Cortical Networks Underpinning Compensation of Verbal Fluency in Normal Aging

Abstract Elucidating compensatory mechanisms underpinning phonemic fluency (PF) may help to minimize its decline due to normal aging or neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated cortical brain networks potentially underpinning compensation of age-related differences in PF. Using graph theory, we constructed networks from measures of thickness for PF, semantic, and executive–visuospatial cortical networks. A total of 267 cognitively healthy individuals were divided into younger age (YA, 38–58 years) and older age (OA, 59–79 years) groups with low performance (LP) and high performance (HP) in PF: YA-LP, YA-HP, OA-LP, OA-HP. We found that the same pattern of reduced efficiency and increased transitivity was associated with both HP (compensation) and OA (aberrant network organization) in the PF and semantic cortical networks. When compared with the OA-LP group, the higher PF performance in the OA-HP group was associated with more segregated PF and semantic cortical networks, greater participation of frontal nodes, and stronger correlations within the PF cortical network. We conclude that more segregated cortical networks with strong involvement of frontal nodes seemed to allow older adults to maintain their high PF performance. Nodal analyses and measures of strength were helpful to disentangle compensation from the aberrant network organization associated with OA.

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Handicapped Due to Age?

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000076 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 132-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Stephan Getzmann

Keyword(s):

Target Detection ◽

High Performance ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Compensatory Mechanisms ◽

Missing Responses ◽

Age Related ◽

Word Detection ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Low Performance

Older individuals often find it hard to communicate under difficult listening conditions, for example, in the presence of background noise or competing speakers. However, there is increasing evidence that this age-related decline in speech perception can be – at least in part – compensated by an increased recruitment of more general cognitive functions. The interplay of age-related declines and compensatory mechanisms in spoken language understanding under naturalistic and demanding listening conditions was tested here in a word detection task. Pairs of different coherent stories were presented dichotically to 14 younger and 14 older listeners (age ranges 19–25 and 54–64 years, respectively). The listeners had to respond to target words in one story, while suppressing distracting information in the other. In addition, the listeners had to pay attention to the content of the attended story. Older listeners outperformed the younger listeners in target detection and produced less missing responses. However, high performance in target detection came along with low performance in text recall. The analyses of event-related potentials indicated a reduction in parietal P3b of older, relative to younger, listeners. In turn, older listeners showed a prominent frontal P3a that was absent in younger listeners. In line with the so-called decline-compensation hypothesis, these results support the idea that, in order to perform well, older listeners compensate a potential decline by extra allocation of mental resources. One potential mechanism of compensation could be a selective attentional orientation to the target stimuli.

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Age-Related Differences in Strategy in the Hand Mental Rotation Task

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.615584 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Izumi Nagashima ◽

Kotaro Takeda ◽

Yusuke Harada ◽

Hideki Mochizuki ◽

Nobuaki Shimoda

Keyword(s):

Mental Rotation ◽

High Performance ◽

Middle Age ◽

Visual Image ◽

Mental Practice ◽

Mental Rotation Task ◽

Age Related ◽

Low Performance ◽

Performance Ability ◽

Innate Ability

Mental imagery of movement is a potentially valuable rehabilitation task, but its therapeutic efficacy may depend on the specific cognitive strategy employed. Individuals use two main strategies to perform the hand mental rotation task (HMRT), which involves determining whether a visual image depicts a left or right hand. One is the motor imagery (MI) strategy, which involves mentally simulating one’s own hand movements. In this case, task performance as measured by response time (RT) is subject to a medial–lateral effect wherein the RT is reduced when the fingertips are directed medially, presumably as the actual motion would be easier. The other strategy is to employ visual imagery (VI), which involves mentally rotating the picture and is not subject to this medial–lateral effect. The rehabilitative benefits of the HMRT are thought to depend on the MI strategy (mental practice), so it is essential to examine the effects of individual factors such as age, image perspective (e.g., palm or back of the hand), and innate ability (as indicated by baseline RT) on the strategy adopted. When presented with pictures of the palm, all subjects in the current study used the MI strategy, regardless of age and ability. In contrast, when subjects were presented with pictures of the back of the hand, the VI strategy predominated among the young age group regardless of performance, while the strategy used by middle-age and elderly groups depended on performance ability. In the middle-age and elderly groups, the VI approach predominated in those with high performance skill, whereas the MI strategy predominated among those with low performance skill. Thus, higher-skill middle-aged and elderly individuals may not necessarily form a motion image during the HMRT, potentially limiting rehabilitation efficacy.

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Verbal fluency as a screening tool for mild cognitive impairment

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610219000644 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (9) ◽

pp. 1055-1062 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Michelle McDonnell ◽

Lauren Dill ◽

Stella Panos ◽

Stacy Amano ◽

Warren Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Word Association ◽

Normal Aging ◽

Semantic Fluency ◽

Word Association Test ◽

Phonemic Fluency ◽

Discriminant Ability ◽

State Examination

ABSTRACTObjectives:The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of semantic (animal naming) and phonemic (FAS) fluency in their ability to discriminate between normal aging, amnestic-Mild Cognitive Impairment (a-MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Design:We used binary logistic regressions, multinomial regressions, and discriminant analysis to evaluate the predictive value of semantic and phonemic fluency in regards to specific diagnostic classifications.Setting:Outpatient geriatric neuropsychology clinic.Participants:232 participants (normal aging = 99, a-MCI = 90, AD = 43; mean age = 65.75 years).Measurements:Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Controlled Oral Word Association TestResults:Results indicate that semantic and phonemic fluency were significant predictors of diagnostic classification, and semantic fluency explained a greater amount of the discriminant ability of the model.Conclusions:These results suggest that verbal fluency, particularly semantic fluency, may be an accurate and efficient tool in screening for early dementia in time-limited medical settings.

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Cognitive compensatory mechanisms in normal aging: a study on verbal fluency and the contribution of other cognitive functions

Aging ◽

10.18632/aging.102040 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 4090-4106 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lissett Gonzalez-Burgos ◽

Juan Andrés Hernández-Cabrera ◽

Eric Westman ◽

José Barroso ◽

Daniel Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functions ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Normal Aging ◽

Compensatory Mechanisms

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Five reasons COVID-19 is less severe in younger age groups

Evolution Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.1093/emph/eoaa050 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Paul W Turke

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Life History Theory ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Age Groups ◽

Medical Community ◽

System Function ◽

The Third ◽

Immune System Function ◽

Age Related ◽

Younger Age

Abstract The severity of COVID-19 is age-related, with the advantage going to younger age groups. Five reasons are presented. The first two are well-known, are being actively researched by the broader medical community, and therefore are discussed only briefly here. The third, fourth, and fifth reasons derive from evolutionary life history theory, and potentially fill gaps in current understanding of why and how young and old age groups respond differently to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Age of onset of generalized somatic aging, and the timing of its progression, are identified as important causes of these disparities, as are specific antagonistic pleiotropic tradeoffs in immune system function.

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Age-related decline in the taurine content of the skin in rodents

Amino Acids ◽

10.1007/s00726-021-02956-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tomohisa Yoshimura ◽

Yuki Inokuchi ◽

Chikako Mutou ◽

Takanobu Sakurai ◽

Tohru Nagahama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Age Groups ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Taurine Supplementation ◽

Hairless Mice ◽

Age Related ◽

Sprague Dawley Rats ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Effects Of Aging

AbstractTaurine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, occurs at high concentrations in the skin, and plays a role in maintaining the homeostasis of the skin. We investigated the effects of aging on the content and localization of taurine in the skin of mice and rats. Taurine was extracted from the skin samples of hairless mice and Sprague Dawley rats, and the taurine content of the skin was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results of the investigation revealed that the taurine content in both the dermis and epidermis of hairless mice declined significantly with age. Similar age-related decline in the skin taurine content was also observed in rats. In contrast, the taurine content in the sole remained unchanged with age. An immunohistochemical analysis also revealed a decreased skin taurine content in aged animals compared with younger animals, although no significant differences in the localization of taurine were observed between the two age groups. Supplementation of the drinking water of aged mice with 3% (w/v) taurine for 4 weeks increased the taurine content of the epidermis, but not the dermis. The present study showed for the first time that the taurine content of the skin decreased with age in mice and rats, which may be related to the impairment of the skin homeostasis observed with aging. The decreased taurine content of the epidermis in aged animals was able to be rescued by taurine supplementation.

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Impact of Cochlear Implantation on Neurocognitive Subdomains in Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000510855 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Christiane Völter ◽

Lisa Götze ◽

Imme Haubitz ◽

Janine Müther ◽

Stefan Dazert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Cochlear Implant ◽

Cochlear Implantation ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Homogeneous Population ◽

Delayed Recall ◽

Hearing Status ◽

Age Related ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Age-related hearing loss affects about one-third of the population worldwide. Studies suggest that hearing loss may be linked to cognitive decline and auditory rehabilitation may improve cognitive functions. So far, the data are limited, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The study aimed to analyze the impact of cochlear implantation on cognition in a large homogeneous population of hearing-impaired adults using a comprehensive non-auditory cognitive assessment with regard to normal-hearing (NH) subjects. Material and Methods: Seventy-one cochlear implant (CI) candidates with a postlingual, bilateral severe or profound hearing loss aged 66.3 years (standard deviation [SD] 9.2) and 105 NH subjects aged 65.96 years (SD 9.4) were enrolled. The computer-based neurocognitive tool applied included 11 subtests covering attention (M3), short- and long-term memory (recall and delayed recall), working memory (0- and 2-back, Operation Span [OSPAN] task), processing speed (Trail Making Test [TMT] A), mental flexibility (TMT B), inhibition (cFlanker and iFlanker), and verbal fluency. CI patients underwent a neurocognitive testing preoperatively as well as 12 months postoperatively. Impact of hearing status, age, gender, and education on cognitive subdomains was studied. Additionally, after controlling for education and age, cognitive performance of CI subjects (n = 41) was compared to that of NH (n = 34). Results: CI users achieved significantly better neurocognitive scores 12 months after cochlear implantation than before in most subtests (M3, [delayed] recall, 2-back, OSPAN, iFlanker, and verbal fluency; all p < 0.05) except for the TMT A and B. A significant correlation could be found between the postoperative improvement in speech perception and in the attentional task M3 (p = 0.01). Hearing status (p = 0.0006) had the strongest effect on attention, whereas education had a high impact on recall (p = 0.002), OSPAN (p = 0.0004), and TMT A (p = 0.005) and B (p = 0.003). Inhibition was mainly age-dependent with better results in younger subjects (p = 0.016). Verbal fluency was predicted by gender as females outperformed men (p = 0.009). Even after controlling for age and education NH subjects showed a significantly better performance than CI candidates in the recall (p = 0.03) and delayed recall (p = 0.01) tasks. Postoperatively, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups anymore. Conclusion: Impact of cochlear implantation on neurocognitive functions differs according to the cognitive subdomains. Postoperatively, CI recipients performed as good as age- and education-matched NH subjects.

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Verbal fluency in normal aging and cognitive decline: Results of a longitudinal study

Computer Speech & Language ◽

10.1016/j.csl.2021.101195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 68 ◽

pp. 101195

Author(s):

Claudia Frankenberg ◽

Jochen Weiner ◽

Maren Knebel ◽

Ayimunishagu Abulimiti ◽

Pablo Toro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Normal Aging

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Plasma Lutein, a Nutritional Biomarker for Development of Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Alienor Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13062047 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 2047

Author(s):

Bénédicte M. J. Merle ◽

Audrey Cougnard-Grégoire ◽

Jean-François Korobelnik ◽

Wolfgang Schalch ◽

Stéphane Etheve ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Macular Degeneration ◽

High Performance ◽

Population Based ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard ◽

Age Related ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard Models ◽

Adjusted Model ◽

Reduced Risk

Lutein and zeaxanthin may lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We evaluated the associations of plasma lutein and zeaxanthin with the incidence of advanced AMD in the Alienor study (Antioxydants Lipides Essentiels Nutrition et Maladies Oculaires). Alienor study is a prospective population-based cohort of 963 residents of Bordeaux, France, who were 73 years or older at baseline (2006–2008). The present study included 609 participants with complete ophthalmologic and plasma carotenoids data. Examinations were performed every two years over an eight-year period (2006 to 2017). Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin were determined at baseline from fasting blood samples using high-performance liquid chromatography. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between plasma lutein, zeaxanthin, and their (total cholesterol (TC) + triglycerides (TG)) ratios with AMD. Among the 609 included participants, 54 developed advanced incident AMD during a median follow-up time of 7.6 years (range 0.7 to 10.4). Participants with higher plasma lutein had a reduced risk for incident advanced AMD in the fully adjusted model (HR = 0.63 per 1-SD increase (95% CI, 0.41–0.97), p = 0.03). A similar association was observed using the lutein/(TC + TG) ratio (HR = 0.59 (95% CI, 0.39–0.90), p = 0.01). No associations were evidenced for other carotenoids. Higher plasma lutein was associated with a 37% reduced risk of incident advanced AMD.

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Phytochemical Study and In Vitro Screening Focusing on the Anti-Aging Features of Various Plants of the Greek Flora

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10081206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1206

Author(s):

Aimilia D. Sklirou ◽

Maria T. Angelopoulou ◽

Aikaterini Argyropoulou ◽

Eliza Chaita ◽

Vasiliki Ioanna Boka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

High Performance ◽

High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽

Skin Aging ◽

Rosa Damascena ◽

Phytochemical Study ◽

Age Related

Skin health is heavily affected by ultraviolet irradiation from the sun. In addition, senile skin is characterized by major changes in the collagen, elastin and in the hyaluronan content. Natural products (NPs) have been shown to delay cellular senescence or in vivo aging by regulating age-related signaling pathways. Moreover, NPs are a preferable source of photoprotective agents and have been proven to be useful against the undesirable skin hyperpigmentation. Greek flora harvests great plant diversity with approximately 6000 plant species, as it has a wealth of NPs. Here, we report an extensive screening among hundreds of plant species. More than 440 plant species and subspecies were selected and evaluated. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant and anti-melanogenic properties, while the most promising were further subjected to various in vitro and cell-based assays related to skin aging. In parallel, their chemical profile was analyzed with High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and/or Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). A variety of extracts were identified that can be of great value for the cosmetic industry, since they combine antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-melanogenic and anti-aging properties. In particular, the methanolic extracts of Sideritis scardica and Rosa damascena could be worthy of further attention, since they showed interesting chemical profiles and promising properties against specific targets involved in skin aging.

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