scholarly journals Impact of Age Views on Cognition: Experimental, Longitudinal, and Ecological Momentary Findings

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 596-597
Author(s):  
Hans-Werner Wahl ◽  
Becca Levy ◽  
Brad Meisner ◽  
Andrea Gröppel-Klein ◽  
Deidre Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Age Stereotypes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Embodiment Theory ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Research on the impact of age views on cognition has seen a strong momentum in recent years, fitting the stereotype embodiment theory prediction that the stereotypes taken in from a culture can impact older persons‘ cognition. These studies utilize experimental, longitudinal, and ecological momentary assessments (EMA), as well as a wide reach of cognitive outcomes. This symposium starts with two experimental studies. One demonstrates that negative age stereotypes reduce cognitive processing in older consumers (Gröppel-Klein et al.). A second study strives to better understand the pathway by which age stereotypes influence cognitive outcomes by focusing on dysregulation of reward-seeking behaviors and the downregulation of the dopaminergic system (Robertson et al.). We next explore two longitudinal studies that reveal differential relations among views of aging and various cognitive indicators. The first study found that older persons with more positive age beliefs are less likely to develop dementia even in a high-risk gene subpopulation of older adults (Levy et al.). The second study examined the association between awareness of age-related changes and cognitive scores (Sabatini et al.) Finally, Lücke et al. examine in their EMA study with 6 measurement occasions per day across 7 days that such a fine-tuned seems not to clearly support a linkage among subjective age and working memory for which beginning but not consistent evidence has been reported previously. Brad Meisner will discuss contributions in the light of meta-analytic finding revealing that older persons‘ negative age stereotypes can impair whereas their positive age stereotypes can improve cognitive performance.

scholarly journals Estrogen Receptor and Vascular Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Davezac ◽  
Melissa Buscato ◽  
Rana Zahreddine ◽  
Patrick Lacolley ◽  
Daniel Henrion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Estrogen Receptor ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Nuclear Receptor Family ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Receptor Family

Cardiovascular diseases remain an age-related pathology in both men and women. These pathologies are 3-fold more frequent in men than in women before menopause, although this difference progressively decreases after menopause. The vasculoprotective role of estrogens are well established before menopause, but the consequences of their abrupt decline on the cardiovascular risk at menopause remain debated. In this review, we will attempt to summarize the main clinical and experimental studies reporting the protective effects of estrogens against cardiovascular diseases, with a particular focus on atherosclerosis, and the impact of aging and estrogen deprivation on their endothelial actions. The arterial actions of estrogens, but also part of that of androgens through their aromatization into estrogens, are mediated by the estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ. ERs belong to the nuclear receptor family and act by transcriptional regulation in the nucleus, but also exert non-genomic/extranuclear actions. Beside the decline of estrogens at menopause, abnormalities in the expression and/or function of ERs in the tissues, and particularly in arteries, could contribute to the failure of classic estrogens to protect arteries during aging. Finally, we will discuss how recent insights in the mechanisms of action of ERα could contribute to optimize the hormonal treatment of the menopause.

scholarly journals Childhood Cognition and Age-Related Change in Standing Balance Performance From Mid to Later Life: Findings From a British Birth Cohort

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna M Blodgett ◽  
Diana Kuh ◽  
Rebecca Hardy ◽  
Daniel H J Davis ◽  
Rachel Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Standing Balance ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Cognitive processing plays a crucial role in the integration of sensory input and motor output that facilitates balance. However, whether balance ability in adulthood is influenced by cognitive pathways established in childhood is unclear, especially as no study has examined if these relationships change with age. We aimed to investigate associations between childhood cognition and age-related change in standing balance between mid and later life. Methods Data on 2,380 participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development were included in analyses. Repeated measures multilevel models estimated the association between childhood cognition, assessed at age 15, and log-transformed balance time, assessed at ages 53, 60–64, and 69 using the one-legged stand with eyes closed. Adjustments were made for sex, death, attrition, anthropometric measures, health conditions, health behaviors, education, other indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP), and adult verbal memory. Results In a sex-adjusted model, 1 standard deviation increase in childhood cognition was associated with a 13% (95% confidence interval: 10, 16; p < .001) increase in balance time at age 53, and this association got smaller with age (cognition × age interaction: p < .001). Adjustments for education, adult verbal memory, and SEP largely explained these associations. Conclusions Higher childhood cognition was associated with better balance performance in midlife, with diminishing associations with increasing age. The impact of adjustment for education, cognition and other indicators of SEP suggested a common pathway through which cognition is associated with balance across life. Further research is needed to understand underlying mechanisms, which may have important implications for falls risk and maintenance of physical capability.

The Impact of Aging on Spatial Abilities in Deaf Users of a Sign Language

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Luna ◽  
Sven Joubert ◽  
Marion Blondel ◽  
Carlo Cecchetto ◽  
Jean-Pierre Gagné
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Spatial Abilities ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Research involving the general population of people who use a spoken language to communicate has demonstrated that older adults experience cognitive and physical changes associated with aging. Notwithstanding the differences in the cognitive processes involved in sign and spoken languages, it is possible that aging can also affect cognitive processing in deaf signers. This research aims to explore the impact of aging on spatial abilities among sign language users. Results showed that younger signers were more accurate than older signers on all spatial tasks. Therefore, the age-related impact on spatial abilities found in the older hearing population can be generalized to the population of signers. Potential implications for sign language production and comprehension are discussed.

scholarly journals Effects of Juvenile or Adolescent Working Memory Experience and Inter-Alpha Inhibitor Protein Treatment after Neonatal Hypoxia-Ischemia

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 999
Author(s):  
Aaron Bradford ◽  
Miranda Hernandez ◽  
Elaine Kearney ◽  
Luke Theriault ◽  
Yow-Pin Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Sensory Function ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Memory Experience ◽  
Cognitive Experience ◽  
The Impact

Hypoxic-Ischemic (HI) brain injury in the neonate contributes to life-long cognitive impairment. Early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions are critical but limited. We previously reported in a rat model of HI two interventional approaches that improve cognitive and sensory function: administration of Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins (IAIPs) and early experience in an eight-arm radial water maze (RWM) task. Here, we expanded these studies to examine the combined effects of IAIPs and multiple weeks of RWM assessment beginning with juvenile or adolescent rats to evaluate optimal age windows for behavioral interventions. Subjects were divided into treatment groups; HI with vehicle, sham surgery with vehicle, and HI with IAIPs, and received either juvenile (P31 initiation) or adolescent (P52 initiation) RWM testing, followed by adult retesting. Error rates on the RWM decreased across weeks for all conditions. Whereas, HI injury impaired global performance as compared to shams. IAIP-treated HI subjects tested as juveniles made fewer errors as compared to their untreated HI counterparts. The juvenile group made significantly fewer errors on moderate demand trials and showed improved retention as compared to the adolescent group during the first week of adult retesting. Together, results support and extend our previous findings that combining behavioral and anti-inflammatory interventions in the presence of HI improves subsequent learning performance. Results further indicate sensitive periods for behavioral interventions to improve cognitive outcomes. Specifically, early life cognitive experience can improve long-term learning performance even in the presence of HI injury. Results from this study provide insight into typical brain development and the impact of developmentally targeted therapeutics and task-specific experience on subsequent cognitive processing.

scholarly journals ASPREE SUB-STUDIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S634-S634
Author(s):  
Robyn L Woods ◽  
John J McNeil ◽  
Anne Murray
Keyword(s):  
Older Persons ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Health ◽  
Cerebral Microhemorrhages ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
The Impact

Abstract To maximize opportunities provided by a large-scale clinical trial, we established sub-studies during the ASPREE trial to investigate specific areas of interest to the health of older persons. A biobank now stores multiple aliquots of blood, urine or saliva collected from >15,000 healthy ASPREE participants across the US and Australia, most at baseline (pre-randomization) and/or after 3 years post- randomization. Other sub-studies included ALSOP (ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons; sets of questionnaires administered every 2 years focused on medical or social issues) and neuroimaging projects with brain MRI and retinal vascular imaging to investigate anatomical changes linked with cognitive or cerebrovascular outcomes. Further sub-studies addressed the impact of aspirin on cerebral microhemorrhages, age-related macular degeneration, age-related hearing loss, severe sepsis, and falls and fractures. Biomarker analyses underway include plasma androgens in older women and DNA sequencing of the cohort to investigate contributions of genomics to aging health and disease.

scholarly journals Keeping in time with social and non-social stimuli: Synchronisation with auditory, visual, and audio-visual cues

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane J. Honisch ◽  
Prasannajeet Mane ◽  
Ofer Golan ◽  
Bhismadev Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Verbal Response ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEveryday social interactions require us to closely monitor, predict, and synchronise our movements with those of an interacting partner. Experimental studies of social synchrony typically examine the social-cognitive outcomes associated with synchrony, such as affiliation. On the other hand, research on the sensorimotor aspects of synchronisation generally uses non-social stimuli (e.g. a moving dot). To date, the differences in sensorimotor aspects of synchronisation to social compared to non-social stimuli remain largely unknown. The present study aims to address this gap using a verbal response paradigm where participants were asked to synchronise a ‘ba’ response in time with social and non-social stimuli, which were presented auditorily, visually, or audio-visually combined. For social stimuli a video/audio recording of an actor performing the same verbal ‘ba’ response was presented, whereas for non-social stimuli a moving dot, an auditory metronome or both combined were presented. The impact of autistic traits on participants’ synchronisation performance was examined using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Our results revealed more accurate synchronisation for social compared to non-social stimuli, suggesting that greater familiarity with and motivation in attending to social stimuli may enhance our ability to better predict and synchronise with them. Individuals with fewer autistic traits demonstrated greater social learning, as indexed through an improvement in synchronisation performance to social vs non-social stimuli across the experiment.

scholarly journals Stereotype Threat Lowers Older Adults' Self-Reported Hearing Abilities

Gerontology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Barber ◽  
Soohyoung Rain Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Testing Environment ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Subjective Assessments ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hearing Abilities

Background: Although stereotype threat is a well-documented phenomenon, previous studies examining it in older adults have almost exclusively focused on objective cognitive outcomes. Considerably less attention has been paid to the impact of stereotype threat on older adults' subjective assessments of their own abilities or to the impact of stereotype threat in noncognitive domains. Objective: Older adults are stereotyped as having experienced not only cognitive declines, but physical declines as well. The current study tested the prediction that stereotype threat can negatively influence older adults' subjective hearing abilities. Methods: To test this, 115 adults (mean age 50.03 years, range 41-67) read either a positive or negative description about how aging affects hearing. All participants then answered a questionnaire in which they assessed their own hearing abilities. Results: The impact of stereotype threat on self-reported hearing was moderated by chronological age. Participants in their 40s and early 50s were unaffected by the stereotype threat manipulation. In contrast, participants in their late 50s and 60s rated their hearing as being subjectively worse when under stereotype threat. Conclusion: The current study provides a clear demonstration that stereotype threat negatively impacts older adults' subjective assessments of their own abilities. It is also the first study to demonstrate an effect of stereotype threat within the domain of hearing. These results have important implications for researchers investigating age-related hearing decline. Stereotype threat can lead to overestimation of the prevalence of age-related hearing decline. It can also serve as a confounding variable when examining the psychosocial correlates of hearing loss. Because of this, researchers studying age-related hearing loss should aim to provide a stereotype threat-free testing environment and also include assessments of stereotype threat within their studies.

scholarly journals COGNITIVE TRAINING ATTENUATES AGE-RELATED DECLINE IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION ACROSS 10 YEARS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S214-S214
Author(s):  
Briana N Sprague ◽  
Christine B Phillips ◽  
Lesley A Ross
Keyword(s):  
Physical Function ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Digit Symbol ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Poor physical function is associated with negative health and cognitive outcomes. Although nine studies demonstrate that cognitive training reduces age-related declines in physical function, only one has examined effects beyond immediate posttest changes. The current study assessed the impact of three cognitive training programs on physical function measures across 10 years. Using data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial, older adults randomized to a no-contact control condition (n = 698) were compared to those randomized to processing speed (n = 702), memory (n = 703), or reasoning (n = 694) training. Intention-to-treat and treatment-received analyses were conducted for grip strength, Digit Symbol Copy, and Turn 360. There were no significant effects of being assigned to processing speed, memory, or reasoning training to any physical function outcome (p > .05). Treatment-received models indicated that processing speed training attenuated age-related declines in Digit Symbol Copy (b = -.005, p < .01) and Turn 360 (b = -.011, p < .001), memory training attenuated age-related declines in Digit Symbol Copy (b = -.009, p < .001) and Turn 360 (b = -.011, p < .001), and reasoning training attenuated age-related declines in Digit Symbol Copy (b = -.012, p < .001) and Turn 360 (b = -.012, p < .001). There was no significant transfer to grip strength. This is the first study to demonstrate beneficial effects of cognitive training to some physical functions across 10 years. Future work should examine moderators and mediators of transfer effects.

scholarly journals Does Late-Life Depression Counteract the Beneficial Effect of Physical Activity on Cognitive Decline? Results From the NESDO Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872110026
Author(s):  
Marieke Henstra ◽  
Erik Giltay ◽  
Roos van der Mast ◽  
Nathalie van der Velde ◽  
Didi Rhebergen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: Depression both affects physical activity (PA) and cognition in older persons, yet its impact on the association between PA and cognitive decline is to be determined. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline PA and cognitive functioning over time, stratified for depression. Methods: We used data of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older persons (NESDO), a multi-site cohort study with 6-years follow-up. Patients with complete data on PA and cognitive functioning at baseline were included, yielding 394 participants for the analyses of whom 297 were depressed and 97 non-depressed. PA (continuous) was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Linear mixed models were used to determine differential effects of baseline PA on the rate of decline of 5 standardized outcomes of cognitive functioning over 6-year follow-up. For this purpose, we examined the significance of the interaction-term (PA*time) in both basic and adjusted models. We also assessed the association between time and cognitive functioning. All analyses were stratified for depression. Results: In both groups, no robust significant interactions of PA with time were found. Furthermore, only decline in working memory was significantly worse in the depressed compared to the non-depressed. Conclusion: At older age, the impact of a more inactive lifestyle on cognitive decline was shown to be limited, irrespective of depression that appeared to worsen age-related decline of working memory only. As a higher PA-level at older age has a positive effect on a multitude of other health outcomes, PA should still be encouraged in this population.

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