Temporal Characteristics of the Speech of Normal Elderly Adults

1987 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce L. Smith ◽  
Jan Wasowicz ◽  
Judy Preston
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Temporal Characteristics ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Fast Rates

A number of physical and psychological changes occur as a result of the normal aging process. These changes often result in an increase in the time subjects require to perform various motor (and sensory) tasks. Although the effects of aging upon a variety of behaviors have been quite well documented, considerably less information is available concerning how normal aging may affect speech production. The present study examined temporal characteristics of the speech of 10 normal, elderly adults and 10 young adults who produced a variety of words and sentences at both normal and fast speaking rates. Acoustic analyses indicated that the elderly adults' segment, syllable, and sentence durations were 20 to 25% longer than those of the young adults at both the normal and the fast rates of speech. In addition to comparisons that were made between these two groups of subjects, comparisons were also made with durations of the speech of young children studied in previous research. It was observed that the elderly subjects tended to produce durations comparable to those of 6- and 7-year-old children.

Fat and carbohydrate metabolism during exercise in elderly and young subjects

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (6) ◽  
pp. E983-E989 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sial ◽  
A. R. Coggan ◽  
R. Carroll ◽  
J. Goodwin ◽  
S. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Carbohydrate Metabolism ◽  
Relative Intensity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Absolute Intensity ◽  
Substrate Oxidation ◽  
Carbohydrate Oxidation ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Moderate Intensity Exercise

We evaluated the effect of aging on fat and carbohydrate metabolism during moderate intensity exercise. Glycerol, free fatty acid (FFA), and glucose rate of appearance (Ra) in plasma and substrate oxidation were determined during 60 min of cycle ergometer exercise in six elderly (73 +/- 2 yr) and six young adults (26 +/- 2 yr) matched by gender and lean body mass. The elderly group was studied during exercise performed at 56 +/- 3% of maximum oxygen uptake, whereas the young adults were studied during exercise performed at the same absolute and at a similar relative intensity as the elderly subjects. Mean fat oxidation during exercise was 25-35% lower in the elderly subjects than in the young adults exercising at either the same absolute or similar relative intensities (P < 0.05). Mean carbohydrate oxidation in the elderly group was 35% higher than the young adults exercising at the same absolute intensity (P < 0.001) but 40% lower than the young adults exercising at the same relative intensity (P < 0.001). Average FFA Ra in the elderly subjects was 85% higher than in the young adults exercising at the same absolute intensity (P < 0.05) but 35% lower than the young adults exercising at a similar relative intensity (P < 0.05). We conclude that fat oxidation is decreased while carbohydrate oxidation is increased during moderate intensity exercise in elderly men and women. The shift in substrate oxidation was caused by age-related changes in skeletal muscle respiratory capacity because lipolytic rates and FFA availability were not rate limiting in the older subjects.

scholarly journals Evaluating the effectiveness of dichotic training in the elderly adults: a single subject study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Shahidipour ◽  
Saeid Farahani ◽  
Ghassem Mohammadkhani ◽  
Elham Tavanai ◽  
Nariman Rahbar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Intensity Difference ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Dichotic Training

Background and Aim: Elderly people usually show poor performance in dichotic listening tasks. In this condition, the left ear being often the weaker one shows a performance below the normal limits. Studies have shown the effectiveness of dichotic listening training in auditory and language processing for adults and children with neurological disorders. This study aimed to develop a home-version of dichotic training and investigate its effectiveness in elderly adults. Methods: Participants in this single-subject interventional study (AB design) were four elderly subjects (two males and two females) aged 65−75 years. The main inclusion criteria were dichotic listening deficit demonstrated by the dichotic digit test (DDT), no neurological or cognitive disorders, and normal hearing threshold. Dichotic listening training was performed with an informal home-version of dichotic interaural intensity difference (DIID) training program for seven weeks. DDT was performed seven consecutive weeks before (phase A) and after the intervention (phase B) at the end of each week. Results: Data were analyzed by single-subject study statistics. Findings demonstrated an improvement in DDT scores for the left ear and decrease in right ear advantage scores in all the elderly adults after DIID training program. It seems that this training program could remediate poor performance in dichotic listening tasks in elderly people. Conclusion: The advantage of this method is that it can be easily done at home and is costeffective. However, further studies are needed to approve the neuroplasticity and structural changes in the brain after the DIID training program in this population. Keywords: Auditory rehabilitation; dichotic training; dichotic listening; elderly; singlesubject study

scholarly journals Arterial-cardiac baroreflex function: insights from repeated squat-stand maneuvers

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. R116-R123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Zhang ◽  
Jurgen A. H. R. Claassen ◽  
Shigeki Shibata ◽  
Sinem Kilic ◽  
Kristin Martin-Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Arterial Pressure ◽  
Body Position ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Pulley System ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Baroreflex Function ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Transfer Function Gain

To assess baroreflex function under closed-loop conditions, a new approach was used to generate large and physiological perturbations in arterial pressure. Blood pressure (BP) and R-R interval were recorded continuously in 20 healthy young (33 ± 8 yr) and eight elderly subjects (66 ± 6 yr). Repeated squat-stand maneuvers at the frequencies of 0.05 and 0.1 Hz were performed to produce periodic oscillations in BP to provoke the baroreflex. To assess the effects of the muscle reflex and/or central command on the baroreflex, passive squat-stand maneuvers were conducted using a pulley system to assist changes in body position. Transfer function between changes in BP and R-R interval was estimated to assess the arterial-cardiac baroreflex. Relative to resting conditions, large and coherent oscillations in BP and R-R interval were produced during both active and passive squat-stand maneuvers. However, changes in BP were smaller during passive than during active maneuvers. Changes in R-R interval were reduced commensurately. Therefore, transfer function gain did not change between the two maneuvers. Compared with the young, transfer function gain was reduced and the phase became more negative in the elderly, demonstrating the well-known effects of aging on reducing baroreflex sensitivity. Collectively, these findings suggest that the changes in R-R interval elicited by BP perturbations during squat-stand maneuvers are mediated primarily by a baroreflex mechanism. Furthermore, baroreflex function can be assessed using the transfer function method during large perturbations in arterial pressure.

scholarly journals Aging is associated with increased propensity for central apnea during NREM sleep

2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susmita Chowdhuri ◽  
Sukanya Pranathiageswaran ◽  
Hillary Loomis-King ◽  
Anan Salloum ◽  
M. Safwan Badr
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Central Apnea ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep ◽  
Controller Gain ◽  
Central Apneas

The reason for increased sleep-disordered breathing with predominance of central apneas in the elderly is unknown. We hypothesized that the propensity to central apneas is increased in older adults, manifested by a reduced carbon-dioxide (CO2) reserve in older compared with young adults during non-rapid eye movement sleep. Ten elderly and 15 young healthy adults underwent multiple brief trials of nasal noninvasive positive pressure ventilation during stable NREM sleep. Cessation of mechanical ventilation (MV) resulted in hypocapnic central apnea or hypopnea. The CO2 reserve was defined as the difference in end-tidal CO2 ([Formula: see text]) between eupnea and the apneic threshold, where the apneic threshold was [Formula: see text] that demarcated the central apnea closest to the eupneic [Formula: see text]. For each MV trial, the hypocapnic ventilatory response (controller gain) was measured as the change in minute ventilation (V̇e) during the MV trial for a corresponding change in [Formula: see text]. The eupneic [Formula: see text] was significantly lower in elderly vs. young adults. Compared with young adults, the elderly had a significantly reduced CO2 reserve (−2.6 ± 0.4 vs. −4.1 ± 0.4 mmHg, P = 0.01) and a higher controller gain (2.3 ± 0.2 vs. 1.4 ± 0.2 l·min−1·mmHg−1, P = 0.007), indicating increased chemoresponsiveness in the elderly. Thus elderly adults are more prone to hypocapnic central apneas owing to increased hypocapnic chemoresponsiveness during NREM sleep. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The study describes an original finding where healthy older adults compared with healthy young adults demonstrated increased breathing instability during non-rapid eye movement sleep, as suggested by a smaller carbon dioxide reserve and a higher controller gain. The findings may explain the increased propensity for central apneas in elderly adults during sleep and potentially guide the development of pathophysiology-defined personalized therapies for sleep apnea in the elderly.

Neuroendocrine rhythms and sleep in aging men

1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (4) ◽  
pp. E651-E661 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. van Coevorden ◽  
J. Mockel ◽  
E. Laurent ◽  
M. Kerkhofs ◽  
M. L'Hermite-Baleriaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Male ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Elderly Men ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Effects Of Aging

To delineate the physiological effects of aging on basal levels and temporal patterns of neuroendocrine secretions, the 24-h profiles of cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), melatonin, prolactin, and growth hormone (GH) levels were simultaneously obtained at frequent intervals in eight healthy, active elderly men, age 67-84 yr and in eight young male adults, age 20-27 yr. The study was preceded by an extended period of habituation to laboratory conditions, and sleep was polygraphically recorded. Mean cortisol levels in the elderly were normal, but the amplitude of the circadian rhythm was reduced. Circulating levels of daytime and nighttime levels of both TSH and GH were greatly diminished in old age. In contrast, prolactin and melatonin concentrations were decreased during the nighttime only. The circadian rises of cortisol, TSH, and melatonin occurred 1-1.5 h earlier in elderly subjects, and the distribution of rapid-eye-movement stages during sleep was similarly advanced, suggesting that circadian timekeeping is modified during normal senescence. Despite perturbations of sleep, sleep-related release of GH and prolactin occurred in all elderly men. Age-related decreases in hormonal levels were associated with a decrease in the amplitude, but not the frequency, of secretory pulses. These findings demonstrate that the normal process of aging involves alterations in the central mechanisms controlling the temporal organization of endocrine release in addition to a reduction of secretory outputs.

Age and Gender Differences in Body Attitudes: A Comparison of Young and Elderly Adults

1998 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Franzoi ◽  
Virginia Koehler
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Body Attitudes ◽  
And Gender

One hundred and thirty-two young adults (Mean = 19 years) and 142 elderly adults (Mean = 74 years) evaluated thirty-five different aspects of their own bodies. As hypothesized, elderly adults expressed less positive attitudes than young adults toward body items associated with body functioning (physical coordination, agility, sex drive, health). These differences are consistent with research indicating a progressive decline in bodily function efficiency with advancing age (Christofalo, 1988; Lakatta, 1990). Also as expected, the elderly held less positive attitudes toward body aspects associated with facial attractiveness (lips, appearance of eyes, cheek/cheekbones). These differences are in line with the structural changes that occur in the face as people age, moving them further from cultural beauty standards. One area where these age differences were reversed was in women's attitudes toward weight-related body items: elderly women expressed greater satisfaction than young women toward their appetite, thighs, and weight. The cause of this age difference in women may be due to thinness being a more defining standard of attractiveness for young women, or it could be due to the fact that people typically lose weight after the age of fifty, thus making weight gain less of a concern for older women. Results further indicated that, although men have more positive body attitudes than women, this gender difference is not nearly as pronounced among the elderly.

Individual limb work does not explain the greater metabolic cost of walking in elderly adults

2007 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 2266-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justus D. Ortega ◽  
Claire T. Farley
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Young Subjects

Elderly adults consume more metabolic energy during walking than young adults. Our study tested the hypothesis that elderly adults consume more metabolic energy during walking than young adults because they perform more individual limb work on the center of mass. Thus we compared how much individual limb work young and elderly adults performed on the center of mass during walking. We measured metabolic rate and ground reaction force while 10 elderly and 10 young subjects walked at 5 speeds between 0.7 and 1.8 m/s. Compared with young subjects, elderly subjects consumed an average of 20% more metabolic energy ( P = 0.010), whereas they performed an average of 10% less individual limb work during walking over the range of speeds ( P = 0.028). During the single-support phase, elderly and young subjects both conserved ∼80% of the center of mass mechanical energy by inverted pendulum energy exchange and performed a similar amount of individual limb work ( P = 0.473). However, during double support, elderly subjects performed an average of 17% less individual limb work than young subjects ( P = 0.007) because their forward speed fluctuated less ( P = 0.006). We conclude that the greater metabolic cost of walking in elderly adults cannot be explained by a difference in individual limb work. Future studies should examine whether a greater metabolic cost of stabilization, reduced muscle efficiency, greater antagonist cocontraction, and/or a greater cost of generating muscle force cause the elevated metabolic cost of walking in elderly adults.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals VH3 Antibody Response to Immunization with Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine in Middle-Aged and Elderly Persons

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A. Serpa ◽  
Josemon Valayam ◽  
Daniel M. Musher ◽  
Roger D. Rossen ◽  
Liise-anne Pirofski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Polysaccharide Vaccine ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine ◽  
Elderly Adults ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Idiotypic Antibody

ABSTRACTPneumococcal disease continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Older adults may have high levels of anticapsular antibody after vaccination, but their antibodies show decreased functional activity. In addition, the protective effect of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) seems to cease as early as 3 to 5 years postvaccination. Recently, it was suggested that PPV elicits human antibodies that use predominantly VH3 gene segments and induce a repertoire shift with increased VH3 expression in peripheral B cells. Here we compared VH3-idiotypic antibody responses in middle-aged and elderly subjects receiving PPV as initial immunization or revaccination. We studied pre- and postvaccination sera from 36 (18 vaccine-naïve and 18 previously immunized subjects) middle-aged and 40 (22 vaccine-naïve and 18 previously immunized subjects) elderly adults who received 23-valent PPV. Concentrations of IgGs to four individual serotypes (6B, 14, 19F, and 23F) and of VH3-idiotypic antibodies (detected by the monoclonal antibody D12) to the whole pneumococcal vaccine were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PPV elicited significant IgG and VH3-idiotypic antibody responses in middle-aged and elderly subjects, regardless of whether they were vaccine naïve or undergoing revaccination. Age did not influence the magnitude of the antibody responses, as evidenced by similar postvaccination IgG and VH3 antibody levels in both groups, even after stratifying by prior vaccine status. Furthermore, we found similar proportions (around 50%) of elderly and middle-aged subjects experiencing 2-fold increases in VH3 antibody titers after vaccination. Age or repeated immunization does not appear to affect the VH3-idiotypic immunogenicity of PPV among middle-aged and elderly adults.

Differences in EEG Harmonic Driving Responses to Photic Stimulation between Normal Aging and Alzheimer's Disease

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsuru Kikuchi ◽  
Yuji Wada ◽  
Yoshifumi Koshino
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Photic Stimulation ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Absolute Power ◽  
The Brain

In order to investigate whether Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the end result of aging of the brain or the result of some other mechanism, we analyzed EEGs showing the absolute power of harmonic responses to photic stimulation (PS) in younger subjects, non-demented elderly subjects and AD patients. At rest, the AD patients generally showed less absolute power than the younger and elderly subjects, with significant differences found at 10Hz and 20Hz. Analysis of EEGs recorded during PS indicated that the elderly subjects generally demonstrated more absolute power than the younger subjects and AD patients. These findings suggest a failure of stimulation-related brain activation in AD patients, and provide further evidence that normal aging and AD employ different mechanisms for functional organization during PS.

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