Chapter 3 Flashcards
With age, arteries…
Accumulate fat deposits and stiffen
With age, the heart…
Expands at the start of a beat and returns to its regular size at the end of a beat
Hypertension
Blood pressure above normal levels, impairments in cognition
Hypotension
Blood pressure below normal levels, leads to dizziness and increased risk of falling
Atherosclerosis
Buildup of fat deposits on and the calcification of arterial walls, increases risk of strokes
Angina Pectoris
Chest pain that occurs when oxygen supply to the heart becomes
Congestive heart failure
Severe decline of cardiac output and the ability of the heart to contract
Myocardial infarctions / heart attack
Occur when blood supply to the heart is severely reduced or cut off
Cerebrovascular accidents / strokes
May occur as a Blockage (blood flow to the brain is completely cut off) or a Hemorrhage (rupture of a blood vessel in the brain)
(Respiratory system) As you age…
Rib cage and air passageways get stiffer and air sacs deteriorate
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Family of respiratory diseases
Emphysema
Destruction of membranes around air sacs in lungs (causes holes in the lung)
(Muscles) As you get older…
Muscle mass decreases (40% by age 80)
(Bones) As you age…
Loss of bone mass as bones become for hollow and porous
Osteoporosis
Severe loss of bone mass
(Joints) As you age…
cartilage in and around joints starts to deteriorate
Osteoarthritis
Wear and tear on the cartilage surrounding joints
Rheumatoid arthritis
Autoimmune disease affecting the lining of joints
Cataracts
Opaque spots on the lens, limit light transmission
Glaucoma
High pressure in the eye, causing damage and loss of vision
(Eyes) As you age…
decreased light passing through the eye, worse color discrimination, worse ability to adjust and focus leading to difficulty with close vision
Macular degeneration
Destroys receptors in the macula, can’t see color or details
Diabetic retinopathy
Forming new, weaker blood vessels that are susceptible to hemorrhage, can cause blindness
(Vision) As you age…
Reduced ability to see details (esp. in low light)
The range in hertz for how loud speech usually is
1000-4000 Hz
Presbycusis
Decline in the ability to hear high pitched sounds (cumulative effects from environment)
Sensory damage
Atrophy and degeneration of receptor cells
Neural Damage
Loss of neurons in the auditory pathways in the brain
Metabolic damage
Diminished supply of nutrients to the receptor area
Mechanical damage
Atrophy and stiffening of the vibrating structure in the receptor area
(Somatosensory) As you age…
Decreased temperature perception, increase in chronic pain
(Balance) As you age…
Increase in dizziness and vertigo and falls, increase in time to integrate signals
(Taste) As you age…
Decreased ability to perceive bitter and sour
(Smell) As you age…
Loss of ability to detect smells
Climacteric
Passage from reproductive to non-reproductive years
Menopause
Point when menstruation stops
Metabolic theory of aging
Organisms only have so much energy that they can expand in a lifetime, therefore, reducing metabolic rate will lengthen the lifespan
Cellular theory of aging
Cells have a limited number of times they can divide
Hayflick limit
Number of times a cell in the lab will divide (40-60)
Telomere
Protective ends of DNA
Free radicals
Highly reactive molecules formed randomly during metabolism and lead to DNA and protein damage
Genetic programming theory of aging
The theory that our aging is programmed in our genetic code
