Cytomegalovirus infection and cognitive abilities in old age

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1846-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan J. Gow ◽  
Charlotte M. Firth ◽  
Rowan Harrison ◽  
John M. Starr ◽  
Paul Moss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cytomegalovirus Infection

scholarly journals The Precipitous Decline in Reasoning and Other Key Abilities with Age and Its Implications for Federal Judges

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Alan S. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Computerized Adaptive Testing ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Test Construction ◽  
Federal Judiciary ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Federal Judges ◽  
The Impact

U. S. Supreme Court justices and other federal judges are, effectively, appointed for life, with no built-in check on their cognitive functioning as they approach old age. There is about a century of research on aging and intelligence that shows the vulnerability of processing speed, fluid reasoning, visual-spatial processing, and working memory to normal aging for men and women at all levels of education; even the maintained ability of crystallized knowledge declines in old age. The vulnerable abilities impact a person’s decision-making and problem solving; crystallized knowledge, by contrast, measures a person’s general knowledge. The aging-IQ data provide a rationale for assessing the key cognitive abilities of anyone who is appointed to the federal judiciary. Theories of multiple cognitive abilities and processes, most notably the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model, provide a well-researched blueprint for interpreting the plethora of findings from studies of IQ and aging. Sophisticated technical advances in test construction, especially in item-response theory and computerized-adaptive testing, allow for the development of reliable and valid theory-based tests of cognitive functioning. Such assessments promise to be a potentially useful tool for evaluating federal judges to assess the impact of aging on their ability to perform at a level their positions deserve, perhaps to measure their competency to serve the public intelligently. It is proposed that public funding be made available to appoint a panel of experts to develop and validate an array of computerized cognitive tests to identify those justices who are at risk of cognitive impairment.

scholarly journals Increasingly capable at the ripe old age? Cognitive abilities from 2004 to 2013 in Germany, Spain, and Sweden

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254038
Author(s):  
Julia Grasshoff ◽  
Johannes Beller ◽  
Beatrice G. Kuhlmann ◽  
Siegfried Geyer
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Cohort Effects ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Starting Point

Background Life expectancy is increasing in most high-income countries, but gains in life years are maximized if spent in good health and if cognitive abilities are maintained until old age. Age-related decline of cognitive abilities does nevertheless occur, but the pace of decline is decisive. This was the starting point for our study that aims to examine cohort effects of cognitive aging in women and men in Germany, Spain and Sweden by analyzing changes from 2004 to 2013 by estimating cohort effects within age groups starting from the age of 50 years. Methods A cohort study was conducted that was based on data of the surveys 2004 (N = 6,081) and 2013 (N = 8,650) from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analyses were based on data of female and male respondents aged 50 years and older. Age-specific means of verbal fluency and delayed recall from the German, Spanish and Swedish samples were the cognitive domains considered in the study. Results In both domains of cognitive ability the achievements in the later surveys were higher than in the earlier ones. This was found in all countries, abut achievement levels increased markedly in the German and the Spanish samples, while the scores of the Swedish samples were not significantly different. While the highest scores were found for Sweden, Germany ranked in the middle and the lowest scores were found in the Spanish samples. Over time, the scores of the German samples approached those of Sweden. Conclusions From the first to the second survey, improvements of older adults’ cognitive abilities were found for all countries considered. This may indicate improvements of the underlying educational systems, but also increasingly stimulating general living conditions.

scholarly journals The Effect of Baseline Performance and Age on Cognitive Training Improvements in Older Adults: A Qualitative Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
J.S. Shaw ◽  
S.M.H. Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Baseline Performance

Findings that the brain is capable of plasticity up until old age have led to interest in the use of cognitive training as a potential intervention to delay the onset of dementia. However, individuals participating in training regimens differ greatly with respect to their outcomes, demonstrating the importance of considering individual differences, in particular age and baseline performance in a cognitive domain, when evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive training. In this review, we summarize existing literature on cognitive training in adults across the domains of episodic memory, working memory and the task-switching component of executive functioning to clarify the picture on the impact of age and baseline performance on cognitive training-related improvements. Studies targeting episodic memory induced greater improvements in younger adults with more intact cognitive abilities, explained in part by factors specific to episodic memory training. By contrast, older, lower baseline performance adults improved most in several studies targeting working memory in older individuals as well as in the majority of studies targeting executive functioning, suggesting the preservation of neural plasticity in these domains until very old age. Our findings can have important implications for informing the design of future interventions for enhancing cognitive functions in individuals at the prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s Disease and potentially delaying the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. Future research should more clearly stratify individuals according to their baseline cognitive abilities and assign specialized, skill-specific cognitive training regimens in order to directly answer the question of how individual differences impact training effectiveness.

scholarly journals Bidirectional Longitudinal Associations Between Cognitive Abilities and Social Relationships in Old Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 576-576
Author(s):  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Peter Edelsbrunner ◽  
Jelena Siebert ◽  
Mike Martin ◽  
Damaris Aschwanden
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Word Finding ◽  
Panel Model ◽  
Random Intercept ◽  
Picture Completion ◽  
Longitudinal Associations

Abstract Individuals’ social connections can both shape and be shaped by cognitive abilities in aging process. This study examined bidirectional longitudinal associations between cognitive abilities and social relationships using 12-year longitudinal data (3 waves) from 499 German older adults who were born between year 1930 and 1932. Cognitive abilities were assessed as a latent construct consisting of five cognitive tests, i.e., picture completion, block design, information, similarities, and word finding. Social relationships were assessed by the self-reported number of free time partners and scales of perceived social relationships. Using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model, we focused on within-person causal relations. Results showed that higher cognitive abilities predicted higher number of free time partners over four years and that more positive perceived social relationships predicted higher cognitive abilities at four-year follow-up. In sum, the bidirectional longitudinal associations indicate social relationships and cognitive abilities mutually maintain each other in old age.

scholarly journals Is body mass index in old age related to cognitive abilities? The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Study.

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janie Corley ◽  
Alan J. Gow ◽  
John M. Starr ◽  
Ian J. Deary
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Lothian Birth Cohort

scholarly journals Prospective Memory in Older Adults: Where We Are Now and What Is Next

Gerontology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Kliegel ◽  
Nicola Ballhausen ◽  
Alexandra Hering ◽  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Katharina M. Schnitzspahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current State ◽  
Life Challenges ◽  
Health Related

The interplay of cognitive abilities that constitute the process of ‘remembering to remember' is referred to as prospective memory. Prospective memory is an essential ability to meet everyday life challenges across the life span, constitutes a key element of autonomy and independence and is especially important in old age with increasing social and health-related prospective memory demands. The present paper first presents major findings from the current state of the art in research on age effects in prospective memory. In a second part, it presents four focus areas for future research outlining possible conceptual, methodological, and neuroscientific advancements.

scholarly journals Trustworthiness: A Developmental Perspective

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastian Jaeger ◽  
Anthony M Evans ◽  
Ilja van Beest
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Fairness Concerns ◽  
Economic Functioning

Trust and trustworthiness are important pillars of interpersonal, societal, and economic functioning. We provide an overview of how trustworthiness develops across the lifespan. Previous studies point to an increase in trustworthiness during childhood; relatively stable levels throughout adolescence and adulthood; and some evidence suggests a further increase in old age. Young children's lower levels of trustworthiness are mirrored by differences in fundamental motives that drive social behavior, such as concerns for reciprocity and fairness. While reciprocal tendencies emerge early, young children show less fairness concerns. This pattern can be linked to the development of certain cognitive abilities that are necessary to engage in social behaviors beyond indiscriminate selfishness. Children need to exert self-control to resist the temptation of keeping all resources to themselves and they need to engage in perspective-taking to appreciate the negative consequences of their selfishness. Thus, both social and cognitive development should be considered when studying age differences in trustworthiness.

Cognitive Abilities in Old Age: Results from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zimprich ◽  
Mike Martin ◽  
Matthias Kliegel ◽  
Myriam Dellenbach ◽  
Philippe Rast ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Verbal Knowledge

The Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (ZULU) is an ongoing longitudinal study on the structure and development of cognition in old age. At the first assessment, the N = 364 participants had an average age of 73 years (age range: 65-80 years), and 46% were female. In total, a battery of 14 cognitive tests, including five consecutive verbal learning trials, were administered and adequately described by a measurement model of six first-order factors (processing speed, working memory, reasoning, learning, memory, and verbal knowledge) and one second-order factor of general cognitive ability. The cross-sectional age relations of the six cognitive abilities were, apart from processing speed and verbal knowledge, mediated by the general cognitive ability factor. From a conceptual perspective, these results imply that cognitive aging is not a completely uniform process driven by a single causal variable.

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