--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can open up a centenarian's brain…" description: "\"You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some areas that look like that of a 50-year-old or of a 110-year-old. You can have variation in t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/s-jay-olshansky-11747_aging_you-can-open-up-a-centenarian-s-brain-an_1982277.jpg" --- # You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some… ![“You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some areas that look like that of a 50-year-old or of a 110-year-old. You can have variation in the basic process of aging, called senescence, in different parts of the same body.” quote by S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/s-jay-olshansky-11747_aging_you-can-open-up-a-centenarian-s-brain-an_1982277.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/s-jay-olshansky-11747_aging_you-can-open-up-a-centenarian-s-brain-an_1982277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9a/s-jay-olshansky-11747_aging_you-can-open-up-a-centenarian-s-brain-an_1982277.jpg) > “You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some areas that look like that of a 50-year-old or of a 110-year-old. You can have variation in the basic process of aging, called senescence, in different parts of the same body.” [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging varies across body parts; some tissues age like a 50‑year‑old, others like a 110‑year‑old, showing heterogeneous senescence. **In simple terms:** Different body parts age at different rates. Key Takeaway Consider tissue‑specific health strategies. Themes biology aging heterogeneity Mood analytical thoughtful Type scientific informative When to use this quote - medical research - personal health planning - gerontology - preventive care Key Concepts senescence longevity cellular aging Questions to Reflect On - Which organs show the most youthful aging? - How can lifestyle target slower‑aging tissues? A Different Perspective Treating aging as uniform may overlook specific needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Different parts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-parts/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Congratulations on turning eighty. You are closer from being a centenarian more than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-on-turning-eighty-you-are-closer-from-being-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I remember hearing years ago about a centenarian being interviewed on her birthday. She was asked, “Throughout your life, you have witnessed amazing change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/i-remember-hearing-years-ago-about-a-centenarian-being-interviewed-on/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Congratulations on turning 50. You're half way to becoming a centenarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-on-turning-50-you-re-half-way-to-becoming-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There was a period when I had a hard time reconciling all the different parts of me in a way that I thought would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-thompson/there-was-a-period-when-i-had-a-hard-time-reconciling-all-the/) [Tessa Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-thompson/) > [I think I'll always flutter all over. I'd like to live in different parts of the world - I'd love to live in Tuscany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/i-think-i-ll-always-flutter-all-over-i-d-like-to-live-in-different/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [I want good and different parts, different from what I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-severance/i-want-good-and-different-parts-different-from-what-i-ve-done/) [Joan Severance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-severance/) > [The apparent strategy of Pfizer is to take over AstraZeneca, dismember it, and put the different parts of it into its three new divisions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/the-apparent-strategy-of-pfizer-is-to-take-over-astrazeneca-dismember/) [David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/) > [My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/my-career-has-suddenly-started-to-be-the-one-that-i-d-always-wanted/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) > [Moving around a lot allows you to experience many different cultures and learn about the ways that different people in different parts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/moving-around-a-lot-allows-you-to-experience-many-different-cultures/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I think entrepreneurs are born and not created, and so I think you see a lot of similarities among entrepreneurs in different parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/i-think-entrepreneurs-are-born-and-not-created-and-so-i-think-you-see/) [Gayle Tzemach Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/) > [I just want different parts; I wanna be that guy who people mention and they don't know who you're talking about until you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-cannavale/i-just-want-different-parts-i-wanna-be-that-guy-who-people-mention/) [Bobby Cannavale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-cannavale/) > [I'll always have a house in London; I'll always call it my home. There might be moments when I get to go and work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-treadaway/i-ll-always-have-a-house-in-london-i-ll-always-call-it-my-home-there/) [Harry Treadaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-treadaway/) > [I think there are two sides of the coin. On one hand, it can be challenging to access different parts of yourself, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/i-think-there-are-two-sides-of-the-coin-on-one-hand-it-can-be/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [The different parts of my career seemed to take part in different rooms, albeit in the same house. It was just the way things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/the-different-parts-of-my-career-seemed-to-take-part-in-different/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## More by S. Jay Olshansky > [A lifetime of low calories has come naturally to the longest-lived people in the world... in the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/a-lifetime-of-low-calories-has-come-naturally-to-the-longest-lived/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [What we know for sure from our work and from others' is that mice have a life span of 1,000 days, dogs have 5,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/what-we-know-for-sure-from-our-work-and-from-others-is-that-mice-have/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [The modern rise of Alzheimer's Disease in the twentieth century is not a sign of failure. It's a sign of success. Success in living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-modern-rise-of-alzheimer-s-disease-in-the-twentieth-century-is/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [As soon as a handful of scientists come up with an intervention shown to influence aging in other species, they begin selling it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-soon-as-a-handful-of-scientists-come-up-with-an-intervention-shown/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Reducing caloric intake is the only proven method of extending life. If caloric intake is reduced to 20 percent below maintenance, you can extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/reducing-caloric-intake-is-the-only-proven-method-of-extending-life/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I'm not sure the least educated members of the population are missing out on the advances in medical technology as much as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/i-m-not-sure-the-least-educated-members-of-the-population-are-missing/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Ageing is very rare. We only see it in humans and laboratory animals and in zoo animals and in our pets. Basically, organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/ageing-is-very-rare-we-only-see-it-in-humans-and-laboratory-animals/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [People pushing the idea that everyone can live to be 100 are perpetuating a myth that goes all the way back to the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/people-pushing-the-idea-that-everyone-can-live-to-be-100-are/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I have little doubt that gerontologists will eventually find a way to avoid, or more likely, delay, the unpleasantries of extended life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/i-have-little-doubt-that-gerontologists-will-eventually-find-a-way-to/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Lifespan extension has never really been a goal of aging science, nor should it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/lifespan-extension-has-never-really-been-a-goal-of-aging-science-nor/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [We're not trying to make us live forever; we're not trying to even make us live significantly longer. What we're trying to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/we-re-not-trying-to-make-us-live-forever-we-re-not-trying-to-even/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Death is a zero sum game for which there is no cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/death-is-a-zero-sum-game-for-which-there-is-no-cure/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [The Faustian trade of the 20th century was, we got 30 years of additional life, but in return we got heart disease, cancer, stroke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-faustian-trade-of-the-20th-century-was-we-got-30-years-of/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-always-desired-to-live-longer/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Do we really want to continue to push out the envelope of survival only to see other things crop up that we may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/do-we-really-want-to-continue-to-push-out-the-envelope-of-survival/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) [Explore all 58 S. Jay Olshansky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) ## More Aging quotes > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can open up a centenarian's brain, and you'll see some areas that look like that of a 50-year-old or of a 110-year-old. You can have variation in the basic process of aging, called senescence, in different parts of the same body.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S. 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