Characteristics of Ageing & Gerontology

Question 1

What is gerontology?

Answer 1

The study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of ageing

Question 2

What is the difference between geriatrics and gerontology?

Answer 2

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine that studies the diseases of older adults, whereas gerontology studies ageing as a whole

Question 3

What are the 4 phases of ageing?

Answer 3

prenatal/postnatal development Adulthood Senescence Death

Question 4

What are the stages of prenatal life?

Answer 4

ovum (1 week) embryo (2-8 weeks) foetus (3-8 months)

Question 5

What are the stages of postnatal development?

Answer 5

Neonatal period (0-2 weeks) Infancy (3-52 weeks) Childhood (2-10 years) Late Childhood (10-16 years) Adolescence (16-20 years)

Question 6

What is the age range of adulthood?

Answer 6

20-65 years

Question 7

What age is classed as Senescence?

Answer 7

Over 65 years

Question 8

What percentage of the population will be over 65 by 2030?

Answer 8

20%

Question 9

What problems will arise as human longevity increases?

Answer 9

Financial, medical and ethical issues

Question 10

Why has human longevity increased?

Answer 10

Improved public health and decline in deaths from infectious diseases

Question 11

What was the greatest cause of death before longevity increased and what is the greatest cause now?

Answer 11

Infections such as influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrheal disease whereas heart disease, cancer and stroke are now the most common causes of death

Question 12

What is a result of the decline in death rates?

Answer 12

Age related diseases are becoming muh more common

Question 13

What factors can decreases longevity?

Answer 13

Wealth and lifestyle

Question 14

What can be a result of wealth (what diseases are more likely)

Answer 14

Obesity, diabetes, smoking, alcoholism and drug addiction

Question 15

What is thought to be the maximum limit on human life?

Answer 15

123-125 years

Question 16

What are the theories relating to longevity

Answer 16

Disruption of homeostasis, genetics, lifestyle & illness

Question 17

What is secondary ageing?

Answer 17

Genetic and environmental factors that cause effect ageing

Question 18

What is primary ageing?

Answer 18

the “normal” ageing process of time

Question 19

Which diseases are limited to the elderly?

Answer 19

osteoporosis osteoarthritis polymyalgia rheumatica temporal arteritis prostatic adenocarcinoma

Question 20

Which Diseases are associated with ageing with a KNOWN aetiology?

Answer 20

septicemia pneumonia cirrhosis nephritis cerebrovascular disease myocardial infarction

Question 21

Which diseases are associated with ageing with an UNKNOWN aetiology?

Answer 21

Type 2 diabetes hypertension Alzheimers’s disease Parkinson’s disease Emphysemia Neoplasm (cancer)

Question 22

Why is ageing not considered a disease according to Hayflick?

Answer 22

1) occur in every animal that reaches adulthood 2) cross virtually every species barrier 3) occur only after sexual maturation 4) occur in animals removed from the wild that would otherwise not live long enough due to predation 5) increase vulnerability to death in 100% of animals that age 6) occur in animate and inanimate objects

Question 23

At what phase of ageing is optimum physiological function?

Answer 23

Adulthood

Question 24

What are 4 characteristics of changing function due to ageing?

Answer 24

1) greater heterogeneity in physiological responses occur 2) changes in function do not occur simultaneously 3) changes in function do not occur to the same degree 4) age related changes in function are not ‘abnormal’

Question 25

What is a key problem associated with normal ageing ?

Answer 25

Prevalence of illness and disability both increase

Question 26

What is “healthy ageing?

Answer 26

Ageing that doesn’t involve illness-related function loss

Question 27

What are the 4 approaches that help achieve ‘healthy ageing’

Answer 27

1) being positive about ageing processes 2) de-emphasise that ageing as characterised by decline 3) understanding that heterogeneity is normal in the elderly 4) keeping active and avoiding disability and illness

Question 28

What type of ageing is loss of muscle mass?

Answer 28

Primary

Question 29

Name 5 changes associated with physical inactivity?

Answer 29

Maximum oxygen consumption • Stroke volume & resting and maximum cardiac output • Sympathetic activity and neurotransmission • Body water and salt levels in blood • Glucose tolerance test • Lean body & muscle mass • Blood cell mass • Thermoregulation • Immune responses • Wound healing • Sense of balance

Question 30

What are results of cell senescence?

Answer 30

~ it arrests the growth of damaged / dysfunctional cells ~ it is beneficial in early in life (synaptic pruning) ~ it may contribute to ageing in later life (reduced function) ~ precedes apoptosis (programmed cell death)

Question 31

What genetic changes are induced by cell senescence?

Answer 31

Telomere dysfunction chromatin perturbation DNA damage Strong mitogenic signals

Question 32

What are the 3 phenotypes of senescent?

Answer 32

Growth arrest Functional changes resistance to apoptosis

Question 33

What is the purpose of senescence?

Answer 33

a response of normal cells to potentially cancer causing events

Question 34

How can cell senescence result in risk of premature death ?

Answer 34

altered secretions from cells such as proteases, inflammatory cytokines, growth factors and hormones erosion of structure and integrity of tissues

Question 35

What molecules are believed to have a substantial role in ageing?

Answer 35

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)

Question 36

What methods are used to research ageing?

Answer 36

isolated cell systems to study genetics & biochemistry ~ fungi to study environmental factors & longevity ~ primitive invertebrates & insects to study life cycles ~ mice and rats to study nutrition, physiology & genetics ~ non-human primates to study time-dependent changes ~ accelerated ageing in human Progeria & Werner syndrome

Question 37

Questions

Answer 37

Discuss the concept that ageing begins before birth and then progresses through several phases that lead to maximum longevity of 125 years. Discuss weather ageing a pathological process or a process that occurs normally in healthy individuals.

Question 38

Reading

Answer 38

McDonald R.B (2013) ‘Biology of Aging’ (Garland Science) Chapter 1: Basic Concepts in the Biology of Ageing Rodier F and Campisi J (2011) Four faces of cellular senecsence. The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 192, p 547-556 (Moodle link) Soltis E (2005) Physiology of Ageing: http://www.learningace.com/doc/1954715/2e07722a00877edec8a39ab5d e50b59b/physiology-of-aging-pp