Week 11 and 12 Flashcards
Pharmacological interventions to enhance cognitive functioning in old age have what
Side effects have also been shown not to be effective that which is why we have no cure for Alzheimer
What is physical activity considered
Low alternative and it is appealing beacuse they have no side effects
What have longitude studies suggested about physical activity
Can reduce or delay cognitive decline older adults can be much more delayed that physically inactive adults
What domains do phyiscally inactive older adults reported
More cognitive decline in domains such as memory attention processing speed
What does CDC about physically inactive adults
Inactive older adults are twice more likely to experience cognitive decline then there counterparts
What is an intervention study
RCT randomized control trials you assign people into groups one is the intervention group the other is a control group
What are the two broad categories of physical activities
Aerobic exercises improve cardiovascular health
Resistance - focuses on strengthening muscles and achieving lean body structure
Is there a consensus on the type frequency duration and intensity of physical activities that yield optimal cognitive outcomes
No but many believe chronic PA (30+ mins/session, 3 times/week , 10+ weeks) rather than acute PAs are more effective
What are indirect mechanisms
May reduce stress and improve sleep
Reduce mental health problems
Reduces risk of chronic health problems
PA improves cerebral blood flow and increases oxygen and nutrient supply to the brain
Build higher muscle strength
What is evidence of a direct mechanism
PA in elderly rats leads to neural cell proliferation in the hippocampus
However, one study suggests aerobic fitness increases hippocampus size in humans
How does physical activity improve memory
Increases cerebral blood flow and facilitates transportation of oxygen and glucose to the brain
Reduces brain inflammation and increases hippocampal volume (amount of gray matter in the hippocampus)
PA promotes neurogenesis- growth of new brain cells
PA is associated with improved memory in older adults
How does PA affect and reasoning
Improves reasoning indirectly by improving mood and sleep and reducing the risk of depression and delirium because it releases neurotransmitters which are responsible for mood motivation and feeling good
Good sleep and positive mood are associated with focused attention improved concentration and improved problem-solving skills
How does physical activity affect cognitive speed
Thought to increase mental alertness and sensitivity to environmental stimuli quicker reaction time and better visuospatial better scores on UFOV
What is most amenable to PA
Cognitive speed
Why might social engagement may not be optimal due to
Children leaving home
Retirement
Death of friends or spouce
Chronic health conditions limiting social interacations
What are these changes associated with
Social cognition the ability to encode interpret and respond appropriately to social cues
What are 2 categories of social network
Formal networks (alumni association, senior citizens club, religious organizations)
Informal networks (family friends neighbours)
What do cognitively stimulating social environments do
Facilitate neural development and build cognitive reserves a higher cognitive reserve is a protective factor against cognitive aging and dementia
What do social interacations provide a buffer against
Psychological stress by producing positive emotions (depression is positively correlated with cognitive decline)
How can social interactions be a source of stress that affects cognition negatively
Social conflict (unwanted intrusions, insensitive behaviours)
Elderly abuse (physical and emotional)
Absence of social support
What is the satisfaction of social relationships critical too
Mood and cognition
Quality of social interactions may be more important than quantity of relationships
What can frequent social interacations promote
Positive health behaviours (physical activity) and discourage health damaging lifestyles (excessive alcohol use- associated with delirium and dementia)
What is the example of spousal bereavement and episodic memory
Spousal relationships provide the most social and cognitively stimulating environment loss is often associated with declined memory usually will move into long-term care because they are not mentally stimulated
- Increased loneliness
- Depression
- anxiety
What is the desgin case study kungsholemen
- longitudinal study investigating role of social networks risk of dementia
1203 non demted people
Resided at home
followed over 3 years
Information on social networks was obtained by personal interview (quantitative and satisfaction with networks)
What were the social network variable of interest included
Marital status
Living arrangements
Frequency of social contact
Satisfaction of contact
What was the diagnosis of dementia based on
DSM-III
What were the findings of kungsholemen study
176 developed demnita 126 had alshemizer 32 had vascular
Being single living alone and lacking relatives were associated with a higher risk of dementia
Disadvantages remained after adjusting for relevant confiding variable
Greater social networks were associated with a reduced risk of dementia
What is the Case study design of the US multisite
Longitudinal study involving a cohort over 2000 women that did not have dementia and asses using the Telephone Dementia Questionnaire
What was social network measured by of the US study
no. relatives or friends seen or heard from/month
no. of relatives or friends whom support could be obtained
no. relatives or friends that could be talked to about private matters (confidants)
What were the findings of Case study two
After 3 year there were 268 newly occurred cases of dementia
Risk of dementia was lowe among participants with greater social networks
What are contradictory finding attributed to
Health characterstics of particpants
Quality of social relationships
Complexity of social relationships
Composition of networks - family friends
What is the difference between young-old and the oldest old difference with social interaction
Young-old have larger social networks and benefit more from social interactions than oldest old
Between sex difference sociodemographic
Older men tend to have more social networks than older women (because women live longer)
Difference between social networks and educated people
Educated people have more social networks than uneducated people however people benefit less form social interactions in old age because they participated in prior complex interactions and do not find the experience novel
