Lecture 2

Question 1

What is Ventricular Enlargement, and how does it relate to brain changes in older adults?

Answer 1

Ventricular Enlargement is the expansion of fluid-filled spaces in the brain, and it is associated with brain aging and various cognitive and neurological changes.

Question 2

What is Generalized Atrophy in the context of brain changes in older adulthood?

Answer 2

Generalized Atrophy is the overall shrinkage of the brain, often seen in older adults, and it can be associated with cognitive decline

Question 3

What is Grey Matter Loss in the context of aging brains?

Answer 3

Grey Matter Loss is the gradual reduction in the volume of the brain’s grey matter, impacting cognitive functions and being more pronounced in certain brain regions in older adulthood (temporal)

Question 4

What is the relationship between grey matter loss and cognition?

Answer 4

Rates of cortical volume loss are reliably associated with changes in cognitive ability.

Question 5

How is white matter loss in the aging brain examined?

Answer 5

White Matter Loss is examined using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, which assesses the integrity of white matter fibers.

Question 6

What are the age-related declines seen in white matter fibers?

Answer 6

Age-related declines are observed in projection fibers (ascending and descending), fiber tracts or fasciculi (anterior-posterior), and commissure/callosal (left-right) fibers.

Question 7

What does “integrity” mean in relation to white matter fibers?

Answer 7

“Integrity” measures how closely packed the fiber bundles are. In the corpus callosum, younger adults tend to have more integrity compared to older adults, where lower integrity means less tightly packed fibers.

Question 8

What are two ecological models?

Answer 8

1) Ecological Model of Aging
2) Selective Optimization with Compensation Model of Aging

Question 9

What is the Ecological Model of Aging?

Answer 9

The Ecological Model of Aging, proposed by Lawton & Nahemow, explores the interaction between a person and their environment, emphasizing the need for adaptation

Question 10

How is adaptation measured in the Ecological Model of Aging?

Answer 10

Adaptation in this model is measured both in terms of affect (emotional response) and behavior (actions taken).

Question 11

What is the maximal zone of adaptation in the ecological model?

Answer 11

Refers to a state where an individual’s abilities and skills are in harmony with the challenges and demands posed by their environment.

Question 12

What is the Selective Optimization with Compensation Model of Aging?

Answer 12

Proposed by Baltes & Baltes, emphasizes that individuals need to adapt throughout their lives and how the balance between gains and losses shifts with age.

Question 13

What are the mechanisms of successful development in aging, according to this selective optimization model?

Answer 13

The SOC Model proposes three strategies: Selection (focus on what you do best), Optimization (improve your life in various ways), and Compensation (adapt to overcome challenges).

Question 14

How does the SOC Model address gains and losses in individuals’ lives?

Answer 14

The SOC Model recognizes that as people grow older, they face both gains and losses. In later adulthood, losses may increase, and their capacity to adapt and their abilities in specific areas may decrease.

Question 15

What are the main difference between these two models?

Answer 15

SOC is about how individuals adapt in their lives, especially as they age, using strategies like selection, optimization, and compensation.

The Ecological model looks at how the environment affects someone’s ability to adapt, without giving specific tips or plans.

Question 16

How did Arthur Rubenstein, the concert pianist, maintain high proficiency at age 80?

Answer 16

He coordinated three adaptation strategies: Selection, Optimization, and Compensation.

Question 17

What was the Selection strategy used by Arthur Rubenstein?

Answer 17

He performed a smaller repertoire of pieces.

Question 18

How did Arthur Rubenstein apply the Optimization strategy?

Answer 18

[Answer] He practiced those selected pieces more frequently.

Question 19

What is the Compensation strategy Arthur Rubenstein employed?

Answer 19

He paired slower and faster pieces, which helped mask slower speed when playing pieces with a fast tempo.

Question 20

Cerebrovascular System

Answer 20

Network of blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen and nutrients, essential for its proper function.

Question 21

What is Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD)?

Answer 21

CSVD is a condition that primarily affects the small blood vessels in the brain (narrowing and thickening + formatin of lesions), known as microvasculature.

Question 22

How is CSVD characterized in terms of the brain’s microvasculature?

Answer 22

CSVD means small blood vessels in the brain get narrower, their walls thicken, and they develop white matter leisons

Question 23

How does CSVD interact with neurodegenerative processes like Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?

Answer 23

CSVD doesn’t just impact blood vessels; it also interacts with neurodegenerative processes, potentially worsening the effects of AD and increasing the risk of developing it.

Question 24

How can CSVD cause vascular cognitive impairment?

Answer 24

Can cause vascular cognitive impairment by damaging the small blood vessels in the brain, leading to reduced blood flow, which can result in memory and thinking problems due to insufficient oxygen and nutrients reaching brain regions.

Question 25

What is “dedifferentiation” in the context of brain changes in older adulthood?

Answer 25

Dedifferentiation means that as people age, specialized brain regions become less distinct in their functions.

Question 26

What is “functional compensation” in the aging brain?

Answer 26

Functional compensation is the brain’s way of adapting to age-related changes by using increased neural activity in other areas to maintain cognitive functions.

Question 27

What does “Posterior to Anterior Shift in Aging” refer to?

Answer 27

It’s a shift in how the brain is used as people age, from relying more on posterior brain regions in youth to depending more on anterior brain regions in older adulthood.

Question 28

Why does this shift occur in older adulthood?

Answer 28

To compensate for this decline in the quality of sensory information, the brain shifts its reliance from the posterior regions to the anterior brain regions, which are located towards the front of the brain. The anterior regions are often associated with higher-level cognitive functions, like attention, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Question 29

What did Park’s 2008 study find regarding psychological assessments in older adults?

Answer 29

Park’s study found that psychological assessments, which require fluid congition, aka fast and flexible thinking (working memory, processing speed, and reasoning) tend to degrade across the lifespan. However, semantic knowledge, i.e., crystallized knowledge, remains more intact in older adults.

Question 30

What is the functional connectivity between the lateral prefrontal cortex and the default mode network in older adults compared to younger adults?

Answer 30

In older adults, the lateral prefrontal cortex appears to be more functionally connected to the default mode network compared to younger adults

Question 31

Is Dedifferentiation considered a positive or negative process?

Answer 31

Dedifferentiation is generally considered a ‘negative’ process because it indicates a decline in the brain’s ability to maintain specialized functions, which can impact cognitive performance in older adults.

Question 32

What is the “Posterior to Anterior Shift in Aging” hypothesis?

Answer 32

Suggest increased recruitment of anterior brain regions, particularly the frontal lobes, as a form of brain reorganization to compensate for age-related changes.