scholarly journals Age-Related Effects on Future Mental Time Travel

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filomena Anelli ◽  
Elisa Ciaramelli ◽  
Shahar Arzy ◽  
Francesca Frassinetti

Mental time travel (MTT), the ability to travel mentally back and forward in time in order to reexperience past events and preexperience future events, is crucial in human cognition. As we move along life, MTT may be changed accordingly. However, the relation between re- and preexperiencing along the lifespan is still not clear. Here, young and older adults underwent a psychophysical paradigm assessing two different components of MTT: self-projection, which is the ability to project the self towards a past or a future location of the mental time line, and self-reference, which is the ability to determine whether events are located in the past or future in reference to that given self-location. Aged individuals performed worse in both self-projection to the future and self-reference to future events compared to young individuals. In addition, aging decreased older adults’ preference for personal compared to nonpersonal events. These results demonstrate the impact of MTT and self-processing on subjective time processing in healthy aging. Changes in memory functions in aged people may therefore be related not only to memory per se, but also to the relations of memory and self.

Author(s):  
Elisa Ciaramelli ◽  
Filomena Anelli ◽  
Francesca Frassinetti

Abstract The role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in mental time travel toward the past and the future is debated. Here, patients with focal lesions to the vmPFC and brain-damaged and healthy controls mentally projected themselves to a past, present or future moment of subjective time (self-projection) and classified a series of events as past or future relative to the adopted temporal self-location (self-reference). We found that vmPFC patients were selectively impaired in projecting themselves to the future and in recognizing relative-future events. These findings indicate that vmPFC damage hinders the mental processing of and movement toward future events, pointing to a prominent, multifaceted role of vmPFC in future-oriented mental time travel.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 776-776
Author(s):  
C Roman ◽  
P Arnett

Abstract Objective Advancements in treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) have led to an increase in the number of older adults living with the disease. Exercise has been shown to be remarkably beneficial for “healthy aging,” while sedentary behavior has proved to have more deleterious effects. Despite evidence for the impact of these factors, their influence on older adults with MS is largely unknown. The current study utilizes volumetric measures and graph theory to investigate the relationship between physical activity/sedentary behavior, structural brain indices, and cognition in older adults with MS. Method Twenty-seven older adults (55+) with MS were scanned during a structural MRI protocol and cognitively evaluated using the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Graph theory metrics were calculated to examine white matter network properties. FreeSurfer was used to calculate volumes for subcortical structures. Exercise was quantified as the ‘days per week engaged in moderate activity,’ while sedentary behavior was measured as ‘hours per day sitting.’ Results Multiple regression interaction analyses were conducted. Results showed an exercise by age interaction, such that exercise protected against the negative effects of age on thalamic volume and assortivity. Hours sitting per day was shown to add to the negative effects of aging on structural networks even after controlling for exercise. Lastly, exercise was observed to be protective against age-related cognitive decline in this sample. Conclusions This is one of the first studies to examine exercise/sedentariness and brain indices in older adults with MS, pointing to possible brain altering and protective interventions for this group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 1831-1840
Author(s):  
Aleea L Devitt ◽  
Daniel L Schacter

Abstract Objectives When younger adults simulated positive future events, subsequent memory is positively biased. In the current studies, we explore age-related changes in the impact of emotional future simulation on subsequent memory. Methods In Experiment 1, younger and older adults simulated emotional future events before learning the hypothetical outcome of each event via narratives. Memory was assessed for emotional details contained in those narratives. In Experiment 2, a shorter temporal delay between simulation and narrative encoding was used to reduce decay of simulation memory over time. Results Future simulation did not bias subsequent memory for older adults in Experiment 1. However, older adults performed similar to younger adults in Experiment 2, with more liberal responses to positive information after positive simulation. Discussion The impact of an optimistic outlook on subsequent memory is reduced with age, which may be at least partly attributable to declining memory for future simulations over time. This work broadens our understanding of the functional consequences of age-related declines in episodic future simulation and adds to previous work showing reduced benefits of simulation with age on tasks tapping adaptive functions.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-Hsun Chang ◽  
Dan Nemrodov ◽  
Natalia Drobotenko ◽  
Adrian Nestor ◽  
Andy C. H. Lee

AbstractExtensive work has demonstrated a decline in face recognition abilities associated with healthy aging. To date, however, there has been limited insight into the nature and the extent of aging-related alterations in internal face representations. Here, we sought to address these issues by using an image reconstruction approach that capitalizes on the structure of behavioral data to reveal the pictorial content of visual representations. To this end, healthy young and older adults provided similarity judgments with pairs of face images. Facial shape and surface features were subsequently derived from the structure of the data for each participant and combined into image reconstructions of facial appearance. Our findings revealed that image reconstruction was successful for every participant, irrespective of age. However, reconstruction accuracies of shape and surface information were lower for older individuals than young individuals. Specifically, facial features diagnostic for face perception, such as eye shape and skin tone, were reconstructed poorly in older adults relative to young adults. At the same time, we found that age-related effects only accounted for a relatively small proportion of individual variability in face representations. Thus, our results provide novel insight into age-related changes in visual perception, they account for the decline in facial recognition occurring with age and they demonstrate the utility of image reconstruction to uncovering internal representations across a variety of populations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 214-214
Author(s):  
Michael McKee ◽  
Yunshu Zhou ◽  
Joshua Ehrlich ◽  
Elham Mahmoudi ◽  
Jennifer Deal ◽  
...  

Abstract Age-related hearing loss (HL) is both common and associated with elevated risk for cognitive decline and poorer health. To care for an aging population, it is critical to understand the effect of coexisting HL and dementia on functional activities. The effect of co-existing dementia and self-reported HL on daily functioning were assessed. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using nationally-representative data from the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study consisting of U.S. adults 65+. The sample included 1,829 adults with HL (22.8%) and 5,338 adults without HL. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to model the independent effects and interaction of self-reported HL and dementia status on three validated functional activity scales (self-care, mobility, and household). All analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and medical factors. HL participants were more likely to be white, older, male, less educated (p <0.01). 8.4% had possible dementia and 6.5% had probable dementia. Respondents with HL or possible or probable dementia had significantly lower mobility, self-care, and household activity scores (p<.001 for all comparisons) compared to their peers. A small yet significant interaction was present in all models, suggesting that HL respondents with co-occurring dementia had lower mobility, self-care, and household activity scores than predicted by the independent effects of dementia and self-reported HL (p<.001 for all comparisons). Older adults with co-occurring dementia and HL are at increased risk for poor functioning and should be screened by healthcare providers. Future work should consider the impact of intervention in this vulnerable/at-risk population.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliann Manning ◽  
Daniel Cassel ◽  
Jean-Christophe Cassel

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Nocera ◽  
Thomas W. Buford ◽  
Todd M. Manini ◽  
Kelly Naugle ◽  
Christiaan Leeuwenburgh ◽  
...  

A primary focus of longevity research is to identify prognostic risk factors that can be mediated by early treatment efforts. To date, much of this work has focused on understanding the biological processes that may contribute to aging process and age-related disease conditions. Although such processes are undoubtedly important, no current biological intervention aimed at increasing health and lifespan exists. Interestingly, a close relationship between mobility performance and the aging process has been documented in older adults. For example, recent studies have identified functional status, as assessed by walking speed, as a strong predictor of major health outcomes, including mortality, in older adults. This paper aims to describe the relationship between the comorbidities related to decreased health and lifespan and mobility function in obese, older adults. Concurrently, lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, are described as a means to improve mobility function and thereby limit the functional limitations associated with increased mortality.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Hennecke ◽  
Paul Schumann ◽  
jule specht

People differ from each other in their typical patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion and these patterns are considered to constitute their personalities (Funder, 2001). For various reasons, for example because certain trait levels may help to attain certain goals or fulfill certain social roles, people may experience that their actual trait levels are different from their ideal trait levels. In this study, we investigated (1) the impact of age on discrepancies between actual and ideal Big Five personality trait levels and (2) the impact of these discrepancies on personality trait changes across a period of two years. We use data of a large, nationally representative, and age-diverse sample (N = 4,057, 17-94 years, M = 53 years). Results largely confirmed previously reported age effects on actual personality trait levels but were sometimes more complex. Ideal trait levels exceeded actual trait levels more strongly for younger compared to older adults. Unexpectedly, neither ideal trait levels nor their interaction with beliefs about the extent to which personality is malleable vs. fixed predicted trait change over two years (controlling for actual trait levels). We conclude that ideal-actual trait level discrepancies may provide an impetus for change but that they appear to neither alone nor in combination with the belief that personality trait change is possible suffice to produce such change. We discuss commitment, self-efficacy, and strategy knowledge as potential additional predictors of trait change.


Biology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Jort Veen ◽  
Diego Montiel-Rojas ◽  
Fawzi Kadi ◽  
Andreas Nilsson

The role of daily time spent sedentary and in different intensities of physical activity (PA) for the maintenance of muscle health currently remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the impact of reallocating time spent in different PA intensities on sarcopenia risk in older adults, while considering PA type (muscle strengthening activities, MSA) and protein intake. In a sample of 235 community-dwelling older adults (65–70 years), a sarcopenia risk score (SRS) was created based on muscle mass assessed by bioimpedance, together with handgrip strength and performance on the five times sit-to-stand (5-STS) test assessed by standardized procedures. Time spent in light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and being sedentary was assessed by accelerometry, and PA type (MSA) by self-report. Linear regression models based on isotemporal substitution were employed. Reallocating sedentary time to at least LPA was significantly (p < 0.05) related to a lower SRS, which remained evident after adjustment by PA type (MSA) and protein intake. Similarly, reallocating time in LPA by MVPA was related to a significantly (p < 0.05) lower SRS. Our results emphasize the importance of displacing sedentary behaviours for more active pursuits, where PA of even light intensities may alleviate age-related deteriorations of muscle health in older adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-408
Author(s):  
Anamica Batra ◽  
Richard C. Palmer ◽  
Elena Bastida ◽  
H. Virginia McCoy ◽  
Hafiz M. R. Khan

Objective. In 2015, only half (48%) of older adults in the United States (≥60 years) reported engaging in any kind of physical activity. Few studies examine the impact of evidence-based programs when adopted in community-based settings. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of EnhanceFitness (EF) upto 12-months. Method. EF was offered to older adults in South Florida. A total of 222 EF classes were offered between October 2008 and December 2014. Program consisted of a 1-hour session held three times a week. Even though participation was required for 4 months, 1,295 participants continued the program for at least 1 year. Results. All participants showed significant improvement in outcome measures. A mean change of 1.5, 1.7, and 1.9 was seen in number of chair stands at 4, 8, and 12 months (p < .001), respectively. The number of arm curls performed improved from 16.8 at baseline to 18.8, 18.8, and 19.2 at 4-, 8-, and 12-months, respectively. Participants improved their up-and-go time by decreasing from 9.1 (baseline) to 8.7 (4 months) to 8.6 (12 months; p = .001). Discussion. Randomized controlled trials are commonly used to determine the efficacy of an intervention. These interventions when disseminated at the population level have the potential to benefit large masses. EF is currently offered at more than 700 locations. This tremendous success of EF brings attention to an important question of continuous monitoring of these programs to ensure program consistency and intended outcomes. The model used by the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative could be replicated by other communities.


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