The Aging Brain [Guest Lecture]

Question 1

Term: accumulated positive and negative effects of the interaction with the self and environment over time

Answer 1

Aging

Question 2

List 3 potential theories as to why aging occurs

Answer 2

Hayflick limit - cells can only divide a preset # of times; telomeres

Free Radical Damage

Alteration in the Endocrine system i.e. hormonal changes

Question 3

List 3 reasons the brain is more suspectible to aging

Answer 3

• Slow or no cell division (potenitally limited neurogenesis)
• Damage has to be rerouted rather than repaired
• High energy demand leads to greater oxidative stress

Question 4

List the Age Related Brain Changes

Answer 4

• Atrophy: decreased # of neurons, diameter, myelin thickness
• Reduced capillary density: thickened walls and basement membrane
• Metabolic changes: reduced insulin sensitivity and glucose/O2 use

Question 5

Describe the changes to the brain mass with age

Answer 5

Weight declines: gyri atrophy, sulci widen, ventricles enlarge

Question 6

Describe the decline in gray and white matter with age

Answer 6

Gray: decreases linearly from birth

White: peaks from 35-40 yo, then declines

Question 7

Describe Functional Age Related Brain Changes

Answer 7

Decline in inhibition

Decreased speed, accuracy, and reliability of neural coding

Increased neural noise

Question 8

Describe how functional age related brain changes and compensated for and the effect of those compensations

Answer 8

More regions of the brain must become activated to perform the same tasks.

This increase in brain activation leads to decreased accuracy, increased time to complete the task, and decreased ability to mutlitask

Question 9

Describe the relationship between structural and functional changes in the brain

Answer 9

Funcitons are often attributed to regions and more likely the interaction and assocation between regions. Thus structural changes that affect the communicaiton and association between regions may be attributing to the change in function.

The bigger picture of regional interaction is more accurate than the small structural changes

Question 10

Describe the most dominant theory of brain aging

Answer 10

Age-related cognitive slowing: older adults cognitive proccess slow and deteriorate as a function of the change in neurons

Question 11

Describe the ability to learn in older adults

Answer 11

They have the ability to learn

Learning will be slower, and to a smaller degree unless given increase time to practice

Older adults also show less variability while learning new tasks

Question 12

Describe the differences in variability in learning with younger and older individuals

Answer 12

Younger: lots of variabiliy, try more ways to complete task which allows for adaptation

Older: less variability, more concrete, may contribute to increased time needed to learn

Question 13

Describe the ability of the elderly to complete a well known complex task.

Answer 13

If they continue to practice complex tasks they were previously experts at they will continue to possess that skill

Practice what you want to stay good at

Can hold on to highly complex tasks/high levels of performance if they continue to practice

Question 14

List the benefits of phsyical activity

Answer 14

Lower risk of CVD and mortality

Increased aerobic fitness for function

Preserves mm and bone

Neuroprotection and improved cognition

Question 15

List the benefits of exercise for the brain

Answer 15

• maintain greater brain volume; less atrophy
• improved reaction time
• altered brain activation
• decrease in cognitive decline
• delays dementia (>3x/wk)

Question 16

Describe the appropriate dose of exercise for brain health benefits to be seen.

Answer 16

No dose response for attention: any amount of exercise results in same increase in simple attention

Dose response for visuospatial processing: the more the better

Best = ~ 4 hr/wk

Question 17

Describe the functional declines related to AD

Answer 17

• Cognitive decline: executive function, sense of self, coordination
• Physical decline: lean mass and bone loss, sedentary,

Question 18

Describe the physical function changes with AD

Answer 18

Gait: slower, variable stride length, wider BOS

Falls: worse balance, greater sway, poor mobility, poor safety awareness

Apraxia

Paratonia

Question 19

Term: inability to perform particular purposive actions or manipulate tools/objects

Answer 19

Apraxia

Question 20

Term: Variable resistance to movement in any direction

Answer 20

Paratonia

Question 21

List the domains that exercise improves in those with AD

Answer 21

CVF, Strength, Flexilibyt, BMI, Function, Cognition

All EXCEPT Behavior

Question 22

List the 5 Domains of Cognition

Answer 22

Executive function

Memory (working and episodic)

Language

Processing Speed

Attention

Question 23

Term: ability to plan, organize, monitor execution of goal oriented behavior

Answer 23

Executive function

Question 24

Term: capacity to hold and manipulate informaiton over a series of tasks

Answer 24

Working memory

Question 25

Term: acquisition and retrieval of a sequence of events or new information

Answer 25

Episodic memory