Age-Related Changes of the Human Autonomic Nervous System

Author(s):  
Marcus W. Agelink ◽  
Dirk Sanner ◽  
Dan Ziegler
Author(s):  
D. L. Bellinger ◽  
C. L. Lubahn ◽  
A. B. Millar ◽  
J. L. Carter ◽  
S. Vyas ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
J. Eric Ahlskog

Urinary problems occur with normal aging. In women they often relate to the changes in female anatomy due to the delivering of babies. With superimposed age-related changes in soft tissues, laxity may result in incontinence (loss of urinary control), especially with coughing, laughing, or straining. In men the opposite symptom tends to occur: urinary hesitancy (inability to evacuate the bladder). This is due to constriction of the bladder outlet by an enlarging prostate; the prostate normally surrounds the urethra, through which urine passes. DLB and PDD are often associated with additional bladder problems. Recall that the autonomic nervous system regulates bladder function and that this system tends to malfunction in Lewy disorders. Hence, reduced bladder control is frequent among those with DLB, PDD, and Parkinson’s disease. This condition is termed neurogenic bladder, which implies that the autonomic nervous system control of bladder reflexes is not working properly. This may manifest as urgency with incontinence or hesitancy. Neurogenic bladder problems require different strategies than those used for treating the simple age-related problems that develop in mid-life and beyond. Moreover, there are certain caveats to treatment once a neurogenic bladder is recognized. The bladder is simply a reservoir that holds urine. It is located in the lower pelvis and is distant from the kidneys. The kidneys essentially filter the circulating blood and make the urine. The urine flows down from the kidneys into the bladder, as shown in Figure 14.1. Normally, as the bladder slowly fills with urine, a reflex is triggered when it is nearly full. This results in conscious awareness of the need to urinate, plus it primes the reflexive tendency of the bladder to contract in order to expel the urinary contents. The bladder is able to contract because of muscles in the bladder walls. Normally, nerves activate these muscles at the appropriate time, which forcefully squeeze the bladder, expelling the urine. Nerve sensors in the bladder wall are activated by bladder filling and transmit this information to the central nervous system, ramping up bladder wall muscle activity.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 6549
Author(s):  
Chun-Ju Hou ◽  
Yen-Ting Chen ◽  
Mycel Capilayan ◽  
Yu-Sian Lin ◽  
Min-Wei Huang ◽  
...  

As the proportion of elderly people continues to grow, so does the concern about age-related cognitive decline. Serious games have been developed for cognitive training or treatment, but measuring the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) has not been taken to account. However, cognitive functioning has been known to be heavily influenced by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and ANS activity can be quantified using heart rate variability (HRV). This paper aims to analyze the physiological response in normal elderly people as they play two types of serious games using HRV features from electrocardiography (ECG). A wearable device designed in-house was used to measure ECG, and the data from this device was pre-processed using digital signal processing techniques. Ten HRV features were extracted, including time-domain, nonlinear, and frequency-domain features. The experiment proceeds as follows: rest for three minutes, play a cognitive aptitude game, rest for another three minutes, followed by two reaction time games. Data from thirty older adults (age: 65.9 ± 7.34; male: 15, female: 15) were analyzed. The statistical results show that there was a significant difference in the HRV between the two types of games. From this, it can be concluded that the type of game has a significant effect on the ANS response. This can be further used in designing games for the elderly, either for training or mood management.


2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomomichi Ishizaka ◽  
Yu Yoshimatsu ◽  
Minori Ozawa ◽  
Tomofumi Kimotsuki ◽  
Wataru Takasaki ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
V N Shvalev ◽  
V P Reutov ◽  
V B Sergienko ◽  
A N Rogoza ◽  
V P Masenko ◽  
...  

Prospects for the development of the nervism doctrine in Kazan are related to the continuation of the main scientific fields specific to Kazan medical schools - studying phylo-ontogenesis of the nervous system and the importance of its violations in the development of main diseases using the latest methods. The age-related transformations of the human cardiovascular system innervation in the pre- and postnatal ontogenesis in normal conditions and in major cardiovascular diseases are under study. It was found that the relationship between the human brain and heart during the first 30-40 years of life are characterized by optimally high activity, but then, along with age-related changes in the neurons of the central nervous system there is a decrease in activity of the somatic part of the peripheral nervous system. As morphofunctional studies showed, it is partially related to a decrease in the content of neurotransmitters in the sympathetic plexus of the heart and blood vessels. A concept on the mediator stage of the autonomic nervous system ontogenesis is formulating, it was revealed that the fetal period, along with the differentiation of the central nervous system, is characterized by the beginning of mediator stage of the autonomic nervous system, the phenomenon of early involution of its sympathetic part in normal conditions and in different types of cardiovascular pathology is described. Neurohistochemical data are compared with the results of heart rate variability in healthy individuals and in hypertensive disease. The original data on the nitric oxide synthase content in cardiac nervous system in healthy individuals and in ischemic heart disease are given, the prospects of immunocytochemistry studies of central and peripheral nervous system in age aspect and in major cardiovascular diseases are outlined.


Author(s):  
D. Shkrupii ◽  
A. Mogylnyk ◽  
E. Sonnik

Introduction. The autonomic nervous system is considered to be the leading adapter of the body to changing conditions of existence The intestine is subjected to massive irritating effects, and therefore is actively regulated by the autonomic nervous system, and itself, at the same time, is its regulator. In intensive care conditions, autonomic reactions change under the influence of critical state inducers. The purpose of the study: a comparative analysis of the neurovegetative regulation of the gastrointestinal tract in patients under intensive care in an age-related aspect. Materials and methods. Under observation were 70 patients in need of intensive care. Of these, 30 are children of the first month of life and 40 are adult patients. The study applied methods of cardiointervalography and assessment of the degree of gastrointestinal failure syndrome. The results of the study. The analysis of cardiointervalograms showed a relatively equal tension of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, regardless of age. However, in children, in comparison with adults, a more pronounced relative dysbalance of autonomic regulation in favor of humoral sympathetic influences is noted, which significantly increases the stress index in childhood. Despite the pronounced activity of the humoral channel for regulating autonomic homeostasis, it was not a factor affecting the severity of gastrointestinal failure syndrome. Therefore, this factor may be trigger in the formation of intestinal dysfunction, but not determining in the formation of its severity. Correlation in the adult group indicates the predominance of parasympathetic influences in the formation of gastrointestinal failure syndrome. Among children, unlike adults, the formation of this syndrome is associated not only with changes in the parasympathetic department, but with hypersympaticotonia. Conclusions. Regardless of the age, in patients with intensive care, an increase in tension of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system is noted. In children, compared with adults, a markedly pronounced activity of humoral sympathetic influences was noted. At the same time, parasympathetic activity is the decisive factor in the progression of gastrointestinal failure syndrome in adults, and hypersympathicotonia in children. 


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