4

Question 1

Resistance and aerobic training (ideally combo of both) helps with slowing down cognitive decline

Question 2

Some argue that age cognitive decline starts in 20’s some say 60’s

Answer 2

This is due to the different forms of studies used

Longitudinal studies, cognitive decline starts much later in life in later adulthood

Question 3

Can brain training limit age-related cognitive decline?

Answer 3

Although research findings are not consistent, a number of large scale studies suggest that brain training may combat age-related cognitive decline

Question 4

example of brain training

Answer 4

Project ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly)

Benchmark(gold star,best) for cognitive training research

Question 5

Project ACTIVE

Answer 5

2802 participants, aged 65 or older (selected because of more inclined to demonstrate cognitive decline)

Received multiple 60-75 minute training and practice trials in memory training, reasoning training, or speed training

Outcome measures included activities indicative of functional independence:

1)instrumental activities of daily living (IADL ie paying bills, taking meds)
2)everyday problem solving (making change, searching medication label for side effects)
3)everyday speed (finding items on a simulated grocery shelf, reactions time in response to traffic signals)

Question 6

ACTIVE Conceptual model

Answer 6

1) randomly assigned participants to 1 of 3 possible interventions:

1)memory training
Ie recalling walking along a path and remembering the memories

2)reasoning training
Ie Reasoning through the patterns

2)speed training
Visual identification of objects on a screen, became harder as the time to identify the object decreased

Question 7

2) 3 proximal outcomes (outcome of domain related tasks) of active model

Answer 7

1)memory
2)reasoning
3)attentional processing speed

Question 8

3) primary outcomes:

Answer 8

Everyday problem solving
IADL (instrumental activities of daily life), ADL function
Everyday speed

Question 9

4)Secondary outcomes

Answer 9

Health related quality of life

Mobility

Health service utilization (ie: needing support in nursing home)

Question 10

ACTIVE study design

Answer 10

Participants were given a booster training immediate post test
Memory booster, reason booster, and speed booster
Then assessed at 2 years and given the same booster training
Assessed again at 3, 5, and 10 years

Question 11

Outcome of ACTIVE study

Answer 11

At 10 years researcher found that
a)proximal outcomes: reasoning training and speed training were associated with enhanced performance on domain specific tests (reasoning, speed of processing)
~Impacts of memory training were not as evident

b)primary outcome: all 3 trainings: memory, reasoning, and speed training were associated with enhanced performance on instrumental activities of daily living

d) secondary outcomes: memory training, reasoning training, and speed training were associated with enhanced health-related quality of life

e)secondary outcomes: reasoning training and speed training were associated with enhanced mobility

Question 12

What is cognitive reserve?

Answer 12

the capacity to optimize and maximize cognitive performance in the face of increased task demands and/or neurological impairment to the brain (ie: age related structural and functional changes to the brain)

Question 13

CR incorporate 2 subcomponents:

Answer 13

The ability to utilize standard brain networks relatively efficiently when completing cognitive tasks

The ability to recruit alternate, “nonstandard” brain networks when completing cognitive tasks; referred to as “compensation”

Question 14

Measuring CR

Answer 14

Formal education

IQ

Linguistic skills/literacy (good grammar)

Occupational achievement

Participant in cognitively stimulating leisure
activities

Social engagement

Socioeconomic status

A multi-domain index of CR (index of Cognitive Reserve)

Question 15

What are neurological correlates of cognitive reserve?

Answer 15

A substantial body of research has documented cognitive reserve among older adults in the form of compensation in response to age-related structural and functional changes to the brain

Question 16

examples of compensation in response to age-related structural and functioning in the brain

Answer 16

1)hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults
2)posterior-anterior shift in aging

Question 17

1)Hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older adults:

Answer 17

In contrast to younger adults, older adults have a higher tendency to use both hemisphere of the brain (increased activation of prefrontal cortex in BOTH hemispheres of the brain)

Question 18

2)Posterior anterior shift in aging:

Answer 18

Less activity in exterior regions and more activity in frontal regions

Older adults exhibit lower levels of brain activity in posterior regions of brain (occipital lobe) and higher levels of activity in anterior regions of the brain (frontal lobe)

example:
Young adults working on verbal working memory rely heavily on left hemisphere of brain, when same task is done in older adults, both hemispheres are used

Question 19

Park and Reuter-Lorenz proposed the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition (STAC)

Answer 19

According to this model, the aging brain adapts to neurological changes by building alternate neurological circuitry

The scaffolding process does not begin in older adulthood, it occur over lifespan when brain is confronted with cognitive challenges

Among older adults, cognitive function reflects the magnitude of structural and functional deterioration to the brain coupled with effectiveness of compensatory scaffolds

Question 20

STAC

Answer 20

aging
neural challenges
functional deteriroation
compensatory scaffolding
scaffolding enhancement

Question 21

Neural challenges

Answer 21

Evidence of shrinkage to brain as we get older: most notable frontal lobes, hippocampus (memory), cerebellum(balance and gait)

Changes to white matter deterioration: myelin sheaths deteriorate as we age

Damage to myelin sheaths at the front of the brain when we’re younger and as we age the damage shifts to back of brain

Reduction in synthesis and transporters,receptors of dopamine-> dopamine decline

Question 22

Functional deterioration:

Answer 22

Dedifferentiation of ventral visual area

Medial temporal recruitment:

Increased default activity

Question 23

Dedifferentiation of ventral visual area

Answer 23

reduced specificity of specific neural regions

As we get older brain areas that are specialized become less specialized

Question 24

Medial temporal recruitment

Answer 24

as we get older we exhibit functional impairment in medial temporal lobe

Question 25

Increased default activity:

Answer 25

brain activity that occurs when we’re at rest increases

Brain shows more default activity when we’re at rest when were engaged in cognitive activity as we’re older

Greater difficulty suppressing activity when at rest

Question 26

Compensatory scaffolding:

Answer 26

Frontal recruitment:
Neurogenesis
Distributed processing:
Bilaterality

Question 27

Frontal recruitment:

Answer 27

as we get older more scaffolds created in anterior areas of the brain

Question 28

Neurogenesis

Answer 28

ongoing neurogenesis(new neurons are formed in brain) in hippocampus and olfactory bulb

Question 29

Bilaterality

Answer 29

hemispheric asymmetry reduction in older age

We tend to rely less on one hemisphere or the other but increase of scaffolds on both hemispheres to complete tasks

Question 30

Distributed processing:

Answer 30

brain’s ability to recruit additional or alternative neural resources to maintain cognitive function as it ages

Question 31

Scaffolding enhancement

Answer 31

we can actively engage in pursuits that increases scaffolding

New learning
Engagement
Exercise (aerobic and resistance training)
Cognitive training