Old-age brains affected by lungs.

• Position: Your Life - Brief article

Keeping the lungs healthy could be an important way to retain thinking functions that relate to problem-solving and processing speed in one's later years, suggests research published in the journal Psychological Science.

While these two types of "fluid" cognitive functions are influenced by reduced pulmonary function, a drop in lung health does not appear to impair memory or lead to any significant loss of stored knowledge.

"The logical conclusion from this is that anything you could do to maintain lung function should be of benefit to fluid cognitive performance as well," explains psychologist Charles Emery, lead author of the study. "Maintaining an exercise routine and stopping smoking would be two primary methods. Nutritional factors and minimizing environmental exposure to pollutants also come into play."

The analysis offers insights into...