scholarly journals Functions of Real-Life Conversational Time Travel in the Context of Healthy Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 622-623
Author(s):  
Burcu Demiray ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Time Travel ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Audio Recorder

Abstract Using smartphone sensing in real life, we examined conversational time travel (i.e., talking about the personal past versus future), its functions and relation with positive affect (i.e., laughing behavior). We used the Electronically Activated Recorder (audio recorder that periodically records snippets of ambient sounds and speech) and collected a random sample of over 30,000 sound snippets (30 seconds long) from 61 young and 48 healthy older adults across four days. We transcribed and manually coded participants’ speech. Multilevel models conducted in R showed that individuals tended to talk about their past with more social functions (e.g., give advice), whereas talked about their future for more directive purposes (e.g., planning). Age group differences were minimal. We also found that individuals laughed two times more while talking about their past than their future. Results are discussed in relation to the functions of mental/conversational time travel in the context of healthy aging.

scholarly journals Reaction Time Decomposition as a Tool to Study Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Emma Richards ◽  
Andrea Tales ◽  
Antony Bayer ◽  
Jade E. Norris ◽  
Claire Hanley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Vascular Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Time Decomposition

Background: The study of reaction time (RT) and its intraindividual variability (IIV) in aging, cognitive impairment, and dementia typically fails to investigate the processing stages that contribute to an overall response. Applying “mental chronometry” techniques makes it possible to separately assess the role of processing components during environmental interaction. Objective: To determine whether RT and IIV-decomposition techniques can shed light on the nature of underlying deficits in subcortical ischemic vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Using a novel iPad task, we examined whether VCI deficits occur during both initiation and movement phases of a response, and whether they are equally reflected in both RT and IIV. Methods: Touch cancellation RT and its IIV were measured in a group of younger adults (n = 22), cognitively healthy older adults (n = 21), and patients with VCI (n = 21) using an iPad task. Results: Whereas cognitively healthy aging affected the speed (RT) of response initiation and movement but not its variability (IIV), VCI resulted in both slowed RT and increased IIV for both response phases. Furthermore, there were group differences with respect to response phase. Conclusion: These results indicate that IIV can be more sensitive than absolute RT in separating VCI from normal aging. Furthermore, compared to cognitively healthy aging, VCI was characterized by significant deficits in planning/initiating action as well as performing movements. Such deficits have important implications for real life actions such as driving safety, employment, and falls risk.

scholarly journals Healthy aging profile in octogenarians in Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Viana Campos ◽  
Efigênia Ferreira e Ferreira ◽  
Andréa Maria Duarte Vargas ◽  
Lúcia Hisako Takase Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Population Based ◽  
P Value ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Monthly Income ◽  
Tree Model ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the healthy aging profile in octogenarians in Brazil. Method: this population-based epidemiological study was conducted using household interviews of 335 octogenarians in a Brazilian municipality. The decision-tree model was used to assess the healthy aging profile in relation to the socioeconomic characteristics evaluated at baseline. All of the tests used a p-value < 0.05. Results: the majority of the 335 participating older adults were women (62.1%), were aged between 80 and 84 years (50.4%), were widowed (53.4%), were illiterate (59.1%), had a monthly income of less than one minimum wage (59.1%), were retired (85.7%), lived with their spouse (63.8%), did not have a caregiver (60.3%), had two or more children (82.7%), and had two or more grandchildren (78.8%). The results indicate three age groups with a healthier aging profile: older adults aged 80 to 84 years (55.6%), older adults aged 85 years and older who are married (64.9%), and older adults aged 85 and older who do not have a partner or a caregiver (54.2%). Conclusion: the healthy aging profile of octogenarians can be explained by age group, marital status, and the presence of a caregiver.

scholarly journals Slowed sensory reweighting and postural illusions in older adults: the moving platform illusion

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 690-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chesney E. Craig ◽  
Michail Doumas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sensory Reweighting ◽  
Perceptual Illusion ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Illusory Perception

We investigated whether postural aftereffects witnessed during transitions from a moving to a stable support are accompanied by a delayed perception of platform stabilization in older adults, in two experiments. In experiment 1, postural sway and muscle cocontraction were assessed in 11 healthy young, 11 healthy older, and 11 fall-prone older adults during blindfolded stance on a fixed platform, followed by a sway-referenced platform and then by a fixed platform again. The sway-referenced platform was more compliant for young adults, to induce similar levels of postural sway in both age groups. Participants were asked to press a button whenever they perceived that the platform had stopped moving. Both older groups showed significantly larger and longer postural sway aftereffects during platform stabilization compared with young adults, which were pronounced in fall-prone older adults. In both older groups elevated muscle cocontraction aftereffect was also witnessed. Importantly, these aftereffects were accompanied by an illusory perception of prolonged platform movement. After this, experiment 2 examined whether this illusory perception was a robust age effect or an experimental confound due to greater surface compliance in young adults, which could create a larger perceptual discrepancy between moving and stable conditions. Despite exposure to the same surface compliance levels during sway-reference, the perceptual illusion was maintained in experiment 2 in a new group of 14 healthy older adults compared with 11 young adults. In both studies, older adults took five times longer than young adults to perceive platform stabilization. This supports that sensory reweighting is inefficient in older adults. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first paper to show that postural sway aftereffects witnessed in older adults after platform stabilization may be due to a perceptual illusion of platform movement. Surprisingly, in both experiments presented it took older adults five times longer than young adults to perceive platform stabilization. This supports a hypothesis of less efficient sensory reintegration in this age group, which may delay the formation of an accurate postural percept.

scholarly journals Age-Related Differences in Resting-State EEG and Allocentric Spatial Working Memory Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Jabès ◽  
Giuliana Klencklen ◽  
Paolo Ruggeri ◽  
Jean-Philippe Antonietti ◽  
Pamela Banta Lavenex ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Eeg Activity ◽  
Recording Conditions

During normal aging resting-state brain activity changes and working memory performance declines as compared to young adulthood. Interestingly, previous studies reported that different electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of resting-state brain activity may correlate with working memory performance at different ages. Here, we recorded resting-state EEG activity and tested allocentric spatial working memory in healthy young (20–30 years) and older (65–75 years) adults. We adapted standard EEG methods to record brain activity in mobile participants in a non-shielded environment, in both eyes closed and eyes open conditions. Our study revealed some age-group differences in resting-state brain activity that were consistent with previous results obtained in different recording conditions. We confirmed that age-group differences in resting-state EEG activity depend on the recording conditions and the specific parameters considered. Nevertheless, lower theta-band and alpha-band frequencies and absolute powers, and higher beta-band and gamma-band relative powers were overall observed in healthy older adults, as compared to healthy young adults. In addition, using principal component and regression analyses, we found that the first extracted EEG component, which represented mainly theta, alpha and beta powers, correlated with spatial working memory performance in older adults, but not in young adults. These findings are consistent with the theory that the neurobiological bases of working memory performance may differ between young and older adults. However, individual measures of resting-state EEG activity could not be used as reliable biomarkers to predict individual allocentric spatial working memory performance in young or older adults.

scholarly journals Sounds of Healthy Aging: Assessing Everyday Cognitive Activity From Real-Life Audio Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 622-622
Author(s):  
Burcu Demiray ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Matthew Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
World Health ◽  
Recording Device

Abstract The healthy aging model of the World Health Organization (2015) highlights the value of assessing and monitoring everyday activities in understanding health in old age. This symposium includes four studies that used the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a portable recording device that periodically collects sound snippets in everyday life, to assess various real-life cognitive activities in the context of healthy aging. The four studies collected over 100,000 sound snippets (30-seconds long) over a few days from young and older adults in the US and Switzerland. Participants’ speech in the sound snippets were transcribed and coded for different cognitive activity information. Specifically, Haas and Kliegel have investigated the “prospective memory paradox” by examining the commonality and differences in utterances about retrospective and prospective memory failure in young and older adults’ everyday conversations. Demiray and colleagues investigated the relation between autobiographical memory functions and conversation types in young and older adults in relation to well-being. Luo and colleagues have identified the compensatory function of real-world contexts in cognitive aging: Their study showed that older adults benefited from talking with their spouse in producing complex grammatical structures. Finally, Polsinelli and colleagues found robust associations between language markers (e.g., prepositions, more numbers) and executive functions, highlighting the potential use of spontaneous speech in predicting cognitive status in healthy older adults. Finally, Prof. Matthew Grilli will serve as a discussant and provide an integrative discussion of the papers, informed by his extensive work on clinical and cognitive neuroscience of memory in relation to real-life contexts.

scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE OF AGING, NEGATIVE AGE BIAS, AND POSITIVE AGE BIAS: AGE GROUP DIFFERENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S80-S81
Author(s):  
Grace Caskie ◽  
Anastasia E Canell ◽  
Hannah M Bashian
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age Bias ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Abstract Attitudes towards aging include both positive and negative beliefs about older adults (Iverson et al., 2017; Palmore, 1999). Palmore’s (1998) Facts on Aging Quiz, a widely used assessment of knowledge about aging, also identifies common societal misconceptions about aging. Findings regarding age group differences in attitudes toward aging are mixed (Bodner et al., 2012; Cherry & Palmore, 2008; Rupp et al., 2005). The current study compared knowledge of aging, negative age bias, and positive age bias between young adults (18-35 years, n=268) and middle-aged adults (40-55 years; n=277). Middle-aged adults reported significantly greater average knowledge of aging than young adults (p=.019), although both groups had relatively low knowledge (MA: M=13.0, YA: M=12.2). Middle-aged adults also showed significantly less negative age bias (p&lt;.001) and significantly more positive age bias than young adults (p=.026). Although the total sample was significantly more likely to be incorrect than correct on 23 of the 25 facts (p&lt;.001), young adults were significantly more likely than middle-aged adults (p&lt;.001) to respond incorrectly for only 2 of 25 facts. Both facts reflected greater negative age bias among young adults than middle-aged adults. These facts concerned older adults’ ability to work as effectively as young adults (fact 9) and frequency of depression in older adults (fact 13). Results demonstrate that age bias is not limited to young adults and may continue through midlife, though negative age bias in particular may be lower for individuals approaching older adulthood, which could have implications for their psychological and physical well-being.

scholarly journals Gerontechnology: Providing a Helping Hand When Caring for Cognitively Impaired Older Adults—Intermediate Results from a Controlled Study on the Satisfaction and Acceptance of Informal Caregivers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anelia Mitseva ◽  
Carrie Beth Peterson ◽  
Christina Karamberi ◽  
Lamprini Ch. Oikonomou ◽  
Athanasios V. Ballis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Cognitively Impaired ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
System Acceptance

The incidence of cognitive impairment in older age is increasing, as is the number of cognitively impaired older adults living in their own homes. Due to lack of social care resources for these adults and their desires to remain in their own homes and live as independently as possible, research shows that the current standard care provisions are inadequate. Promising opportunities exist in using home assistive technology services to foster healthy aging and to realize the unmet needs of these groups of citizens in a user-centered manner. ISISEMD project has designed, implemented, verified, and assessed an assistive technology platform of personalized home care (telecare) for the elderly with cognitive impairments and their caregivers by offering intelligent home support services. Regions from four European countries have carried out long-term pilot-controlled study in real-life conditions. This paper presents the outcomes from intermediate evaluations pertaining to user satisfaction with the system, acceptance of the technology and the services, and quality of life outcomes as a result of utilizing the services.

scholarly journals Keep Up the Pace: Declines in Simple Repetitive Timing Differentiate Healthy Aging from the Earliest Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1052-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley S. Bangert ◽  
David A. Balota
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Error Correction ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Performance Variability ◽  
Timing Task

AbstractThe current study examined whether healthy older adults (OA) and individuals at the earliest stages of dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) differ from younger adults (YA) and from each other on a simple, extended continuous tapping task using intervals (500 ms, 1000 ms, and 1500 ms) thought to differentially engage attentional control systems. OA groups sped up their tapping at the slowest target rate compared to the YA; this pattern was magnified in the early stage DAT groups. Performance variability appeared especially sensitive to DAT-related changes, as reliable differences between healthy OA and very mild DAT individuals emerged for multiple tap rates. These differences are proposed to result from breakdowns in attentional control that disrupt error-correction processes and the ability to resolve discrepancies between internally-generated temporal expectancies and the external temporal demands of the repetitive timing task. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–12)

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document