Physiology of Aging Flashcards
Which of the following statement is true?
A. Gender is not a significant factor in human aging
B. The proportion of aging population is increasing in the US but decreasing in the Philippines
C. There is an epidemiologic shift in the cause of death, from infectious diseases (i.e. TB,
pneumonia)to chronic diseases. In the Philippines
D. Lifestyle is not a significant factor to aging
Ans: C
A - Females outlive Males
B - Increase in Philippines
D - Significant
[Identify]
“A progressive increase throughout life or after a
given stadium in the likelihood that a given
individual will die during the next succeeding unit
of time”
Senescence/Aging
True about Aging EXCEPT a. progressive loss of physiological functions that increase the probability of death b. postmaturational deterioration of the organism. c. age-specific decline d. decreased ability to maintain homeostatic control. e. NOTA
E
True about successful aging
a. Chronologic and physiologic age are the same
b. Involves interaction of genetics and environment
c. Individuals “age” at approximately the same rates
d. There is loss of homeostasis
B
Aging is unsuccessful if
a. physical function is maintained
b. mental function is maintained
c. disease is avoided
d. attained highest position in job but did not enjoy life
e. AOTA
D
[Identify}
disease that usually occur in the elderly
Age related disease process
[Identify]
changes that occur “normally” with aging in the absence of disease
Age-associated physiological changes
Diseases of the elderly due to limited aging
o Osteoporosis o Osteoarthritis o Prostatic adenocarinoma o Polymyaglia rheumatic o Temporal arteritis
Disease of the elderly associated with aging (known etiology)
o Septicemia o Pneumonia o Cirrhosis o Nephritis o Ceberovascular Disease o Myocardial infarction
Associated Aging (Unknown etiology)
o Adult-onset, Type 2 Diabetes o Neoplasm o Hypertension o Alzehimer’s disease o Parkinson’s disease o Emphysema
[Decrease/Increase]
NCV
Decrease
[Decrease/Increase]
BMR
Decrease
[Decrease/Increase]
Cardiac Index
Decrease
[Decrease/Increase]
Renal Blood Flow
Decrease
[Decrease/Increase]
Maximal Breathing Capacity
Decrease
True of Genetic Control Theories EXCEPT
a. Aging is due to something inside an organism’s
control mechanism that triggers the aging process
b. Aging is through switching on and off of certain genes
c. Aging is triggered by control mechanisms in our
genes.
d. Life span of an organism is variable
e. AOTA
D
[Identify]
Aging as an adaptive characteristic that contributes
to the fitness of the human species by removing
reproductively-inactive individuals from the population
Species Theory of Weisman
True of Genetic Control of Senescence EXCEPT
a. The exact gene that causes aging has already been identified
b. species-specific lifespans are relatively constant and genetically controlled
c. Caenorhabditis elegans, the mutation of
some genes has been shown to extend life
expectancy by 40-100
d. Methuselah gene mutation extends lifespan of fruit flies by 35%
B
[Identify]
Genetic control of aging via programmed cell death which is not specific to aging but pertains to lifespan of the cell.
Apoptosis
True of Apoptosis EXCEPT
a. Fibroblasts divide 50x before dying
b. Cells from the elder people divide the most while cells from embryos divide just 4 times
c. Cancer cells do not undergo apoptosis
d. Sequential activation and expression of genes during
different stages of development
e. AOTA
B.
The following are true of biological clock/ pacemaker theory except
a. programmed aging controlled by small number genes
b. Pacific salmon, aging
and death follow shortly after spawning due to adrenal hyperplasia and glucocorticoid toxicity
c. menstrual cycle is turned on
between ages 11 and 16 and stops between 45-55
yrs
d. variable amount of time
D
[Identify]
Many aging effects are due to the declining ability of
the immune system to differentiate “foreign” and
“self” proteins (autoimmune factors)
Immune theory of aging
Where is the Immune clock?
Thymus; with marked decline in T-cell activity and IL-2 production
True of Stochastic Mechanism Theories EXCEPT
a. we age due to wear and tear
b. chromosomal abnormalities remains the same until we age
c. homeostasis declines as we age
d. NOTA
B
[Identify]
Aging is due to random hits that inactivate large
chromosomal regions resulting in lesser ability to
replicate the genetic material. The accumulation of
these mutations is the basis of aging
Somatic Mutation Theory
True about Somatic Mutation Theory
a. Ionizing radiation – damages resemble phenotypic
changes in aging
b. Radiation prolongs life
c. Radiation is bad, it definitely shortens life
d. It is unclear whetherxposure to radiation shortens or prolongs life
e. A and D
E
Enumerate Senescence inducers
Telomere dysfunction, Chromatin perturbation, DNA damage, Strong Mitogenic Signals
Enumerate Senescent Phenotypes
Growth Arrest, Functional Changes, Resistance to Apoptosis
[Identify]
genetic factors that through a combination of their mechanisms would lead to either arrest of growth or deterioration and deficit of function
senescence inducers
[Identify]
Condition in which A child is born with abnormally short telomeres
which results into rapid aging (more prone to
damage)
Hutchinson-Gilford Syndrome
Childhood progeria
T/F
Antioxidants decrease as we age
T
[Identify]
All organisms have a finite metabolic lifetime and those with higher metabolic rate have shorter lifespan
Rate of Living Theory
True about Rate of Living theory Except
a. as long as you eat less, you’ll surely live longer
b. energy expenditure had a negative correlation with lifespan
c. Energy expenditure is directly related to
oxygen expenditure
d. lower Energy Expenditure reduces production of free radicals and oxidative damage
A
[Identify]
Errors occur in molecular copying during the
transcription and translation process resulting
in the abnormal synthesis of proteins which might further cause more errors if not corrected especially is at catalytic site or substrate
Error Catstrophe theory;
[Identify]
There exist pleiotropic genes that have
favorable effect on fitness at young ages and
deleterious ones at old age
Antagonistic Pleiotropic Theory
[Increase/Decrease]
secretions of the various glands of endocrine system
Decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Insulin secretions and insulin resistance
Decrease; Increase
[Increase/Decrease]
Immune defenses
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
T- lymphocytes
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
autoimmunity
increase
[Increase/Decrease]
higher cortical functioning
Decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
cardiac muscle strength
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
skeletal/smooth muscle mass
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Blood flow
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Cardiac output; explain answer
decrease, due to decreased blood flow
T/F a consequence of decreased cardiac output is easy fatiguability
T
Enumerate factors reducing blood flow
- normal atrophy of heart muscle (esp. left ventricle)
- calcification of the heart valves/valve stenosis
- arteriosclerosis (artery walls elasticity lost =
“hardening”) - atherosclerosis (intra-artery deposits)
Enumerate effects of reduced blood flow
reduced stamina (less oxygen exchange) reduced kidney and liver function less cellular nourishment reduced muscular strength thus, increased susceptibility to drug toxicity, slower rate of healing, reduced stress response
Cardiovascular changes are exacerbated by ______ and
________.
smoking;drinking
The following increase as we age EXCEPT
a. heart weight
b. myocyte size
c. Lumen of cardiac chambers
d. number of myocytes
e. LV wall thickness
f. Collagen content
g. Fat infiltration
D
True of cardiovascular changes in aging
a. increase in left ventricular compliance
b. thinner, stiffer valves,
c. no change in ventricular relaxation
d. more vigorous left atrial contraction
Answer: D. by 50%, to compensate
A. decrease
B. THICKER, stiffer
C. decreased vetricular relaxation
True about membrane events EXCEPT a. shortened depolarization phase b. Prolonged repolarization phase c. Slower intrinsic heart rate more dependent on tonic sympathetic stimulation d. May have loss of pacemaker cells e. More prevalent supraventricular and ventricular premature beats
A
True about cardiac output EXCEPT a. Preserved resting output b. improved performance at more intense exercise b. Higher end systolic afterload c. bigger ventricular volume d. higher left ventricular mass e. higher oxygen demand f. Diminished vascular responsiveness to adrenergic stimulation
B
Give 2 reasons for age related increased in systolic and maybe diastolic blood pressure
- normal to slightly reduced cardiac
output and stroke volume - elevation of pulse and systolic pressure
reduced aortic compliance
[Increase/Decrease]
mean arterial pressure beyond 70 years
plateau/decline
Why does mean arterial pressure decline beyond 70 years?
reduction in body water, increased proportion of body fat
and more sedentary lifestyle
The following are true about changes in blood pressure in the elderly except
a. affected by diet/lifestyle/psychosocial changes
b. nervous regulation of BP is impaired
c. baroreceptor response is impaired
d. orthostatic hypotension is uncommon
D
True about exercise and aging EXCEPT
a. maximum heart rate declines both for sedentary but not active elderly subjects
b. cardiac index is reduced
c. VO2 max is reduced.
d. Higher stroke volume in athletes than in non-athletes
A. declines for both sedentary and active
Enumerate difference between active and sedentary in terms of: stroke volume in athletes aerobic capacity arterial stiffness muscle glycogen stores muscle oxygen utilization end diastolic volume and ejection fraction
Higher stroke volume in athletes Increased aerobic capacity Decreased arterial stiffness Increases muscle glycogen stores Increase muscle oxygen utilization Increased end diastolic volume and ejection fraction
[Increase/Decrease]
work of breathing
increase
[Increase/Decrease]
Pulmonary Reserve
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Diaphragm strength
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Chest wall compliance
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
airway caliber
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
lung tissue compliance
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
ciliary activity
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Rib cage muscle wasting
increase
T/F lack of oxygen increase anxiety
T
T/F limited exercise capacity in elderly is due to reduced lung function
F; due to deterioration of other organs as well
T/F Tests on smokers and non-smokers of
varying ages have shown that aging of the
respiratory system is caused mainly by biologically
pre-programmed cell deaths.
F; due to wear and tear
True about musculoskeletal changes in aging EXCEPT
a. calcium is lost and bones become less
dense in women only
b. Reduction in height
c. vertebrae calcify
d. arthritis, the degenerative inflammation of the
joint
e. general impairment of mobility of the elderly
Answer:A.
C - vertebrae calcify and become more rigid
[Identify]
wearing away of the joint cartilage
Osteoarthritis
[Identify]
disease of the connective tissue causing inflammation of joints
Rheumatoid arthritis
[Increase/Decrease]
production of HCl, digestive enzymes, saliva
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
number of tastebuds
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Absorption of food products
no change
T/F atrophy of some glandular structures and hypoproliferation of mucosal linings
F; atrophy of all; hyperproliferation
Enumerate vitamin deficiencies in the early
Vit B, C, K
True of brain aging EXCEPT
a. we lose brain cells at age 25
b. brain size does not change
c. total length of sleep decreases
d. Function deficits in the aged may be explained by
changes in the cholinergic system and in the
different catecholamines
B; shrinks
True about senescent forgetfulness
a. procedural memory decline
b. short term memory is unchanged
c. semantic memory decline
d. episodic memory decline
Answer: D
Procedural, semantic memories unchanged, short term memory, decline
True about changes in higher cortical functions EXCEPT
a. Decline in the ability to learn a new information
b. Decline in reaction time
c. Less efficiency in performing complex tasks
d. NOTA
D
True about changes in higher cortical functions EXCEPT
a. Decreased performance on timed tasks
b. Delay in central processing as well as slowing of
motor and sensory nerves (This is due to the
decreased conduction velocity of neurons)
c. no change in ability to form new synaptic connection
d. NOTA
C; difficulty
Muscle fibers exhibit ____ specific force,
endurance and recovery
less
Increased denervation, preferential atrophy of
______________ fibers
fast twitching
[Increase/Decrease]
Nerve conduction velocity
decrease
how long in an average does an elderly person sleep?
5.75-6hrs
What sleeping problems does an elderly encounter?
onset, maintenance and awakenings
What stage of sleep disappear in the elderly?
4
[Increase/decrease]
Slow wave
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Cerebral blood flow
decrease
[Increase/Decrease]
Ability to recover from ischemic stress
decrease
Decrease activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and
dopadecarboxylase affects synthesis of which neurotransmitters?
catecholamines and dopamine respectively
Parkinson’s Disease is an example of hypo or hyperkinesia?
hypo
True of Neuropathological changes in the elderly EXCEPT
a. at age 25, we experience approximately 1% decrease in metabolic rate per year
b. reduced metabolic rate lead to reduced stamina and greater susceptibility to drug toxicity
c. AOTA
d. NOTA
D
True of Visual System in the elderly EXCEPT
a. thinning of cornea and lessening of curvature resulting to inconsistent focusing
b. loss of lens elasticity
c. presbyopia (loss of accommodation)
d. cataract (increase opacity)
e. miotic (poor constriction)
A. all are true except cornea thickens
When does presbycusis start?
50 y.o
what is presbycusis?
decline in hearing
feeling of unsteadiness disequilibrium and vertigo in the elderly is due to
vestibular dysfunction specifically feeling of
unsteadiness disequilibrium and vertigo
How much of the tastebuds is lost between age 30-60?
50%
[Increase/Decrease]
Olfactory threshold
