scholarly journals Innovative Experiences at Work Support Hippocampal Maintenance in Late Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 406-406
Author(s):  
Kaleena Odd ◽  
Julie Blaskewicz Boron ◽  
Aga Burzynska ◽  
Jonathan Santo ◽  
Paul Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Hippocampal Atrophy ◽  
Occupational Complexity ◽  
Brain Maintenance ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Prior research has demonstrated the positive impact of occupational complexity on cognitive aging, however, neural underpinnings remain unclear. There is emerging evidence linking midlife managerial experience to slower hippocampal atrophy (Suo et al., 2012, 2017), supporting the brain maintenance model (i.e. preservation of young-like brain structure). However, occupational complexity, along with education, is known to be a proxy of cognitive reserve (i.e. mind’s resistance to brain aging). The current study examined the influence of midlife work environment factors (i.e., autonomy, control, and innovation; Work Environment Scale, Moos, 1981) on change in hippocampal thickness, while controlling for education and age. We studied 150 participants (60-78 years, M = 66.27, SD = 5.20, 61% female) from the Seattle Longitudinal Study who had at least one MRI scan and remained cognitively normal between 2006 and 2014. Hypotheses were tested using multilevel modeling in Mplus; gender differences were examined. There was no substantial drop in model fit as a result of adding any of the significant effects. Innovation at work slowed the decrease in hippocampal thickness over time demonstrating the protective effect of more novelty, variety and change in work activities. There was a significant age by gender interaction, such that the decrease in hippocampal thickness was stronger for older women. Together, findings suggest that long-term impact of work environment on the hippocampus extends beyond the effects of education, particularly in men, supporting the brain maintenance hypothesis. Innovation at work should be considered in understanding protective/risk factors in hippocampal atrophy in older age.

scholarly journals INTEREST GROUP SESSION—EPIDEMIOLOGY OF AGING: BIOSOCIAL RESEARCH ON BRAIN AGING AND BIOLOGICAL AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S348-S348
Author(s):  
Daniel W Belsky
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
System Integrity ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Our aging global population presents a new set of challenges for public health. Individual-disease focused models are becoming outmoded as geriatricians recognize multimorbidity and frailty as the central challenges in preserving health for older adults. Evidence from research into the biology of aging suggests that a set of common cellular-level processes underpin decline in system integrity that induces vulnerability to disease across multiple organ systems, including the brain. In parallel, research in life-course gerontology indicates that the roots of aging-related decline in system integrity extend from early life and encompass histories of social, psychological, and biochemical exposures. The research presented in this symposium aims to integrate these emerging paradigms in aging research by mapping connections among measures of aging in the brain and body and social, psychological, and nutrition exposures. Our symposium focuses on (1) links between social-psychological determinants of health and biological aging in the brain and body; and (2) social and behavioral protective factors that may buffer emerging biological risk in aging. The overarching goal of this symposium is to introduce an approach to gerontology that integrates geroscience with life-course social and psychiatric epidemiology to advance understanding of cognitive aging and functional decline, and ultimately identify novel interventions to extend healthy lifespan.

scholarly journals The Shifting Architecture of Cognition and Brain Function in Older Adulthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Nathan Spreng ◽  
Gary R. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cognitive Architecture ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
The Brain

Cognitive aging is often described in the context of loss or decline. Emerging research suggests that the story is more complex, with older adults showing both losses and gains in cognitive ability. With increasing age, declines in controlled, or fluid, cognition occur in the context of gains in crystallized knowledge of oneself and the world. This inversion in cognitive capacities, from greater reliance on fluid abilities in young adulthood to increasingly crystallized or semanticized cognition in older adulthood, has profound implications for cognitive and real-world functioning in later life. The shift in cognitive architecture parallels changes in the functional network architecture of the brain. Observations of greater functional connectivity between lateral prefrontal brain regions, implicated in cognitive control, and the default network, implicated in memory and semantic processing, led us to propose the default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging. In this review we provide evidence that these changes in the functional architecture of the brain serve as a neural mechanism underlying the shifting cognitive architecture from younger to older adulthood. We incorporate findings spanning cognitive aging and cognitive neuroscience to present an integrative model of cognitive and brain aging, describing its antecedents, determinants, and implications for real-world functioning.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF WORK AND RETIREMENT IN COGNITIVE AND BRAIN AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S24-S24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizem Hueluer ◽  
George W Rebok
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Domain ◽  
Cohort Differences

Abstract According to the “use it or lose it” hypothesis of cognitive aging, cognitive enrichment and cognitively engaging activities are associated with the maintenance of high levels of cognitive functioning in old age. Similar ideas have been brought forward with respect to characteristics of individuals’ work environment, with more cognitively enriching work demands providing an optimal environment for cognitive development and maintenance. The goal of this research group is to showcase new developments in research on work, retirement and cognitive aging. Hülür et al. examine the role of perceived work environment for cohort differences in trajectories of cognitive change based on 56-year longitudinal data from the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Andel et al. use data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging to examine trajectories of cognitive aging before vs. after retirement with two-slope growth curve models. Zulka et al. conduct a systematic literature review on the association between retirement and cognition and examine the role of factors such as occupational experiences and the cognitive domain studied. Burzynska et al. investigate the relationship between stressful and stimulating occupational exposures and structural brain health and cognition in older age. The discussion by George Rebok will focus on how these findings contribute to our understanding of the role of occupational experiences for cognitive and brain aging and how they can be utilized to promote maintenance of cognitive functioning in old age.

scholarly journals The shifting architecture of cognition and brain function in older adulthood

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Nathan Spreng ◽  
Gary R. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cognitive Architecture ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
The Brain

Cognitive aging is often described in the context of loss or decline. Emerging research suggests that the story is more complex, with older adults showing both losses and gains in cognitive ability. With increasing age, declines in controlled, or fluid, cognition occurs in the context of gains in crystalized knowledge of oneself and the world. This inversion in cognitive capacities, from greater reliance on fluid abilities in young, to increasingly crystalized or semanticized cognition in older adulthood, has profound implications for cognitive and real-world functioning in later life. This shift in cognitive architecture parallels changes in the functional network architecture of the brain. Observations of greater functional connectivity between lateral prefrontal brain regions, implicated in cognitive control, and the default network, implicated in memory and semantic processing, led us to propose the Default Executive Coupling Hypothesis of Aging (DECHA). In this review we provide evidence that these changes in the functional architecture of the brain serve as a neural mechanism underlying the shifting cognitive architecture from younger to older adulthood. We incorporate findings spanning cognitive aging and cognitive neuroscience to present an integrative model of cognitive and brain aging, describing its antecedents, determinants, and implications for real-world functioning.

scholarly journals Functional architecture of the aging brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roni Setton ◽  
Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo ◽  
Manesh Girn ◽  
Amber W. Lockrow ◽  
Giulia Baracchini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Functional Architecture ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Methodological Challenges ◽  
The Brain

The intrinsic network architecture of the brain is continuously shaped by biological and behavioral factors from younger to older adulthood. Differences in functional networks can reveal how a lifetime of learning and lived experience can alter large-scale neurophysiological dynamics, offering a powerful lens into brain and cognitive aging. Quantifying these differences has been hampered by significant methodological challenges. Here, we use multi-echo fMRI and multi-echo ICA processing, individualized cortical parcellation methods, and multivariate (gradient and edge-level) functional connectivity analyses to provide a definitive account of the intrinsic functional architecture of the brain in older adulthood. Twenty minutes of resting-state multi-echo fMRI data were collected in younger (n=181) and older (n=120) adults. Dimensionality, the number of independent, non-noise BOLD components in the fMRI signal, was significantly reduced for older adults. Macroscale functional gradients were largely preserved. In contrast, edge-level functional connectivity was significantly altered. Within-network connections were weaker while connections between networks were stronger for older adults, and this connectivity pattern was associated with lower executive control functioning. Greater integration of sensory and motor regions with transmodal association cortices also emerged as a prominent feature of the aging connectome. These findings implicate network dedifferentiation, reflected here as reduced dimensionality within the BOLD signal and altered edge-level connectivity, as a global and putatively maladaptive feature of functional brain aging. However, greater coherence among specific networks may also signal adaptive functional reorganization in later life. By overcoming persistent and pervasive methodological challenges that have confounded previous research, the results provide a comprehensive account of the intrinsic functional architecture of the aging brain.

scholarly journals ADULT-LIFE OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES: ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT OR A STRESSOR FOR THE AGING BRAIN?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S25-S25
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Z Burzynska
Keyword(s):  
Brain Aging ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Occupational Complexity ◽  
Neurocognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Maintenance

Abstract The positive association between midlife occupational complexity and cognitive functioning in older age is well documented. Much less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms and whether occupational stress may accelerate neurocognitive aging. According to the BOSS model (Brain aging: Occupational Stimulation and Stress), occupational exposures may serve as long-term protective and risk factors that influence the rate and extent of neurocognitive decline in aging (Burzynska, Jiao & Ganster 2018). We present findings from three independent samples linking different occupational exposures (e.g. work physical demands, innovation, autonomy, employer control) with brain volume in cognitively healthy older adults. We discuss the findings in the context of cognitive reserve and brain maintenance. Our findings suggest that occupational activities need to be acknowledged as an important factor in lifespan cognitive and brain development and warrant further research, with a possible outcome of workplace interventions aimed at optimizing neurocognitive aging.

Longitudinal Changes in Individual BrainAGE in Healthy Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease

GeroPsych ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Franke ◽  
Christian Gaser
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Additional Increase ◽  
Longitudinal Changes ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Brain

We recently proposed a novel method that aggregates the multidimensional aging pattern across the brain to a single value. This method proved to provide stable and reliable estimates of brain aging – even across different scanners. While investigating longitudinal changes in BrainAGE in about 400 elderly subjects, we discovered that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and subjects who had converted to AD within 3 years showed accelerated brain atrophy by +6 years at baseline. An additional increase in BrainAGE accumulated to a score of about +9 years during follow-up. Accelerated brain aging was related to prospective cognitive decline and disease severity. In conclusion, the BrainAGE framework indicates discrepancies in brain aging and could thus serve as an indicator for cognitive functioning in the future.

Dendrobium officinalis Flower Improves Learning and Reduces Memory Impairment by Mediating Antioxidant Effect and Balancing the Release of Neurotransmitters in Senescent Rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin-Zi Li ◽  
Shan-Shan Lei ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Fu-Chen Zhou ◽  
Ye-Hui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Morris Water Maze Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Histopathological Analysis ◽  
Hippocampal Damage ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Mao B ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Brain

Aim and Objective: The Dendrobium officinalis flower (DOF) is popular in China due to common belief in its anti-aging properties and positive effects on “nourish yin”. However, there have been relatively few confirmatory pharmacological experiments conducted to date. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether DOF has beneficial effects on learning and memory in senescent rats, and, if so, to determine its potential mechanism of effect. Materials and Methods: SD rats were administrated orally DOF at a dose of 1.38, or 0.46 g/kg once a day for 8 weeks. Two other groups included a healthy untreated control group and a senescent control group. During the 7th week, a Morris water maze test was performed to assess learning and memory. At the end of the experiment, serum and brain samples were collected to measure concentrations of antioxidant enzymes, including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GSH-Px) in serum, and the neurotransmitters, including γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-GABA), Glutamic (Glu), and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) in the brain. Histopathology of the hippocampus was assessed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Results: The results suggested that treatment with DOF improved learning as measured by escape latency, total distance, and target quadrant time, and also increased levels of γ-GABA in the brain. In addition, DOF decreased the levels of MDA, Glu, and MAO-B, and improved SOD and GSHPx. Histopathological analysis showed that DOF also significantly reduced structural lesions and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus relative to untreated senescent rats. Conclusion: DOF alleviated brain aging and improved the spatial learning abilities in senescent rats, potentially by attenuating oxidative stress and thus reducing hippocampal damage and balancing the release of neurotransmitters.

scholarly journals Antagonism between brain regions relevant for cognitive control and emotional memory facilitates the generation of humorous ideas

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Andreas Fink ◽  
Arne Nagels ◽  
Benjamin Straube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Successful Resolution ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe ability to generate humor gives rise to positive emotions and thus facilitate the successful resolution of adversity. Although there is consensus that inhibitory processes might be related to broaden the way of thinking, the neural underpinnings of these mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a humorous alternative uses task and a stroop task, to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of humorous ideas in 24 subjects. Neuroimaging results indicate that greater cognitive control abilities are associated with increased activation in the amygdala, the hippocampus and the superior and medial frontal gyrus during the generation of humorous ideas. Examining the neural mechanisms more closely shows that the hypoactivation of frontal brain regions is associated with an hyperactivation in the amygdala and vice versa. This antagonistic connectivity is concurrently linked with an increased number of humorous ideas and enhanced amygdala responses during the task. Our data therefore suggests that a neural antagonism previously related to the emergence and regulation of negative affective responses, is linked with the generation of emotionally positive ideas and may represent an important neural pathway supporting mental health.

scholarly journals The Long-Term Impact of Different Offline Population Inclusion Strategies in Probability-Based Online Panels: Evidence From the German Internet Panel and the GESIS Panel

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932098413
Author(s):  
Carina Cornesse ◽  
Ines Schaurer
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Alternative Mode ◽  
Mail Surveys ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Online Panels ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Postal Mail

While online panels offer numerous advantages, they are often criticized for excluding the offline population. Therefore, some probability-based online panels have developed offline population inclusion strategies. Two dominant approaches prevail: providing internet equipment and offering an alternative survey participation mode. We investigate the impact of these approaches on two probability-based online panels in Germany: the German Internet Panel, which provides members of the offline population with internet equipment, and the GESIS Panel, which offers members of the offline population to participate via postal mail surveys. In addition, we explore the impact of offering an alternative mode only to non-internet users versus also offering the alternative mode to internet users who are unwilling to provide survey data online. Albeit lower recruitment and/or panel wave participation probabilities among offliners than onliners, we find that including the offline population has a positive long-term impact on sample accuracy in both panels. In the GESIS Panel, the positive impact is particularly strong when offering the alternative participation mode to non-internet users and internet users who are unwilling to provide survey data online.

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