Age group differences in learning-related activity reflect task stage, not learning stage

2022 ◽  
Vol 416 ◽  
pp. 113570
Author(s):  
Jenna L. Merenstein ◽  
Jessica R. Petok ◽  
Ilana J. Bennett
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Merenstein ◽  
Jessica R. Petok ◽  
Ilana J. Bennett

Healthy aging is accompanied by declines in our ability to learn associations between events without awareness, termed implicit associative learning (IAL). Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have attributed these learning deficits in older adults to differential engagement of the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and prefrontal cortex relative to younger adults. But it remains unclear whether there are also age group differences in how these brain regions coordinate learning of associations over time. Here, we acquired fMRI data while 28 younger (20.8 ± 2.3 years) and 22 older (73.6 ± 6.8 years) healthy adults completed the Triplets Learning Task, in which the location of two cues predicted the location of a target with high (HF) or low (LF) frequency. Results revealed significant age group differences in learning as smaller difference in reaction time to HF versus LF triplets in older relative to younger adults, and in the recruitment of hippocampal and prefrontal regions during early learning. Moreover, learning-related activity was significantly related among hippocampal, basal ganglia, and prefrontal regions for both age groups, although younger adults exhibited stronger hippocampal-basal ganglia interactions during early learning whereas older adults showed stronger prefrontal-hippocampal interactions during late learning. Thus, age-related declines in the ability to learn implicit associations may result from both differential engagement of and coordination between these brain regions, which are traditionally thought to comprise separate learning systems.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonatan Fridolfsson ◽  
Mats Börjesson ◽  
Daniel Arvidsson

ActiGraph is the most common accelerometer in physical activity research, but it has measurement errors due to restrictive frequency filtering. This study investigated biomechanically how different frequency filtering of accelerometer data affects assessment of activity intensity and age-group differences when measuring physical activity. Data from accelerometer at the hip and motion capture system was recorded during treadmill walking and running from 30 subjects in three different age groups: 10, 15, and >20 years old. Acceleration data was processed to ActiGraph counts with original band-pass filter at 1.66 Hz, to counts with wider filter at either 4 or 10 Hz, and to unfiltered acceleration according to “Euclidian norm minus one” (ENMO). Internal and external power, step frequency, and vertical displacement of center of mass (VD) were estimated from the motion capture data. Widening the frequency filter improved the relationship between higher locomotion speed and counts. It also removed age-group differences and decreased within-group variation. While ActiGraph counts were almost exclusively explained by VD, the counts from the 10 Hz filter were explained by VD and step frequency to an equal degree. In conclusion, a wider frequency filter improves assessment of physical activity intensity by more accurately capturing individual gait patterns.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Jabès ◽  
Giuliana Klencklen ◽  
Paolo Ruggeri ◽  
Jean-Philippe Antonietti ◽  
Pamela Banta Lavenex ◽  
...  

During normal aging resting-state brain activity changes and working memory performance declines as compared to young adulthood. Interestingly, previous studies reported that different electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of resting-state brain activity may correlate with working memory performance at different ages. Here, we recorded resting-state EEG activity and tested allocentric spatial working memory in healthy young (20–30 years) and older (65–75 years) adults. We adapted standard EEG methods to record brain activity in mobile participants in a non-shielded environment, in both eyes closed and eyes open conditions. Our study revealed some age-group differences in resting-state brain activity that were consistent with previous results obtained in different recording conditions. We confirmed that age-group differences in resting-state EEG activity depend on the recording conditions and the specific parameters considered. Nevertheless, lower theta-band and alpha-band frequencies and absolute powers, and higher beta-band and gamma-band relative powers were overall observed in healthy older adults, as compared to healthy young adults. In addition, using principal component and regression analyses, we found that the first extracted EEG component, which represented mainly theta, alpha and beta powers, correlated with spatial working memory performance in older adults, but not in young adults. These findings are consistent with the theory that the neurobiological bases of working memory performance may differ between young and older adults. However, individual measures of resting-state EEG activity could not be used as reliable biomarkers to predict individual allocentric spatial working memory performance in young or older adults.


Author(s):  
Brian Doyle ◽  
Declan Browne ◽  
Dan Horan

The aim of this present study was to compare the reactive strength index (RSI) characteristics and trial to trial reliability of U17, U19 and Senior female international soccer players. Fifty – seven elite female soccer player participated in the study, (age:  18.1 + 3.1 years; height: 167.5 + 6.3 cm; weight: 61.84 + 7.7 kg). Participants performed 3 maximal repetitions of the 10/5 repeated jump test (10/5RJT) following a specific warm-up and familiarisation protocol. Senior players possessed higher levels of RSI with large effect size present when compared with the U17 (P= 0.043, ES = .97) and U19 (ES = 0.85) age groups. Trivial differences (ES = 0.17) in RSI existed between the U17 and U19 age categories. Trial-to-trial analyses demonstrated 10/5 RJT RSI to possess adequate levels of reliability with a range of mean coefficients of variance (CV) of 3.1 – 7.3 %   and intraclass correlation (ICC) between 0.95 – 0.98 present across all three age groups. However, large variations in the between – athlete CV for RSI were revealed ranging from 1 – 27 %, 0.4 – 10.3%, and 1 – 7 % for U17, U19 and senior age groups respectively. These results suggest that age group can distinguish reactive strength capabilities. In addition, female international footballers with higher levels of RSI appear to produce more reliable measures of RSI via the 10/5 RJT.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S80-S81
Author(s):  
Grace Caskie ◽  
Anastasia E Canell ◽  
Hannah M Bashian

Abstract Attitudes towards aging include both positive and negative beliefs about older adults (Iverson et al., 2017; Palmore, 1999). Palmore’s (1998) Facts on Aging Quiz, a widely used assessment of knowledge about aging, also identifies common societal misconceptions about aging. Findings regarding age group differences in attitudes toward aging are mixed (Bodner et al., 2012; Cherry & Palmore, 2008; Rupp et al., 2005). The current study compared knowledge of aging, negative age bias, and positive age bias between young adults (18-35 years, n=268) and middle-aged adults (40-55 years; n=277). Middle-aged adults reported significantly greater average knowledge of aging than young adults (p=.019), although both groups had relatively low knowledge (MA: M=13.0, YA: M=12.2). Middle-aged adults also showed significantly less negative age bias (p<.001) and significantly more positive age bias than young adults (p=.026). Although the total sample was significantly more likely to be incorrect than correct on 23 of the 25 facts (p<.001), young adults were significantly more likely than middle-aged adults (p<.001) to respond incorrectly for only 2 of 25 facts. Both facts reflected greater negative age bias among young adults than middle-aged adults. These facts concerned older adults’ ability to work as effectively as young adults (fact 9) and frequency of depression in older adults (fact 13). Results demonstrate that age bias is not limited to young adults and may continue through midlife, though negative age bias in particular may be lower for individuals approaching older adulthood, which could have implications for their psychological and physical well-being.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Mokrysz ◽  
Natacha D. C. Shaban ◽  
Tom P. Freeman ◽  
Will Lawn ◽  
Rebecca A. Pope ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2). Methods Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis. Results In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3–7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI. Conclusions Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.


2016 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 20-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Gray ◽  
Donncha Hanna ◽  
Allison Gillen ◽  
Teresa Rushe

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