Aging: It’s Not What You Think | Thad Polk | TEDxUofM

Our brains are powerful pieces of machinery that give us the capacity to do amazing things. Unfortunately, common wisdom says that age isn’t too kind to our minds’ abilities. Neuroscientist Thad Polk walks through the actual effects of aging on the human brain and shows that our assumptions might not be so accurate. Dr. Thad Polk has been a member of the University of Michigan psychology faculty since 1996. His lab uses functional MRI, computational modeling, and behavioral experimentation to study the neural architecture of cognition, including how it is affected by aging, by experience, and by genetics. He has taught over 6,000 UM students over the past 20 years. In 2006, he was named an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in recognition of outstanding contributions to undergraduate education, and in 2012 Princeton Review included him on its list of the Best 300 Professors in the US. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at