Age-related changes in controllable and uncontrollable processes underlying evaluative conditioning: A comparison between children ages 7 to 11 and young adults.

AbstractEmotional egocentric bias (EEB) occurs when, due to a partial failure in self-other distinction, empathy for another’s emotions is influenced by our own emotional state. Recent studies have demonstrated that this bias is higher in children, adolescents and older adults than in young adults. In the latter, overcoming emotional egocentrism has been associated with significant activity in the right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG), as well as increased connectivity between rSGM and somatosensory and visual cortices. Investigations on the neural correlates of EEB in adolescents and older adults are missing. We filled this gap, by asking female participants from three different age groups (adolescents, young adults and older adults, N=92) to perform a well-validated EEB task (Silani et al., 2013) in an MRI scanner. A multi-level analysis approach of MRI data including functional segregation, effective connectivity and structural analyses was adopted. Results revealed higher EEB in older compared to young adults and a comparable EEB in adolescents and young adults. Age-related differences in EEB were associated with differences in task-related rSMG connectivity with somatosensory cortices, especially with S2, which acted as a partial mediator between age and EEB. These findings provide further evidence for the crucial role of the rSMG in self-other distinction in the emotional domain, and suggest that the age-related decline in overcoming EEB is best explained by changes in rSMG connectivity rather than decreased regional activity in that area. This advocates a more systematic investigation of task-related connectivity in studies on aging and life-span development of social-cognitive phenomena.Significance StatementEmpathy comprises both the ability to identify and share another’s emotional state, and the ability to disentangle one’s own from the other’s emotional state. When self- and other-related emotions are conflicting, empathy might be negatively influenced by egocentric tendencies. This phenomenon is referred to as emotional egocentric bias (EEB), with previous research showing that its extent changes across the life-span. Here, we provide evidence that age-related differences in EEB are mainly associated with age-related changes in rSMG effective connectivity, and in particular that higher EEB in older adults is associated to lower rSMG effective connectivity with somatosensory cortices. These findings suggest the importance, particularly in aging, of intact functional connectivity for optimal socio-cognitive functioning.

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I remember it like it was yesterday: Age-related changes in the subjective experience of remembering the past

10.31234/osf.io/5kgha ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adrien Folville ◽

Jon Simons ◽

Arnaud D'Argembeau ◽

Christine Bastin

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Conceptual Knowledge ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Future Research ◽

Subjective Ratings ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Changes

It has been frequently described that older adults subjectively report the vividness of their memories as being as high, or even higher, than young adults, despite poorer objective memory performance and/or lower activity in the associated brain regions. Here, we review studies that examined age-related changes in the cognitive and neural basis of the subjective experience of remembering. Together, these studies reveal that older adults assign subjective memory ratings that are as high or higher than young adults but rely on retrieved memory details to a lesser extent. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying this observation. Overestimation of subjective ratings may stem from metamemory changes, psycho-social factors or methodological issues. As for poorer calibration of the ratings, this may be explained by the fact that older adults rely on/weight other types of information (conceptual knowledge, personal memories, and socioemotional or gist aspects of the memory trace) to a greater extent than young adults when judging the subjective vividness of their memories. We further highlight that a desirable avenue for future research would be to investigate how subjective ratings follow the richness of the corresponding mental representations in other cognitive operations than episodic memory and in other populations than healthy older adults. Finally, we recommend that future studies explore the bases of the subjective sense of remembering across the lifespan while considering recent accounts focusing both on individual and collective/shared aspects of recollection.

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Spatial and semantic interference on an auditory Stroop test: comparison of young and older adults

Auditory and Vestibular Research ◽

10.18502/avr.v30i4.7472 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shubhaganga Dhrruvakumar ◽

Asha Yathiraj

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Spatial Localization ◽

Stroop Test ◽

Response Accuracy ◽

Age Related ◽

Semantic Localization ◽

Left Front ◽

Age Related Changes

Background and Aim: Age related changes in cognitive functioning have been shown to vary depending on the task used. Thus, the study aimed to compare the responses of young and older adults to an auditory Stroop test that assessed spatial (responses to location of the stimuli) and semantic (responses to meaning of the stimuli) localization. Methods: The “Auditory spatial and semantic localization Stroop test”, developed as a part of the study was administered on 30 young adults aged 18 to 30 years and 30 older adults aged 58 to 70 years having normal hearing. The response accuracy and reaction time of the participants were determined for the words “right”, “left”, “front”, and “back.” Results: The older adults had significantly poorer response accuracy and reaction time than the young adults for both spatial and semantic localization tasks. Within each participant group, semantic localization had better response accuracy than spatial localization, while such differences in reaction time were found only in the older adults. In both groups, a congruency effect was seen for spatial but not for semantic localization when response accuracy was calculated, whereas it was observed only for semantic and not for spatial localization when reaction time was measured. Conclusion: The auditory Stroop test, which measures stimulus interference and cognitive skills, could be used as a simple tool to assess the same for stimuli presented through the auditory modality. This would be especially helpful in older adults who may demonstrate cognitive decline with ageing to auditory stimuli. Keywords: Spatial localization; semantic localization; auditory Stroop test; age related changes

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Validating the Capability for Measuring Age-Related Changes in Grip-Force Strength Using a Digital Hand-Held Dynamometer in Healthy Young and Elderly Adults

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2020/6936879 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shu-Chun Lee ◽

Li-Chen Wu ◽

Shang-Lin Chiang ◽

Liang-Hsuan Lu ◽

Chao-Ying Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Grip Force ◽

The Elderly ◽

Elderly Adults ◽

Hand Grip ◽

Age Related ◽

Jamar Dynamometer ◽

Maximum Grip ◽

Age Related Changes

Background. Grip-force performance can be affected by aging, and hand-grip weakness is associated with functional limitations of dasily living. However, using an appropriate digital hand-held dynamometer with continuous hand-grip force data collection shows age-related changes in the quality of hand-grip force control may provide more valuable information for clinical diagnoses rather than merely recording instantaneous maximal hand-grip force in frail elderly adults or people with a disability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to indicate the construct validity of the digital MicroFET3 dynamometer with Jamar values for maximal grip-force assessments in elderly and young adults and confirmed age-related changes in the maximal and the quality of grip-force performance using the MicroFET3 dynamometer in elderly people. Methods. Sixty-five healthy young (23.3±4.5 years) and 50 elderly (69.5±5.8 years) adults were recruited and asked to perform a validity test of the grip-force maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) using both the dominant and nondominant hands with a Jamar dynamometer and a MicroFET3 dynamometer. Results. A strong correlation of maximal grip-force measurements was found between the MicroFET3 dynamometer and Jamar standard dynamometer for both hands in all participants (p<0.05). Although, the results showed that a lower grip force was measured in both hands by the MicroFET3 dynamometer than with the Jamar dynamometer by 49.9%~57% (p<0.05), but confidently conversion formulae were also developed to convert MicroFET3 dynamometer values to equivalent Jamar values for both hands. Both dynamometers indicated age-related declines in the maximum grip-force performance by 36.7%~44.3% (p<0.05). We also found that the maximal hand-grip force values generated in both hand by the elderly adults were slower and more inconsistent than those of the young adults when using the MicroFET3 dynamometer. Conclusions. This study demonstrated that the digital MicroFET3 dynamometer has good validity when used to measure the maximal grip force of both hands, and conversion formulae were also developed to convert MicroFET3 dynamometer force values to Jamar values in both hands. Comparing with the Jamar dynamometer for measuring grip force, the MicroFET3 dynamometer not only indicated age-related declines in the maximum grip-force performance but also showed slower and more inconsistent maximal hand-grip strength generation by the elderly.

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Age-Related Changes in Presynaptic Inhibition During Gait Initiation

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab010 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Solival Santos Filho ◽

Daniel Boari Coelho ◽

Carlos Ugrinowitsch ◽

Caroline Ribeiro de Souza ◽

Fernando Henrique Magalhães ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Presynaptic Inhibition ◽

Gait Initiation ◽

Quiet Stance ◽

Age Related ◽

Contraction Ratio ◽

Age Range ◽

Age Related Changes ◽

Presynaptic Control

Abstract Age-related changes in presynaptic inhibition (PSI) have not been observed during gait initiation, which requires anticipatory postural adjustment (APA). As APA is centrally modulated and is impaired in older compared to young adults, here we aimed to study the presynaptic control and co-contraction levels in the ankle muscles during gait initiation in older compared to young adults. Fifteen older (age range 65–80 years) and 15 young adults (age range 19–30 years) performed a gait initiation task on a force platform under 3 conditions: (i) without electrical stimulation; (ii) test Hoffman reflex (H-reflex); and (iii) conditioned H-reflex. H-reflexes were evoked on the soleus muscle when the APA amplitude exceeded 10%–20% of the average baseline mediolateral force. Participants also performed quiet stance as a control task. Results showed that both age groups presented similar PSI levels during quiet stance (p = .941), while in the gait initiation older adults presented higher PSI levels, longer duration, and lower amplitude of APA than young adults (p < .05). Older adults presented higher co-contraction ratio in both tasks than young adults (p < .05). Correlations between the PSI levels and the APA amplitude (r = −0.61, p = .008), and between the PSI levels and the co-contraction ratio during gait initiation (r = −0.64, p = .005) were found for older adults only. APA amplitude explained 49% of the variance of the PSI levels (p = .003). Our findings suggest that older compared to young adults have increased presynaptic control to compensate for the decreased supraspinal modulation on impaired APAs during gait initiation.

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Revisiting the Age-Prospective Memory Paradox Using Laboratory and Ecological Tasks

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.691752 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yu Wen Koo ◽

David L. Neumann ◽

Tamara Ownsworth ◽

David H. K. Shum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Young Adults ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Future Time ◽

Age Related ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽

Age Related Changes

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to perform a planned action at a future time. Older adults have shown moderate declines in PM, which are thought to be driven by age-related changes in the prefrontal cortex. However, an age-PM paradox is often reported, whereby deficits are evident in laboratory-based PM tasks, but not naturalistic PM tasks. The key aims of this study were to: (1) examine the age-PM paradox using the same sample across laboratory and ecological settings; and (2) determine whether self-reported PM and cognitive factors such as working memory and IQ are associated PM performance. Two PM tasks were administered (ecological vs. laboratory) to a sample of 23 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 72.30, SDage = 5.62) and 28 young adults (Mage = 20.18, SDage = 3.30). Participants also completed measures of general cognitive function, working memory, IQ, and self-reported memory. Our results did not support the existence of the age-PM paradox. Strong age effects across both laboratory and ecological PM tasks were observed in which older adults consistently performed worse on the PM tasks than young adults. In addition, PM performance was significantly associated with self-reported PM measures in young adults. For older adults, IQ was associated with time-based PM. These findings suggest that the age-PM paradox is more complex than first thought and there are differential predictors of PM performance for younger and older adults.

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Children's Development of Reaching: Temporal and Spatial Aspects of Aimed Whole-Arm Movements

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1992.75.2.375 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 375-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Cécile Fayt ◽

Nicole Schepens ◽

Marc Minet

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Movement Time ◽

Age Groups ◽

Target Position ◽

Arm Movement ◽

Pointing Errors ◽

Age Related ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Age Related Changes

Age-related changes in movement time and spatial distribution of pointing errors were investigated using a whole-arm target-aimed task. 60 children (6 to 11 yr.) and 10 young adults were required to reach towards targets located on a vertical screen in four conditions: target lit for 4 sec. in light (1), in darkness (2), target lit for 200 msec. in light (3), in darkness (4). Accuracy was perfect in Conditions 1 and 2, with a significant increase of MT in Condition 2 between the ages 7 and 10. Accuracy decreased slightly in Condition 3 and strongly in Condition 4, despite a similar shortening of MT. In Condition 4 the subjects undershot the target position: horizontally from age 8 and vertically in all age groups, with an increase of vertical bias by girls at age 9. These results suggest age-related changes in computation of arm movement towards the target.

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Shift in Induction Mechanisms Underlies an Age-Dependent Increase in DHPG-Induced Synaptic Depression at CA3–CA1 Synapses

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00514.2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 98 (5) ◽

pp. 2729-2736 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Ashok Kumar ◽

Thomas C. Foster

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Synaptic Plasticity ◽

Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽

Synaptic Depression ◽

Advanced Age ◽

Metabotropic Receptor ◽

Age Related ◽

Group I ◽

Enhanced Expression ◽

Age Related Changes

Several forms of log-term synaptic plasticity have been identified and the mechanisms for induction and expression of synaptic modifications change over development and maturation. The present study examines age-related changes in the induction of group I metabotropic receptor selective agonist ( R, S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) induced long-term synaptic depression (DHPG-LTD) at CA3–CA1 synapses. The results demonstrate that the magnitude of DHPG-LTD is enhanced in male aged Fischer 344 rats compared with young adults. The role of mGluR1 in the induction of DHPG-LTD was increased with advanced age and, in contrast to young adults, induction involved a significant contribution of NMDA receptors and L-type Ca2+ channels. Moreover, the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium orthovanadate significantly attenuated DHPG-LTD only in young adults. The expression of DHPG-LTD in aged animals was dependent on protein synthesis and the enhanced expression was associated with an increase in paired-pulse facilitation. The results provide evidence that DHPG-LTD is one of the few forms of synaptic plasticity that increases with advanced age and suggest that DHPG-LTD may contribute to age-related changes in hippocampal function.

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Aging Impairs Inhibitory Control Over Incidental Cues: A Construal-Level Perspective

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797621998316 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095679762199831

Author(s):

Liat Hadar ◽

Yaacov Trope ◽

Boaz M. Ben-David

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Young Adults ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Past Research ◽

Irrelevant Information ◽

Construal Level ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Product Study ◽

Age Related Changes

Age-related changes in decision making have been attributed to deterioration of cognitive skills, such as learning and memory. On the basis of past research showing age-related decreases in the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, we hypothesize that these changes occur, in part, because of older adults’ tendency to give more weight to low-level, subordinate, and goal-irrelevant information than younger adults do. Consistent with this hypothesis, our findings demonstrated that young adults are willing to pay more for a product with superior end attributes than a product with superior means attributes (Study 1, N = 200) and are more satisfied after an experience with superior end than means attributes (Study 2, N = 399). Young adults are also more satisfied with a goal-relevant than with a goal-irrelevant product (Study 3, N = 201; Study 4, N = 200, preregistered). Importantly, these effects were attenuated with age. Implications for research on construal level and aging, as well as implications for policymakers, are discussed.

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Age-related changes in the neuromuscular control of forward and backward locomotion

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0246372 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0246372

Author(s):

Arthur H. Dewolf ◽

Francesca Sylos-Labini ◽

Germana Cappellini ◽

Yury Ivanenko ◽

Francesco Lacquaniti

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Neuromuscular Control ◽

Emg Activity ◽

Intersegmental Coordination ◽

Backward Walking ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Age Related ◽

Spatiotemporal Parameters ◽

Age Related Changes

Previous studies found significant modification in spatiotemporal parameters of backward walking in healthy older adults, but the age-related changes in the neuromuscular control have been considered to a lesser extent. The present study compared the intersegmental coordination, muscle activity and corresponding modifications of spinal montoneuronal output during both forward and backward walking in young and older adults. Ten older and ten young adults walked forward and backward on a treadmill at different speeds. Gait kinematics and EMG activity of 14 unilateral lower-limb muscles were recorded. As compared to young adults, the older ones used shorter steps, a more in-phase shank and foot motion, and the activity profiles of muscles innervated from the sacral segments were significantly wider in each walking condition. These findings highlight age-related changes in the neuromuscular control of both forward and backward walking. A striking feature of backward walking was the differential organization of the spinal output as compared to forward gait. In addition, the resulting spatiotemporal map patterns also characterized age-related changes of gait. Finally, modifications of the intersegmental coordination with aging were greater during backward walking. On the whole, the assessment of backward walk in addition to routine forward walk may help identifying or unmasking neuromuscular adjustments of gait to aging.

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