When older people are asked by their healthcare provider to squeeze an object as hard as they can, it is a test of muscle strength, to be sure, but increasingly it is seen as a way to detect and prevent frailty before it begins. Researchers at the University of California Riverside found a little-known region deep in the brain that might be crucial for preserving physical strength as we age. They were surprised to learn that the caudate plays a role in muscular strength and its potential to signal frailty. The study linked grip performance and the brain through stronger blood flow to the caudate. Authors of the study in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience say this is a promising clue to how the brain influences the aging body.