Quiz 6 Terms Flashcards
“Selective” effect of exercise on anterior hippocampus
What makes it “selective?”
- The effect of exercise (aerobic) influenced (increased the volume of) only the hippocampus, not the caudate nucleus or the thalamus as well. (they had increases for both aerobic exercise and stretching group)
- exercise induced increases in BDNF
Exercise intervention vs. habitual exercise
Intervention - increase in hippocampal volume, no major increase in spatial memory performance compared to stretching group
Habitual - higher baseline - better performance on the spatial memory task
Senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type
another word for Alzheimer’s Disease
Alois Alzheimer
First described the disease that bears his namesake in 1906
German psychiatrist and neuropathologist
examined patient Auguste D. in 1901
autopsy in 1906 following her death
Auguste D
first recorded Alzheimer's patient recorded symptoms such as: impairment in day to day memory trouble sleeping language disruptions delusion strong feelings of jealousy towards husband states "I have lost myself"
AD Pathology
- atrophy
- plaques
- tangles
Atrophy
degeneration of affected regions, such as the temporal lobe and the parietal lobe, as well as the frontal cortex and the cingulate gyrus
Tau tangles
deposits of the protein tau that accumulate inside of the nerve cells themselves
amyloid plaques
deposits of the protein beta-amyloid that accumulate in the spaces between the nerve cells
regional progression
- earliest pathological changes in medial temporal lobe and hippocampus
- then temporal, parietal, and frontal lobe
- some regions have minimal pathology even in advanced stages (primary motor and sensory cortices)
Preclinical phase
- silent phase: brain changes without measurable symptoms
- individual may notice changes, but not detectable on tests
- a stage where the patient knows, but the doctor does not
mild cognitive impairment (including criteria)
- cognitive changes are of concern to individual and/or family
- one or more cognitive domains are impaired significantly
- preserved activities of daily living
amnestic vs. nonamnestic
amnesic - forgetful
nonamnesic - non forgetful
Apolipoprotein E
Effects on:
memory
executive function/working memory
Effects on:
visuospatial function
language
attention
Treatment Options
- currently NO WAY to cure it or stop its progression
- encouraging advances in Alz treatment, including medications and non-drug approaches to improve symptom management
- some advances in reducing amyloid buildup, but this has not brought about the cognitive effects we were expecting
- identify patients as early as possible in the course of disease
Why are hidden upsides hidden?
- negative stereotypes -> confirmation bias
- metacognition is not always accurate, it is easy to forget the good
- concerns about loss -> increased reliance on external support -> reduced opportunity to see success
Reduced inhibition
improved memory for some background content -> increased performance if it ends up being relevant
Gist Processing
increased gist processing -> better ability to see the “big picture”
Life experience/wisdom
more “life experience” -> greater opportunity to amass wisdom
Emotional well-being
prioritizing relationships: Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
emotion regulation
Pockets of Preservation in memory
