Some say that the secret to staying young is to continue to learn, to push yourself, and to grow.

Henry Ford once said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Is it possible to continue to learn as you age?

Western civilization once thought that humans could not learn after a certain age. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," is the old adage. Thankfully, according to the latest brain research, the adult brain has more plasticity and adaptability than previously thought.

The brain of an adult can change and learn new things; in fact, it is suggested that learning new things will keep your mind young and vibrant in old age. So the old dog can learn new tricks.

John Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute at Ithaca College, N.Y., said, "Brain cells don't stop generating at age 16 or 20, which was the old idea; 100-year-olds can generate new connections between brain cells if they engage in activity." We have the capacity to continue to learn throughout our lives.

You don't have to worry about running out of room to store new information, either. Neuroscientists believe that a memory is a stored pattern of connections between neurons in the brain. There are about a hundred billion neurons, each with 5,000 to 10,000 connections to each other. That is about five hundred trillion to one thousand trillion synapses available in the average adult brain.

Compare that to the 32 trillion bytes of information in the Library of Congress' print collection and you will see that you have lots of room for storage.

Some scientists believe that intellectual and social stimulation actually slows mental decline and prolongs mental alertness. Research from Ithaca College has shown that having a creative hobby, such as playing a musical instrument, keeps your brain young.

Continue to be involved and busy with things that use your mind. Keep in contact with people in order to communicate and learn from one another.

Recent studies have shown that staying mentally and physically active all through your life will not only keep your mind sharp but may reduce the risk of dementia.

A study from the School of Psychiatry at the University of South Wales, Australia, found people with high mental stimulation had a 46 percent decreased risk of dementia and the protection was present even later in life, as long as they engaged in mentally stimulating activities.

Scientists do not all agree that exercising your brain will keep your brain young, but they do agree that physical exercise improves both your brain function and your physical health. No one would argue that you feel more vibrant when you are physically, socially and intellectually active.

Now that you know you can learn something new no matter how old you are, there are many ways to continue learning.

Look for something you don't know how to do but have always wondered about. Learn about a new computer program or learn a foreign language.

New research has shown that adults can learn foreign languages easier than previously thought. Challenge yourself. Enroll in adult education classes at your local college for fun. Or better yet, enroll in a program that will lead to a degree.

Read books that you have always wanted to read. Take up a new hobby, learn a new sport, play challenging games such as Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit, try cossword puzzles, get a library card or become a volunteer.

Once your children are older, you have more time to spend on yourself. Take that time to learn something new. Then when you retire, you will have even more time to continue to learn.

Retire from work but don't retire from learning. You have the ability and the capacity, so go ahead and learn no matter how old you are.

(Pam Krueger, M.Ed., is a freelance writer and owner of Every 1 Reading tutoring in Bismarck. Her column appears every other Tuesday. She can be reached at pam@;every1reading.com.)