Language and aging

Question 1

What demographic shift has occurred in society?

Answer 1

• Over the last century a variety of factors have increased life span in rapid fashion
• Today almost 1 in 10 people are over 60 years old in 2050 it will be 1 in 5

Question 2

Describe the impact of healthy aging on speaking in reference to synaptic structure

Answer 2

With age, decline in production of complex synaptic structure
- Synaptic structure choice is determined by linguistic context: implicit learning or priming
- Components of implicit memory decline with healthy ageing

Question 3

Describe the impact of healthy aging on speaking in reference to Tot

Answer 3

Tot indicates a disruption in the process of transmission between meaning and phonology
studies show Older adults experience Tot states more than younger people

Question 4

Describe the impact of healthy aging on understanding language

Answer 4

• Age related performance difference in accuracy and speed for synaptic comprehension
• Decline in synaptic comprehension is related to decline in working memory and processing speed

Question 5

What are Lifestyle factors that impact brain on brain health and cognition throughout lifespan

Answer 5

Sleep
Diet
Exercise
Cognitive training

Question 6

What impact does Regular physical exercise have on cognition

Answer 6

• Habitual exercise offsets (decreases) the natural age related decline in brain blood flow
• Higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels associated with: Greater gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus

Question 7

What impact does regular fitness have on language

Answer 7

• Aerobic fitness related differences in word finding abilities
• The higher the aerobic fitness score the lower the probability of experiencing Tot

Question 8

Lifestyle factors modulate cognitive aging what are future steps?

Answer 8

Intervention research