scholarly journals Characterization of Oral Tactile Sensitivity and Chewing Efficiency Across Adulthood

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace E. Shupe ◽  
Zoe N. Resmondo ◽  
Curtis R. Luckett

AbstractTexture perception is one of the most important factors in food acceptance, yet population-wide differences in texture sensations are not well understood. The variation in texture perception across populations is thought to depend on oral tactile sensitivity and oral processing behaviors. To address this hypothesis, we aimed to measure tactile acuity with a battery of tests and quantitate the relationship to oral processing. The study was performed on 98 participants, in 3 age groups (20-25, 35-45, or over 62). Two main measures of oral sensitivity were performed: to assess bite force, subjects were asked to discriminate between foam samples of varying hardness. Secondly, to assess lingual sensitivity the subjects were asked to identify 3D printed shapes, ranging from 3mm to 8mm, using their tongue, as well as identify confectionary letters. Additionally, chewing efficiency was measured through assessing each participants ability to mix two-colored chewing gum. In general, we found that sensitivity and chewing efficiency in the younger age groups was superior to that of older adults (p<0.0001). We also found a positive linear trend between bite force sensitivity and chewing efficiency with younger participants, a trend not found in older participants. We found no significant relationship between age groups for bite force and chewing efficiency, suggesting that age-related declines in bite force sensitivity are not a significant cause of altered oral processing ability. These results help bolster evidence that sensitivity and oral processing are related, as well previously reported declines in both as people age.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace E. Shupe ◽  
Arran Wilson ◽  
Curtis R. Luckett

AbstractMastication behavior is a notable source of interindividual variation in texture perception and could be linked to oral sensitivity. As oral sensitivity declines so does the amount of tactile feedback relayed to the brain, resulting in less effective manipulation or food and a reduced ability to discriminate differences. To address these hypotheses, we measured masticatory behavior and related this to texture discrimination and oral sensitivity. The study was performed on 41 participants in two groups, with high (n = 20) or low (n=21) sensitivity. Oral sensitivity was measured using a battery of tests that included: oral stereognosis, lingual tactile acuity, and bite force sensitivity. Sensitivity to texture changes was measured using a series of triangle tests with confectionaries of different hardness, with masticatory patterns and behaviors being video recorded and analyzed using jaw tracking software. Overall, there was no significant difference between high and low sensitivity participants and their ability to distinguish texture changes. But, there were significantly different trends found between the groups based on their masticatory behaviors including chewing pattern and overall number of chews. But, it was found that multiple masticatory behaviors were being modulated by oral sensitivity, including overall chewing cycles used (p < 0.0001). More, specifically those in the high sensitivity group used more stochastic chewing movements, while those in the low sensitivity group were found to use crescent-shaped chewing cycles. It was also noted that in the high sensitivity group the jaw moved further distances (p < 0.0001) in all phases and moved at a higher velocity when opening (p < 0.0001) but not when closing, when compared to the low sensitivity group. These results help bolster evidence that mastication and oral sensitivity are related.


Author(s):  
Seonhui Kim ◽  
Re-Mee Doh ◽  
Leegang Yoo ◽  
Sol-Ah Jeong ◽  
Bock-Young Jung

This study aimed to investigate the influence of changes in age-related physiological muscular and dental factors on masticatory function. This study was conducted in 211 healthy participants divided into four different age groups: 20–45 years (Gr1); 45–60 years (Gr2); 61–70 years (Gr3); and ≥71 years (Gr4). For objective evaluation of masticatory function, the masticatory performance, bite force, posterior bite area (PBA), functional tooth units (FTUs), the number of remaining teeth, tongue pressure, masseter muscle thickness (MMT), and handgrip strength were examined. Food intake ability (FIA) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 score were assessed subjectively using questionnaires. A significant decrease in the number of remaining teeth, FTUs, handgrip strength, and FIA was found in Gr4, and a significant decrease in the tongue pressure, PBA, and bite force was found in those aged ≥61 years. In groups 1 and 3, an association of the PBA with masticatory performance was observed. However, there was no significant decreasing trend in the MMT with respect to masticatory performance with aging. With sufficient FTUs and posterior tooth support, although age-dependent decreases in the bite force, tongue pressure and handgrip strength were observed, masticatory performance was maintained. Establishing the PBA by improving occlusion through dental treatment is thought to be important for masticatory function.


Author(s):  
Alexandra Kundert ◽  
Pantelis Nikolaidis ◽  
Stefania Di Gangi ◽  
Thomas Rosemann ◽  
Beat Knechtle

The results of master athletes have been used previously to examine the age-related differences in aerobic capacity, however, less research has been conducted on the variation of jumping and throwing performances with aging. Therefore, the aim of the present study of elite master athletes was to investigate (a) the age-related differences in throwing (i.e., discus, hammer, javelin, and shot put) and jumping events (i.e., high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump) in 5-year age-group intervals from 35–39 to 95–99 years of elite master athletes, and (b) the trends in performance and sex differences. The top eight female and male finalists for each age group and in each event from 20 European Masters Athletics Championships held between 1978 and 2017 were considered. Overall, 13,673 observations from 4726 master athletes were analyzed. For each event separately, a mixed regression model was performed with sex, age group, calendar year, and interaction terms (sex-age group, sex-year) defined as fixed effects. Performances were improving over time with a linear trend overall for each event. Men had better performances as compared to women, (i.e., in triple jump the estimated difference was 2.58 m, p < 0.001). Performances declined with age for each event (i.e., in triple jump, compared with the age group 45–49 years, performance in the age group 35–39 years was 0.98 m better and performance in the age group 85–89 years was 6.24 m worse). The decline of male performances with age was either slower or faster than the decline of female performances depending on age groups and events.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Bonnechère ◽  
Jean-Christophe Bier ◽  
Olivier Van Hove ◽  
Sally Sheldon ◽  
Sékou Samadoulougou ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The decline of cognitive function is an important issue related to aging. Over the last few years, numerous mobile apps have been developed to challenge the brain with cognitive exercises; however, little is currently known about how age influences capacity for performance improvement when playing cognitive mobile games. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the score data of cognitive mobile games over a period of 100 gaming sessions to determine age-related learning ability for new cognitive tasks by measuring the level of score improvement achieved by participants of different ages. METHODS Scores from 9000 individuals of different ages for 7 cognitive mobile games over 100 gaming sessions were analyzed. Scores from the first session were compared between age groups using one-way analysis of variance. Mixed models were subsequently used to investigate the progression of scores over 100 sessions. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found between age groups for the initial scores of 6 of the 7 games (linear trend, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Cognitive mobile game scores increased for all participants (<i>P</i>&lt;.001) suggesting that all participants were able to improve their performance. The rate of improvement was, however, strongly influenced by the age of the participant with slower progression for older participants (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence to support two interesting insights—cognitive mobile game scores appear to be sensitive to the changes in cognitive ability that occur with advancing age; therefore, these games could be a convenient way to monitor cognitive function over long-term follow-up, and users who train with the cognitive mobile games improve regardless of age.


2021 ◽  
pp. 036354652110398
Author(s):  
Philipp A. Michel ◽  
Christoph J. Domnick ◽  
Michael J. Raschke ◽  
Anna Hoffmann ◽  
Christoph Kittl ◽  
...  

Background: The microvascular anatomy of the meniscus of the human knee is regarded as a crucial factor in the injury response. Previous studies have investigated the zone-dependent distribution pattern, but no quantitative data exist on vascular density and its age-related changes. Hypothesis/Purpose: The aim of the present study was to histologically analyze the vascular anatomy of the meniscus as a function of age. It was hypothesized that vascular density would decrease with increasing age. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Human menisci were retrieved from patients who underwent tumor resection or who received total knee replacement because of osteoarthritis. A total of 51 menisci were collected from 28 patients over 9 years (mean age, 25.6 ± 20.4 years; range 3-79 years). Immunohistological staining (alpha–smooth muscle actin) in combination with serial sections and standardized software-based contrast detection were used for the quantitative analysis. Data were analyzed using multiple t tests and the analysis of variance for trends, with a statistical significance level of P < .05. Results: The overall vascular density in the meniscus was lower in the 61- to 80-year age group than in the age groups of 0 to 10, 11 to 20, and 21 to 30 years ( P < .01). A negative linear trend was detected with increasing age (slope, -0.007; P = .016). Within the red-white (RW) zone, a low vessel density was detected for the age groups of 0 to 10 and 11 to 20 years. Beyond these age groups, no vasculature was found in the RW zone. For the white-white (WW) zone, no vessel formations were noted in any age group. Almost 95% of the vessels in the meniscus were located in the capsule. Conclusion: This study reports quantitative histological data for microvascular anatomy as a function of age in a broad cohort of human knee menisci. The overall vascular density decreased with increasing age. No vessel formations were detected in the RW and WW zones after adolescence. Additionally, the capsule is far more densely vascularized than any other part of the meniscus. Clinical Relevance: Vascular density might be an additional factor to consider, along with tear location and patient age, for future treatment options.


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.


Author(s):  
A. E. Chernikova ◽  
Yu. P. Potekhina

Introduction. An osteopathic examination determines the rate, the amplitude and the strength of the main rhythms (cardiac, respiratory and cranial). However, there are relatively few studies in the available literature dedicated to the influence of osteopathic correction (OC) on the characteristics of these rhythms.Goal of research — to study the influence of OC on the rate characteristics of various rhythms of the human body.Materials and methods. 88 adult osteopathic patients aged from 18 to 81 years were examined, among them 30 men and 58 women. All patients received general osteopathic examination. The rate of the cranial rhythm (RCR), respiratory rate (RR) heart rate (HR), the mobility of the nervous processes (MNP) and the connective tissue mobility (CTM) were assessed before and after the OC session.Results. Since age varied greatly in the examined group, a correlation analysis of age-related changes of the assessed rhythms was carried out. Only the CTM correlated with age (r=–0,28; p<0,05) in a statistically significant way. The rank dispersion analysis of Kruskal–Wallis also showed statistically significant difference in this indicator in different age groups (p=0,043). With the increase of years, the CTM decreases gradually. After the OC, the CTM, increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001). The RCR varied from 5 to 12 cycles/min in the examined group, which corresponded to the norm. After the OC, the RCR has increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001), the MNP has also increased (p<0,0001). The initial heart rate in the subjects varied from 56 to 94 beats/min, and in 15 % it exceeded the norm. After the OC the heart rate corresponded to the norm in all patients. The heart rate and the respiratory rate significantly decreased after the OC (р<0,0001).Conclusion. The described biorhythm changes after the OC session may be indicative of the improvement of the nervous regulation, of the normalization of the autonomic balance, of the improvement of the biomechanical properties of body tissues and of the increase of their mobility. The assessed parameters can be measured quickly without any additional equipment and can be used in order to study the results of the OC.


1970 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-77
Author(s):  
Rukshana Ahmed ◽  
Shamim Ara

Pathological changes in the prostate gland occur commonly with advancing age including inflammation, atrophy, hyperplasia and carcinoma and a change in volume is also evident. Estimation of volume of prostate may be useful in a variety of clinical settings. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to see the changes in volume of the prostate with advancing age and done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from August 2006 to June 2007. The study was performed on 70 post-mortem human prostates collected from the unclaimed dead bodies that were under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into three age groups; group A (10-20 years), group B (21-40 years) and group C (41-70 years). Volume of the sample was measured by using the ellipsoid formula. The mean ± SD volume of prostate was 7.68 ± 3.64 cm3 in group A, 10.61 ± 3.99 cm3 in group B and 15.40 ± 6.31 cm3 in group C. Mean difference in volume between group A and group C, group B and group C were statistically significant (p<0.001). Statistically significant positive correlation was found between age and volume of prostate (r = + 0.579, p < 0.001). Key Words: Prostate; volume; Bangladeshi. DOI: 10.3329/imcj.v4i2.6501Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2010; 4(2): 74-77


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (8) ◽  
pp. 42-50
Author(s):  
A. V. Budkevich ◽  
L. B. Ivanov ◽  
G. R. Novikova ◽  
G. M. Dzhanumova

According to the authors, rationing the age-related EEG parameters in children should be based on personal psychical characteristics. A comparative analysis of personal psychical characteristics and electroencephalographic data was carried out in 300 apparently healthy children aged 3-15 years. According to this principle, two subgroups of conditionally healthy children in each age group were singled out: 1) with an immature attention function and 2) with an increased anxious background that do not reach the pathological level. Registration and analysis of EEG was performed by the Neurokariograf computer complex (MBN, Moscow) using mathematical processing methods.The EEG interpretation was based on the principle of assessing the functional state of a child's brain using a three-component model according to: 1) wakefulness level and its dissociation, 2) severity of signs of the EEG neurotic pattern, 3) directionality of formation of traits of the system-functional brain organization (severity of signs functional hypofrontality).lt was found the presence of EEG signs was indicative of a lower level of wakefulness in children with an immature function of attention in all age groups, compared with the indicators of the average population of group and children with an increased background of anxiety. Children with an increased background of anxiety have a tendency to prevalence and excessive spatial synchronization of the alpha rhythm. ln healthy children, the fact of a decrease in wakefulness and the presence of signs of anxiety in the clinic and in EEG patterns indicates individual personalities and should not be considered as pathology.


Author(s):  
Khuan Seow ◽  
Nadia Caidi

Canada has an aging population with the fastest growing age groups (80 and 45-64 years old) vulnerable to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Caregiving responsibilities often fall to the family members of the afflicted without much attention and consideration being placed on the information needs of these caregivers. We call for a better understanding of these caregivers' information needs and uses by social policy makers as well as information providers.La population du Canada a tendance à vieillir considérablement, avec la hausse la plus rapide dans les groupes d’âge (80 et 45 à 64 ans). Les personnes âges sont très vulnérables à toute sorte de maladies, telles que la maladie d’Alzheimer. La responsabilité revient souvent aux membres de la famille qui doivent prendre soin des personnes atteintes de cette maladie. Or, nous ne connaissons que peu de chose sur les besoins en information des personnes qui prennent soin de ces malades de l’Alzheimer : qui sont-ils ? Quelles sont leurs sources... 


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