Cognitive Aging in a Precision Sport Context

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Molander ◽  
Lars Bäckman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adult ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Principal Finding

Highly skilled miniature golf players were examined in a series of field and laboratory studies. The principal finding from these studies is that young and young adult players (range = 15-38 years) score equally well or better in competition than in training whereas older adult players (range = 46-73 years) perform worse in competitive events than under training conditions. It was also found that the impairment in motor performance on the part of the older players is associated with age-related deficits in basic cognitive abilities, such as memory and attention. These results support the hypothesis that older players may be able to compensate for age-related deficits under relaxed conditions, but not under conditions of high arousal. The possibility of improving the performance of the older players in stressful situations by means of various intervention programs is discussed.

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.

The Relevance of Cognitive Aging Research to Warning Label Design

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 1368-1368
Author(s):  
Gabriel K. Rousseau ◽  
Nina Lamson ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Color Discrimination ◽  
Warning Label ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Individual Difference Variables ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Age Related Changes

A variety of individual difference variables affect whether someone notices, encodes, comprehends, and complies with a product warning label. Failures at any of these stages reduce the effectiveness of warnings. Development of effective warnings must be based on understanding the characteristics of the product user. As the population grows older, consideration of age-related changes in perceptual and cognitive abilities becomes more relevant to the warning designer. Aging researchers have identified a variety of declines and changes in vision (e.g., acuity, contrast sensitivity, and color discrimination) and memory (e.g., working memory and prospective memory). By considering the abilities of the product user, the impact of age-related changes may be minimized. Based on cognitive aging research and theory, we will make recommendations about how designers can increase the effectiveness of warnings for older adults.

scholarly journals Fronto-parietal Network Segregation Predicts Maintained Cognition in the Cognitively Healthy Oldest-old (85+): evidence for dedifferentiation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara A Sims ◽  
Mary E Faulkner ◽  
Paul Stewart ◽  
Stacy Merritt ◽  
Roxanne F Rezaei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Network Metrics ◽  
Future Work

The understanding of brain network interactions in cognitively healthy older adults informs how brain characteristics vary as individuals age and how these variations affect cognitive functioning. A functional connectivity analysis can reveal important insight into the brain's organization, which is crucial to examining cognitive aging. We investigated functional network properties in 146 cognitively healthy participants aged 85+ in the McKnight Brain Aging Registry. We found that the segregation of the cortical association system and the segregation of the fronto-parietal network (FPN) were stronger predictors of cognition and executive function. Compared to other network metrics, the segregation of networks may be more closely linked with cognitive performance and age-related dedifferentiation. We also provide a healthy oldest-old (85+) cortical parcellation that can be used in future work in this age group. This study shows that network segregation of the oldest-old brain supports cognition. Specifically, the FPN plays an important role in supporting overall cognition and executive function in an aging population. By studying network dynamics and cognitive abilities of healthy brain aging, we advance the literature on dedifferentiation in the oldest-old.

scholarly journals Effect of motivational incentives on face-name hyper-binding in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyana T. Swirsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Target Information ◽  
Motivated Cognition ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Incentive Magnitude ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Extraneous Information ◽  
Subsequent Task

Hyper-binding refers to the tendency for older adults to encode extraneous information from their environment, and bind this information to attentional targets such that this distracting information can be remembered in association with target information on a subsequent task. This tendency is hypothesized to result from a loss of selectivity in memory and attention due to a loss of inhibitory control. However, older adults do demonstrate selectivity under certain motivational conditions. For example, older adults show enhanced memory selectivity in reward-motivated states. The current study used motivational incentives (virtual rewards) to investigate the interaction between hyper-binding and reward-based motivation. Results revealed a motivation-related decrease in hyper-binding in older adults. This decrease was not affected by incentive magnitude (low versus high). These results suggest that the value-directed selectivity of memory and attention counteract the age-related selectivity deficit associated with hyper-binding. Keywords: Cognitive aging, inhibitory control, selective attention, hyper-binding, motivated cognition, reward-based motivation

scholarly journals Lifestyle Activities and Memory: Variety May Be the Spice of Life. The Women's Health and Aging Study II

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Carlson ◽  
Jeanine M. Parisi ◽  
Jin Xia ◽  
Qian-Li Xue ◽  
George W. Rebok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Cognitive Challenge ◽  
Lifestyle Activities ◽  
Healthy Community

AbstractThis study examined whether participation in a variety of lifestyle activities was comparable to frequent participation in cognitively challenging activities in mitigating impairments in cognitive abilities susceptible to aging in healthy, community-dwelling older women. Frequencies of participation in various lifestyle activities on the Lifestyle Activities Questionnaire (LAQ) were divided according to high (e.g., reading), moderate (e.g., discussing politics), and low (e.g., watching television) cognitive demand. We also considered the utility of participation in a variety of lifestyle activities regardless of cognitive challenge. Immediate and delayed verbal recall, psychomotor speed, and executive function were each measured at baseline and at five successive exams, spanning a 9.5-year interval. Greater variety of participation in activities, regardless of cognitive challenge, was associated with an 8 to 11% reduction in the risk of impairment in verbal memory and global cognitive outcomes. Participation in a variety of lifestyle activities was more predictive than frequency or level of cognitive challenge for significant reductions in risk of incident impairment on measures sensitive to cognitive aging and risk for dementia. Our findings offer new perspectives in promoting a diverse repertoire of activities to mitigate age-related cognitive declines. (JINS, 2012, 18, 286–294)

scholarly journals Effect of motivational incentives on face-name hyper-binding in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyana T. Swirsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Target Information ◽  
Motivated Cognition ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Incentive Magnitude ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Extraneous Information ◽  
Subsequent Task

Hyper-binding refers to the tendency for older adults to encode extraneous information from their environment, and bind this information to attentional targets such that this distracting information can be remembered in association with target information on a subsequent task. This tendency is hypothesized to result from a loss of selectivity in memory and attention due to a loss of inhibitory control. However, older adults do demonstrate selectivity under certain motivational conditions. For example, older adults show enhanced memory selectivity in reward-motivated states. The current study used motivational incentives (virtual rewards) to investigate the interaction between hyper-binding and reward-based motivation. Results revealed a motivation-related decrease in hyper-binding in older adults. This decrease was not affected by incentive magnitude (low versus high). These results suggest that the value-directed selectivity of memory and attention counteract the age-related selectivity deficit associated with hyper-binding. Keywords: Cognitive aging, inhibitory control, selective attention, hyper-binding, motivated cognition, reward-based motivation

scholarly journals Bilingualism and Healthy Aging: Onset Age of Bilingualism as a Predictor of Older Adult Theory of Mind

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 479-480
Author(s):  
W Quin Yow ◽  
Xiaoqian Li ◽  
Jia Wen Lee
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Onset Age ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The ability to understand and speak more than one language (i.e., bilingualism) may protect against age-related cognitive deterioration (Abutalebi et al., 2015). While there is mounting evidence suggesting that bilingualism confers advantages in domain-general cognitive abilities in late adulthood (see Bialystok, 2017, for a review), few studies have investigated the influences of bilingualism on socio-cognitive abilities such as theory of mind (ToM) in the normal aging process. Thus, in this study, we examine how bilingualism factors (i.e., onset age of bilingualism, language balance, and diversity in language use) are associated with individual differences in ToM in healthy older adult bilinguals aged 58-79 (N=44). ToM abilities were assessed using the Theory-of-Mind Task Battery (Hutchins et al., 2008), where participants viewed vignettes and answered questions about the protagonists’ cognitive and affective mental states. All participants completed a self-report language background questionnaire and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test as a measure of general cognitive ability. Results revealed that better ToM was negatively correlated with participants’ chronological age (r=-.43, p=.004) and the onset age of second-language acquisition (r=-.41, p=.006), but not language balance and diversity (ps>.40). Partial regression analyses showed that earlier onset age of bilingualism predicted better ToM performance (β=-.40, p=.009), even after controlling for age, education, and general cognitive ability. These findings suggest that bilingual language experience, particularly earlier exposure to a second language, may provide benefits to older adults in preserving their ability to understand others’ mental states, acting as a cognitive reserve against age-related declines in socio-cognitive functions.

scholarly journals Effects of stress hormones on the brain and cognition: Evidence from normal to pathological aging

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Nery de Souza-Talarico ◽  
Marie-France Marin ◽  
Shireen Sindi ◽  
Sonia J. Lupien
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Main Class ◽  
Performance Decline ◽  
With Memory

Abstract Several studies have demonstrated a wide cognitive variability among aged individuals. One factor thought to be associated with this heterogeneity is exposure to chronic stress throughout life. Animal and human evidence demonstrates that glucocorticoids (GCs), the main class of stress hormones, are strongly linked to memory performance whereby elevated GC levels are associated with memory performance decline in both normal and pathological cognitive aging. Accordingly, it is believed that GCs may increase the brain's vulnerability to the effects of internal and external insults, and thus may play a role in the development of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this review article was to investigate the effects of GCs on normal and pathological cognitive aging by showing how these hormones interact with different brain structures involved in cognitive abilities, subsequently worsen memory performance, and increase the risk for developing dementia.

Activity Engagement in Cognitive Aging: A Review of the Evidence

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Rogalski ◽  
Muriel Quintana
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Cognitive Decline

The population of older adults is rapidly increasing, as is the number and type of products and interventions proposed to prevent or reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Advocacy and prevention are part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) scope of practice documents, and speech-language pathologists must have basic awareness of the evidence contributing to healthy cognitive aging. In this article, we provide a brief overview outlining the evidence on activity engagement and its effects on cognition in older adults. We explore the current evidence around the activities of eating and drinking with a discussion on the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, alcohol, and coffee. We investigate the evidence on the hypothesized neuroprotective effects of social activity, the evidence on computerized cognitive training, and the emerging behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on physical activity. We conclude that actively aging using a combination of several strategies may be our best line of defense against cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Involvement of Irisin in age-related osteoporosis: positive correlation with BMD in older adult patients and inhibitory effect on the senescent marker p21 in osteoblasts

Bone Reports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 100833
Author(s):  
Graziana Colaianni ◽  
Lorenzo Sanesi ◽  
Giuseppina Storlino ◽  
Roberta Zerlotin ◽  
Patrizia Pignataro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adult ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Age Related
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