A study reports there's one part of the brain in elderly persons that can process information the same way it did when the brain was younger.

The elderly and young adults can perform the same tasks that measure their spatial attention, according to a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia.

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Researchers compared the spatial attention skills of 60-year-olds and young people. Spatial attention skills are critical in many aspects of life and include mundane activities such as driving, walking, picking-up and using objects.

They said young adults (age 18 to 38) have the same response as the elderly (age 55 to 95) in special attention tasks that involve touching, seeing and hearing.

Joanna Brooks, who led the study, said when people think of aging, they don't only think of physical changes but also cognitive changes.

She explained their research suggests certain types of cognitive systems in the right cerebral hemisphere, such as the one involved in spatial attention, remain protected despite aging.

Brooks said their study showed the right side of the remains dominant for spatial processing throughout an adult's life.

She said this result challenges current models of cognitive aging which hold that advancing age weakens basic cognitive abilities.

Current thinking also says aging limits the working memory capacity of the elderly such as their ability to comprehend and recall trivial things.

Brooks said researchers need a better understanding of the reasons why certain areas of the brain are more affected than others.

She believes her research can shed some light on how Alzheimer's disease affects the brain.