A-03 The Brain–Body Connection in Aging Neurological Populations: Examining the Impact of Exercise and Sedentary Behavior on Brain Structure and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract Objective Advancements in treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) have led to an increase in the number of older adults living with the disease. Exercise has been shown to be remarkably beneficial for “healthy aging,” while sedentary behavior has proved to have more deleterious effects. Despite evidence for the impact of these factors, their influence on older adults with MS is largely unknown. The current study utilizes volumetric measures and graph theory to investigate the relationship between physical activity/sedentary behavior, structural brain indices, and cognition in older adults with MS. Method Twenty-seven older adults (55+) with MS were scanned during a structural MRI protocol and cognitively evaluated using the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Graph theory metrics were calculated to examine white matter network properties. FreeSurfer was used to calculate volumes for subcortical structures. Exercise was quantified as the ‘days per week engaged in moderate activity,’ while sedentary behavior was measured as ‘hours per day sitting.’ Results Multiple regression interaction analyses were conducted. Results showed an exercise by age interaction, such that exercise protected against the negative effects of age on thalamic volume and assortivity. Hours sitting per day was shown to add to the negative effects of aging on structural networks even after controlling for exercise. Lastly, exercise was observed to be protective against age-related cognitive decline in this sample. Conclusions This is one of the first studies to examine exercise/sedentariness and brain indices in older adults with MS, pointing to possible brain altering and protective interventions for this group.

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Age-Related Effects on Future Mental Time Travel

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2016/1867270 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Filomena Anelli ◽

Elisa Ciaramelli ◽

Shahar Arzy ◽

Francesca Frassinetti

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Time Travel ◽

Mental Time Travel ◽

Human Cognition ◽

Subjective Time ◽

Age Related ◽

Future Events ◽

The Impact ◽

Self Reference

Mental time travel (MTT), the ability to travel mentally back and forward in time in order to reexperience past events and preexperience future events, is crucial in human cognition. As we move along life, MTT may be changed accordingly. However, the relation between re- and preexperiencing along the lifespan is still not clear. Here, young and older adults underwent a psychophysical paradigm assessing two different components of MTT: self-projection, which is the ability to project the self towards a past or a future location of the mental time line, and self-reference, which is the ability to determine whether events are located in the past or future in reference to that given self-location. Aged individuals performed worse in both self-projection to the future and self-reference to future events compared to young individuals. In addition, aging decreased older adults’ preference for personal compared to nonpersonal events. These results demonstrate the impact of MTT and self-processing on subjective time processing in healthy aging. Changes in memory functions in aged people may therefore be related not only to memory per se, but also to the relations of memory and self.

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Physical Activity and Healthy Aging with Multiple Sclerosis—Literature Review and Research Directions

US Neurology ◽

10.17925/usn.2016.12.01.29 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (01) ◽

pp. 29 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Robert W Motl ◽

◽

Emerson Sebastião ◽

Rachel E Klaren ◽

Edward McAuley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Physical Activity Behavior ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Directions ◽

Age Related ◽

Health Aging ◽

Activity Behavior

There is a “greying” of the population of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) that coincides with both increased life expectancy and the shifting demographic landscape worldwide. This growing cohort of older adults with MS undergoes normal age-related declines in physical and psychologic functioning that may be compounded by the disease and its progression. Little is known about predicting and managing the progression and consequences of MS in older adults. We believe that a focus on physical activity behavior represents a novel opportunity for transformative research on healthy aging with MS. The current paper reviews existing evidence on physical activity rates, correlates, consequences, and interventions among older adults with MS, and highlights important areas for future research on physical activity and health aging with MS.

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Image Reconstruction Reveals the Impact of Aging on Face Perception

10.1101/2019.12.20.883215 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chi-Hsun Chang ◽

Dan Nemrodov ◽

Natalia Drobotenko ◽

Adrian Nestor ◽

Andy C. H. Lee

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Image Reconstruction ◽

Face Perception ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Age Related ◽

Facial Shape ◽

The Impact ◽

Insight Into

AbstractExtensive work has demonstrated a decline in face recognition abilities associated with healthy aging. To date, however, there has been limited insight into the nature and the extent of aging-related alterations in internal face representations. Here, we sought to address these issues by using an image reconstruction approach that capitalizes on the structure of behavioral data to reveal the pictorial content of visual representations. To this end, healthy young and older adults provided similarity judgments with pairs of face images. Facial shape and surface features were subsequently derived from the structure of the data for each participant and combined into image reconstructions of facial appearance. Our findings revealed that image reconstruction was successful for every participant, irrespective of age. However, reconstruction accuracies of shape and surface information were lower for older individuals than young individuals. Specifically, facial features diagnostic for face perception, such as eye shape and skin tone, were reconstructed poorly in older adults relative to young adults. At the same time, we found that age-related effects only accounted for a relatively small proportion of individual variability in face representations. Thus, our results provide novel insight into age-related changes in visual perception, they account for the decline in facial recognition occurring with age and they demonstrate the utility of image reconstruction to uncovering internal representations across a variety of populations.

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Policy Series: The Impact of Ageism on Health and Efforts to Address It Through Reframing Aging

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2556 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 722-722

Author(s):

Erica Solway

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Research Education ◽

National Poll ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact

Abstract Ageism can manifest in a variety of ways including in institutional policies and practices, interpersonal interactions, older adults’ internalization of ageist stereotypes, and through the media. While major incidents of age-based discrimination and their negative effects on health are more recognized, older adults also experience less momentous, but still harmful ageism in their day-to-day lives. These types of everyday ageism are also harmful to health. This symposium will highlight recent research from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging on self-reported experiences of everyday ageism among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults age50-80 and its connections to physical and mental health outcomes. Next, another researcher also using data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging will explore the prevalence of positive attributes of aging, its relationships to health, and ways in which it may buffer older adults from the adverse health consequences of ageism. Then speakers will highlight the Reframing Aging initiative and the ways in which GSA and other organizations are leading a national effort to address ageism through education and dissemination of research-based resources. This session will feature research, education, and advocacy efforts and will focus on the policy implications of efforts to better understand the prevalence of and strategies to counter the effects of ageism.

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Sleep in Normal Aging, Homeostatic and Circadian Regulation and Vulnerability to Sleep Deprivation

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11081003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1003

Author(s):

Jacques Taillard ◽

Claude Gronfier ◽

Stéphanie Bioulac ◽

Pierre Philip ◽

Patricia Sagaspe

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Health Management ◽

Nrem Sleep ◽

Early Morning ◽

Subcortical Structures ◽

Wake Time ◽

Adverse Health Outcomes ◽

Neurobehavioral Function ◽

Age Related

In the context of geriatric research, a growing body of evidence links normal age-related changes in sleep with many adverse health outcomes, especially a decline in cognition in older adults. The most important sleep alterations that continue to worsen after 60 years involve sleep timing, (especially early wake time, phase advance), sleep maintenance (continuity of sleep interrupted by numerous awakenings) and reduced amount of sigma activity (during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep) associated with modifications of sleep spindle characteristics (density, amplitude, frequency) and spindle–Slow Wave coupling. After 60 years, there is a very clear gender-dependent deterioration in sleep. Even if there are degradations of sleep after 60 years, daytime wake level and especially daytime sleepiness is not modified with age. On the other hand, under sleep deprivation condition, older adults show smaller cognitive impairments than younger adults, suggesting an age-related lower vulnerability to extended wakefulness. These sleep and cognitive age-related modifications would be due to a reduced homeostatic drive and consequently a reduced sleep need, an attenuation of circadian drive (reduction of sleep forbidden zone in late afternoon and wake forbidden zone in early morning), a modification of the interaction of the circadian and homeostatic processes and/or an alteration of subcortical structures involved in generation of circadian and homeostatic drive, or connections to the cerebral cortex with age. The modifications and interactions of these two processes with age are still uncertain, and still require further investigation. The understanding of the respective contribution of circadian and homeostatic processes in the regulation of neurobehavioral function with aging present a challenge for improving health, management of cognitive decline and potential early chronobiological or sleep-wake interventions.

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Dual Effects of Hearing Loss and Dementia on Functional Limitations in Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.690 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 214-214

Author(s):

Michael McKee ◽

Yunshu Zhou ◽

Joshua Ehrlich ◽

Elham Mahmoudi ◽

Jennifer Deal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Self Care ◽

Household Activity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Lower Mobility ◽

Independent Effects ◽

The Impact

Abstract Age-related hearing loss (HL) is both common and associated with elevated risk for cognitive decline and poorer health. To care for an aging population, it is critical to understand the effect of coexisting HL and dementia on functional activities. The effect of co-existing dementia and self-reported HL on daily functioning were assessed. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using nationally-representative data from the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study consisting of U.S. adults 65+. The sample included 1,829 adults with HL (22.8%) and 5,338 adults without HL. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to model the independent effects and interaction of self-reported HL and dementia status on three validated functional activity scales (self-care, mobility, and household). All analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and medical factors. HL participants were more likely to be white, older, male, less educated (p <0.01). 8.4% had possible dementia and 6.5% had probable dementia. Respondents with HL or possible or probable dementia had significantly lower mobility, self-care, and household activity scores (p<.001 for all comparisons) compared to their peers. A small yet significant interaction was present in all models, suggesting that HL respondents with co-occurring dementia had lower mobility, self-care, and household activity scores than predicted by the independent effects of dementia and self-reported HL (p<.001 for all comparisons). Older adults with co-occurring dementia and HL are at increased risk for poor functioning and should be screened by healthcare providers. Future work should consider the impact of intervention in this vulnerable/at-risk population.

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The Impact of Behavioral Intervention on Obesity Mediated Declines in Mobility Function: Implications for Longevity

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.4061/2011/392510 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Joe Nocera ◽

Thomas W. Buford ◽

Todd M. Manini ◽

Kelly Naugle ◽

Christiaan Leeuwenburgh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Aging Process ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Functional Limitations ◽

Mobility Performance ◽

Mobility Function ◽

Age Related ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Primary Focus ◽

The Impact

A primary focus of longevity research is to identify prognostic risk factors that can be mediated by early treatment efforts. To date, much of this work has focused on understanding the biological processes that may contribute to aging process and age-related disease conditions. Although such processes are undoubtedly important, no current biological intervention aimed at increasing health and lifespan exists. Interestingly, a close relationship between mobility performance and the aging process has been documented in older adults. For example, recent studies have identified functional status, as assessed by walking speed, as a strong predictor of major health outcomes, including mortality, in older adults. This paper aims to describe the relationship between the comorbidities related to decreased health and lifespan and mobility function in obese, older adults. Concurrently, lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, are described as a means to improve mobility function and thereby limit the functional limitations associated with increased mortality.

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Age-Related Differences in Actual-Ideal Personality Trait Level Discrepancies

10.31234/osf.io/642kf ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marie Hennecke ◽

Paul Schumann ◽

jule specht

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Big Five ◽

Personality Trait ◽

Age Effects ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Age Related ◽

Trait Level ◽

Patterns Of Behavior ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Impact

People differ from each other in their typical patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion and these patterns are considered to constitute their personalities (Funder, 2001). For various reasons, for example because certain trait levels may help to attain certain goals or fulfill certain social roles, people may experience that their actual trait levels are different from their ideal trait levels. In this study, we investigated (1) the impact of age on discrepancies between actual and ideal Big Five personality trait levels and (2) the impact of these discrepancies on personality trait changes across a period of two years. We use data of a large, nationally representative, and age-diverse sample (N = 4,057, 17-94 years, M = 53 years). Results largely confirmed previously reported age effects on actual personality trait levels but were sometimes more complex. Ideal trait levels exceeded actual trait levels more strongly for younger compared to older adults. Unexpectedly, neither ideal trait levels nor their interaction with beliefs about the extent to which personality is malleable vs. fixed predicted trait change over two years (controlling for actual trait levels). We conclude that ideal-actual trait level discrepancies may provide an impetus for change but that they appear to neither alone nor in combination with the belief that personality trait change is possible suffice to produce such change. We discuss commitment, self-efficacy, and strategy knowledge as potential additional predictors of trait change.

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Effects of Reallocating Time Spent in Different Physical Activity Intensities on Sarcopenia Risk in Older Adults: An Isotemporal Substitution Analysis

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology11010111 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 111

Author(s):

Jort Veen ◽

Diego Montiel-Rojas ◽

Fawzi Kadi ◽

Andreas Nilsson

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Self Report ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Age Related ◽

Muscle Health ◽

The Impact

The role of daily time spent sedentary and in different intensities of physical activity (PA) for the maintenance of muscle health currently remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the impact of reallocating time spent in different PA intensities on sarcopenia risk in older adults, while considering PA type (muscle strengthening activities, MSA) and protein intake. In a sample of 235 community-dwelling older adults (65–70 years), a sarcopenia risk score (SRS) was created based on muscle mass assessed by bioimpedance, together with handgrip strength and performance on the five times sit-to-stand (5-STS) test assessed by standardized procedures. Time spent in light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and being sedentary was assessed by accelerometry, and PA type (MSA) by self-report. Linear regression models based on isotemporal substitution were employed. Reallocating sedentary time to at least LPA was significantly (p < 0.05) related to a lower SRS, which remained evident after adjustment by PA type (MSA) and protein intake. Similarly, reallocating time in LPA by MVPA was related to a significantly (p < 0.05) lower SRS. Our results emphasize the importance of displacing sedentary behaviours for more active pursuits, where PA of even light intensities may alleviate age-related deteriorations of muscle health in older adults.

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Determining the Long-Term Effectiveness of a Group-Based Physical Activity Program

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839918769590 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 401-408

Author(s):

Anamica Batra ◽

Richard C. Palmer ◽

Elena Bastida ◽

H. Virginia McCoy ◽

Hafiz M. R. Khan

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Population Level ◽

The United States ◽

South Florida ◽

Community Based ◽

Evidence Based Programs ◽

The Impact

Objective. In 2015, only half (48%) of older adults in the United States (≥60 years) reported engaging in any kind of physical activity. Few studies examine the impact of evidence-based programs when adopted in community-based settings. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of EnhanceFitness (EF) upto 12-months. Method. EF was offered to older adults in South Florida. A total of 222 EF classes were offered between October 2008 and December 2014. Program consisted of a 1-hour session held three times a week. Even though participation was required for 4 months, 1,295 participants continued the program for at least 1 year. Results. All participants showed significant improvement in outcome measures. A mean change of 1.5, 1.7, and 1.9 was seen in number of chair stands at 4, 8, and 12 months (p < .001), respectively. The number of arm curls performed improved from 16.8 at baseline to 18.8, 18.8, and 19.2 at 4-, 8-, and 12-months, respectively. Participants improved their up-and-go time by decreasing from 9.1 (baseline) to 8.7 (4 months) to 8.6 (12 months; p = .001). Discussion. Randomized controlled trials are commonly used to determine the efficacy of an intervention. These interventions when disseminated at the population level have the potential to benefit large masses. EF is currently offered at more than 700 locations. This tremendous success of EF brings attention to an important question of continuous monitoring of these programs to ensure program consistency and intended outcomes. The model used by the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative could be replicated by other communities.

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