Normal Aging Flashcards
What are 7 Age-related changes?
- Anatomical
- Motor and Reflex
- Sensory
- NT
- Energy Metabolism
- PNS
- Cognititve and Homeostensosis
Under anatomical changes:
- Structural changes are ____
- Linear decline in ___ matter, and non-linear decline in ____ matter
- Increase in ___ and ___
- ____ loss
What is Responsible for Volume Loss?
- ____ loss (cell death)?
- Changes in __ ___, shrinkage
- Loss of __ __
Under anatomical changes:
- Structural changes are diffuse
- Linear decline in gray matter, and non-linear decline in white matter
- Increase in atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis
- Volume loss
What is Responsible for Volume Loss?
- Neuronal loss (cell death)?
- Changes in nerve fibers shrinkage
- Loss of myelin sheath
- *Motor and Reflex Changes**
1. Possible contribution of motor unit “dropout” to age-related ____ (muscle loss) - Decreased s____
- Decreased speed of gait instability (meds can make it worse)
2. S___ reflexes less sensitive - Ankle reflexes may be decreased
3. Decreased “____” reflexes
- *Motor and Reflex Changes**
1. Possible contribution of motor unit “dropout” to age-related sarcopenia (muscle loss) - Decreased strength
- Decreased speed of gait instability (meds can make it worse)
2. Stretch reflexes less sensitive - Ankle reflexes may be decreased
3. Decreased “right” reflexes
Sensory changes include:
- Decreased ____
- position sense - Decreased ____ sense
Sensory changes include:
- Decreased proprioception
- position sense - Decreased vibratory sense
Changes in NT
- Decrease in ___ transmission
- Decrease in ____ transmission
- Decreased synthesis and release
- Decreased ___ binding sites in striatum
- Decreased coupling of receptor__ binding effector proteins for both
Changes in NT
- Decrease in cholinergic transmission
- Decrease in dopaminergic transmission
- Decreased synthesis and release
- Decreased D2 binding sites in striatum
- Decreased coupling of receptor GTP binding effector proteins for both
Changes in Energy Metabolism:
1. ____ Metabolism
- Mild reduction in ____ use
- Animal studies show vulnerability to ___ stresses
2. Mitochondrial Function
- Decrease in ___, increase in ___
- Dysfunction linked to several ___ disorders
Changes in Energy Metabolism:
1. Cerebral Metabolism
- Mild reduction in glucose use
- Animal studies show vulnerability to metabolic stresses
2. Mitochondrial Function
- Decrease in numbers, increase in size
- Dysfunction linked to several neurodegenerative disorders
Age related changes in PNS
- Motor: Innervation of __ __ decreases
- Slowing of __ __
Age related changes in PNS
- Motor: Innervation of skeletal muscle decreases
- Slowing of nerve conduction
Cognitive and Homeostenosis
- Declines (“fluid intelligence”)
- Attention and cognitive processing speed (greatest)
- ___ time longer
- “___ memory” (not ___! If it is ___, that is a red flag)
- ____ orientation - Stable or improved (“crystallized intelligence”)
- ____ improves
- Judgment?
_____ - you get to a point that the physiological reserves are not as high, so minor illnesses (like UTIs, minor colds) are a big deal and might take older people to the hospital.
Cognitive and Homeostenosis
- Declines (“fluid intelligence”)
- Attention and cognitive processing speed (greatest)
- reaction time longer
- “working memory” (not STM! If it is STM, that is a red flag)
- visuospatial orientation - Stable or improved (“crystallized intelligence”)
- vocab improves
- Judgment?
Homeostenosis - you get to a point that the physiological reserves are not as high, so minor illnesses (like UTIs, minor colds) are a big deal and might take older people to the hospital.
Age related changes without disease
- ___ ___ - metabolism, free rads, damage to DNA and proteins over time
- ___ ___ - cell divisions numbered
- Environment - repeated injury or ____ damage from exposures (hearing, skin changes)
Age related changes without disease
- Oxidative Stress - metabolism, free rads, damage to DNA and proteins over time
- Genetic programming - cell divisions numbered
- Environment - repeated injury or external damage from exposures (hearing, skin changes)
In people with AD, there are more plaques and tangles in ___ ___ region, and less so in cognitively normal people
There is a general loss of ___ and ___ in the system
- ____ regress and there is loss of ____ branches and spines – affects ___ and ability to handle insults (reduces physiologic reserve)
- loss of ___
- intracellular accumulation of ____ (peroxidized proteins and lipids). This may reflect failure of cells to ____ products of peroxidation-induced cell damage.
In people with AD, there are more plaques and tangles in medial temporal region, and less so in cognitively normal people
There is a general loss of complexity and connections in the system
- Dendrites regress and there is loss of dendritic branches and spines – affects neuroplasticity and ability to handle insults (reduces physiologic reserve)
- loss of synapse
- intracellular accumulation of lipofuscin (peroxidized proteins and lipids). This may reflect failure of cells to eliminate products of peroxidation-induced cell damage.
- Normal Aging can be a loaded phrase
- Age-related physiologic changes are difficult to separate from disease
- Aging is associated with a mean decline in physiologic functions, particularly ___ reserves
- Variance (or ____) or functions ___ with age
- Most marked-age related changes are in ___ processing speed, ____ time, a____ and ___ memory.
- Age-related changes predispose to __ __ and falls
- Normal Aging can be a loaded phrase
- Age-related physiologic changes are difficult to separate from disease
- Aging is associated with a mean decline in physiologic functions, particularly physiologic reserves
- Variance (or heterogeneity) or functions increases with age
- Most marked-age related changes are in cognitive processing speed, reaction time, attention and “working memory.”
- Age-related changes predispose to gait instability and falls
