Normal Aging Flashcards
Is biological aging tied to chronological aging?
Not absolutely
Factors associated with normal aging
Genetics
Changes in hormones
Changes in neurotransmitters
Life experiences
Physical changes in normal aging (neural)
Brain volume decreases 5% each decade after 40
Shrinkage of grey matter
Deterioration of myelin sheath after 40
Changes in neurotransmitters
Dopamine levels decline 10% per decade from early adulthood
Reduction of serotonin and sex hormones
Protective factors
Education Occupational Attainment Diet and exercise Antioxidant supplements Moderate alcohol intake
General slowing theory of cognitive aging
Speed of operation reduces regardless of cognitive task
Inhibition deficit theory of cognitive aging
Inhibitory processes regulating memory and attention are weakened, preventing encoding of new information
Region-specific neural aging theory of cognitive aging
Patterns of cognitive decline depend on specific areas of damage in the brain
Transmission deficit theory of cognitive aging
Information is recalled, but priming and speed of transmission are reduced
Working memory theory of cognitive aging
Working memory is impaired, leading to difficulties with storage, processing, and comprehension
Resource theory of cognitive aging
Limited resources leads decline of higher-level skills in aging
Frontal lobe theories of aging
Cognitive changes in aging are due to vulnerability of frontal lobe structures (executive function, inhibition, etc.)
Types of memory
Episodic: stories, but also lists etc. with mental tags
Semantic: meaning-related
Working: Holds info longer than short-term but not as long as long-term memory
Long-term: permanent storage; processing can vary in effort
Normal language changes with age
Language knowledge is not reduced, but language retrieval is
Disfluencies such as pauses increase with age
Pragmatic skills decline with age
