-That our brains

-become less plastic with age.

-But we can learn many things

-well into advanced age.

-We wanted to look at older adults

-to get a neural signature...

-..of how the brain changes...

-..and how efficiently

-it's able to learn new information.

-As they dance to the computer game

-they copy the movements they see.

-The computer game gives the

-volunteers an unbiased score...

-..which the researchers use to

-assess their development over time.

-As we learn a new skill,

-such as a dance move...

-..specific areas of the brain

-work really hard.

-As we become familiar with

-performing this new skill...

-..those areas become less active...

-..even though

-we're performing the same movement.

-This happens because the brain

-becomes more efficient over time...

-..as we get used to

-performing the move.

-That means

-the brain uses less energy.

-Is this still the case

-as we get older?

-There's evidence

-for neural efficiency.

-At the first day of scanning,

-our older adults' brains...

-..were much more active

-than in the last day.

-We want to get into this data

-in more detail...

-..and understand which types of

-learning leads to neural efficiency.

-As we get older,

-our brain at no time stops changing.

-There's emphasis

-on plasticity in young age...

-..but we're learning all the time,

-even later in life.

-Next, we use our imagination

-and weigh things up...

-..as we look at more developments

-in later life.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-Why do we age?

-Nobody has ever

-lived longer than 125 years.

-On a global average,

-we live for around 71 years.

-It seems a person

-has a definite lifespan.

-It's believed we mature...

-..by following

-at least one developmental clock...

-..which is present in our genes.

-Ageing is part of this process.

-Some see the body as a machine

-made of millions of tiny parts...

-..which become worn over the years.

-It takes around 1,600 calories

-per day to maintain the body.

-Some say we can only burn a specific

-total of calories in a lifetime...

-..and ageing happens

-as we approach this limit.

-Telomers, caps on the chromosomes

-within cells...

-..get shorter and shorter

-each time the cell divides...

-..until the cell can divide no more.

-This can affect the body's capacity

-to renew itself.

-We all age at a different speed.

-Our biological age

-can differ from out social age.

-There's no answer

-to the question why we age...

-..but genes,

-environment and lifestyle...

-..certainly affects

-how quickly this happens.

-Dementia is a disorder

-which is linked to ageing...

-..although, in reality, it isn't

-part of the natural ageing process.

-Around 37,000 people in Wales

-live with some form of dementia.

-There is no cure for dementia,

-so much of the research into it...

-..is focused

-on slowing its progress...

-..or improving the quality of life

-of those living with dementia.

-I'm in Llangollen to learn about

-a special research project...

-..run by the team at the Dementia

-Services Development Centre, Bangor.

-In the

-Dementia And Imagination project...

-..people with dementia

-take part in a creative arts group.

-It's a 12-week project

-run by a local artist.

-Researchers interview contributors

-before the project starts.

-They're assessed

-during the sessions...

-..and interviewed at the end of the

-project and after three months.

-They analyze the data...

-..to see if the project

-benefited the contributors...

-..and had an effect

-on their dementia.

-This project is also run

-in two research centres in England.

-How will the data help you

-understand more about dementia?

-There's great interest

-in the effect or the advantages...

-..of encouraging those with dementia

-to attend arts and crafts classes.

-We try to see if the element of

-visual arts is something special.

-We also look at its potential...

-..to help people cope

-with the difficulties they face.

-What challenges

-do those living with dementia face?

-The reason behind someone

-suffering from dementia can vary...

-..and its effects vary too.

-It can impair

-their short-term memory.

-It can also cause people

-to have communication difficulties.

-That can be very frustrating.

-It can also leave people feeling

-isolated and lacking in confidence.

-The attitude of society in general

-towards dementia is a challenge...

-..and that's why

-we're working towards...

-..creating

-dementia-friendly communities.

-John is a member of the group.

-I asked him and Cath, his wife,

-about this new challenge.

-Too many people our age and younger

-sit around doing nothing.

-It's nice to have a challenge

-for the mind and to create things.

-As an engineer, I enjoyed being busy

-and creating new things.

-You use your mind

-when you do something like this.

-That's a good thing, especially

-for people who have Alzheimer's.

-Every time you use your mind,

-it can only be beneficial.

-Yes. It keeps you going.

-It keeps this grey matter going.

-Is there

-a stigma attached to dementia?

-Yes, and I think it stems from

-a lack of understanding and fear.

-By exhibiting these artworks...

-..and celebrating

-the members' success...

-..we hope to break down that stigma.

-It's nice

-for them to do something positive.

-At present, there is no way to

-stop dementia, once it's developed.

-The aim of our projects is to help

-people live full, healthy lives...

-..despite them

-being diagnosed with dementia.

-It's been a pleasure to follow the

-group members through the project.

-They have fun, they crack jokes,

-make friends and they feel proud.

-In order to have a chance

-of prevention or even cure...

-..we must understand

-exactly how dementia develops.

-At CUBRIC, Cardiff University,

-they strive to find answers...

-..through research studying links

-between obesity, genes and dementia.

-I volunteered

-to take part in an experiment.

-First, they measure my weight

-and height to find my BMI.

-They also take a saliva sample,

-which they'll screen...

-..to search for genes which are

-known to increase the risk...

-..of developing Alzheimer's.

-Next, I take a mini mental test.

-This is a standard Alzheimer's test

-and now I'm ready for my MRI scan.

-Rather than look at

-brain activity...

-..the MRI scanner captures images

-of connections between brain cells.

-These are the brain's pathways,

-down which messages are passed...

-..from one part to another.

-Alzheimer's can affect these paths.

-Some brain areas are important for

-Alzheimer's or dementia in general.

-This area, called the hippocampus,

-is often implicated in dementia.

-We look at the connections

-between the hippocampus...

-..and the rest of the brain.

-This is your brain.

-It shows a tract which runs

-down towards the hippocampus...

-..and up, to the rest of the brain.

-This pathway is called the fornix.

-You can see degeneration within

-the fornix in people with dementia.

-Is the fornix the only part of the

-brain which is affected by dementia?

-No. Several structures are affected.

-Importantly,

-not every path is affected.

-The blue path you see here is very

-important for controlling movement.

-This isn't affected by dementia.

-It affects

-specific areas of the brain.

-In addition

-to capturing images of my brain...

-..they also scanned my abdomen

-to look at the fat around my organs.

-Extensive research suggests there

-may be a link between a high BMI...

-..and being affected by dementia

-in later life.

-Unfortunately, BMI isn't a very

-accurate measurement of obesity.

-That's why we scan the abdomen.

-It's important to know

-exactly where the body stores fat.

-If the fat is just under the skin,

-it may be less damaging...

-..than visceral fat,

-which is stored around the organs.

-This is an image of your body fat.

-There's fat around the sides,

-as you'd expect.

-Not a lot, I must say!

-There's very little fat

-around the organs, which is good.

-Researchers know the presence

-of a gene called APOE4...

-..increases the risk

-of developing Alzheimer's.

-This gene plays a part

-in the way the brain processes fat.

-The researchers study the link

-between visceral fat...

-..and this gene's role

-in Alzheimer's.

-You can use your findings...

-..to lower the risk

-of developing Alzheimer's?

-Yes, by using this data and

-the data we get from the brain...

-..we hope to offer

-mid-life risk-reduction advice...

-..in the form of lifestyle changes

-they could adopt...

-..to minimize risk in later life.

-Like every other stage, later life

-is a time of great change.

-We've reached the final chapter

-of our life journey...

-..and it's becoming an increasingly

-long chapter as we live longer.

-We all age at a different rate.

-Lifestyle and genes

-influence this...

-..and we all face different

-challenges as the body ages.

-Research and scientific developments

-help us understand these challenges.

-We may be able to halt or

-prevent them in the near future.

-The body may slow down

-but we're still learning...

-..and diet, exercise and socializing

-are extremely important.

-They help us

-live a long and healthy life.

-Hiya, Anwen.

-Hiya, Anwen.

-

-Hiya, Katie.

-Anwen, we've reached

-the end of the series.

-We've looked at

-a person's development...

-..from birth to later life.

-We've learned a lot

-about the brain and the body...

-..and the way they develop.

-Speaking of babies, you have news!

-Yes. My belly is a bit flatter than

-it was at the start of the series!

-I had a baby girl - Mali Haf.

-I'm sure you can't wait to watch

-Mali Haf grow and develop.

-Yes, and nothing happens by chance.

-There's a developmental reason for

-everything we do, even as babies.

-The experiment

-with glasses and sweets...

-..which showed how children think

-differently from adults was amazing.

-The brain changes

-during our teens...

-..explaining

-a lot of teenager behaviour.

-It's interesting how the brain

-develops and changes...

-..throughout our lives.

-Our brains will even change

-during this conversation.

-Yes, and the more we know

-about brain development...

-..the better

-we understand Alzheimer's.

-Yes, all of which allows us

-to live longer, healthier lives.

-Yes.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

-.