scholarly journals Linking vestibular function and sub-cortical grey matter volume changes in a longitudinal study of aging adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Padova ◽  
J. Tilak Ratnanather ◽  
Qian-Li Xue ◽  
Susan M. Resnick ◽  
Yuri Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Spatial Cognition ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Vestibular Input ◽  
Vestibular Loss ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Over Time

AbstractEmerging evidence suggests a relationship between impairments of the vestibular (inner ear balance) system and decline in visuospatial cognitive performance in older adults. However, it is unclear whether age-related vestibular loss is associated with volume loss in brain regions known to receive vestibular input. To address this gap, we investigated the association between vestibular function and the volumes of four structures that process vestibular information (the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia) in a longitudinal study of 97 healthy, older participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Vestibular testing included cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) to measure saccular function, ocular VEMP (oVEMP) to measure utricular function, and video head-impulse tests to measure the horizontal semi-circular canal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Participants in the sample had vestibular and brain MRI data for a total of 1 (18.6%), 2 (49.5%) and 3 (32.0%) visits. Linear mixed-effects regression was used to model regional volume over time as a function of vestibular physiological function, correcting for age, sex, intracranial volume, and inter-subject random variation in the baseline levels of and rates of change of volume over time. We found that poorer saccular function, characterized by lower cVEMP amplitude, is associated with reduced bilateral volumes of the thalamus and basal ganglia at each time point, demonstrated by a 0.0714 cm3 ± 0.0344 (p=0.038; 95% CI: 0.00397-0.139) lower bilateral-mean volume of the basal ganglia and a 0.0440 cm3 ± 0.0221 (p=0.046; 95% CI: 0.000727-0.0873) lower bilateral-mean volume of the thalamus for each 1 unit lower cVEMP amplitude. There were no significant associations between volume and oVEMP or mean VOR gain. These findings provide insight into the potential neural substrates for the observed link between age-related vestibular loss and spatial cognition.Comprehensive SummaryHumans rely on their vestibular, or inner ear balance, system to manage everyday life. In addition to sensing head motion and head position with respect to gravity, the vestibular system helps to maintain balance and gaze stability. Furthermore, the evidence is mounting that vestibular function is linked to spatial cognition: the capacity to mentally represent the world and navigate through it. Yet, the exact processes by which vestibular function enables spatial cognition are unclear. One promising mechanism is through changes of the sizes and shapes of the brain anatomies that support spatial cognitive function. The intuition is that, as vestibular function declines with aging, less vestibular information is distributed throughout the brain, leading to a loss of neurons in areas that receive those inputs. In support of this putative mechanism, recent discoveries underscore the association of vestibular impairment with spatial cognitive declines and with atrophy of brain areas that support spatial cognition, the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, in older adults. This work investigates the extent over time to which age-related vestibular loss contributes to the atrophy of four brain regions that receive vestibular input and subserve spatial cognition: the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia. Using data from a cohort of healthy, older adults between 2013 and 2017 from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, we assessed regional brain volume as a function of vestibular function, while accounting for common confounds of brain volume change (e.g. age, sex, head size). We found that poor vestibular function is associated with significantly reduced volumes of the thalamus and basal ganglia. Notably, this study is one of the first to demonstrate relationships between age-related vestibular loss and brain atrophy in brain regions that receive vestibular input and promote spatial cognition. But more research is needed to understand the observed connection between vestibular function, neuroanatomy, and spatial cognition. Which brain areas suffer from age-related vestibular loss? How and in what sequence are they affected? As the world’s aging population—and likely the prevalence of age-related vestibular impairment—increases, answering questions like these becomes increasingly important. One day, these answers will provide targets for preemptive interventions, like physical or cognitive pre-habilitation, to stave off malignant cognitive changes before they occur and progress into clinical significance.

scholarly journals Linking Vestibular Function and Subcortical Gray Matter Volume Changes in a Longitudinal Study of Aging Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Padova ◽  
J. Tilak Ratnanather ◽  
Qian-Li Xue ◽  
Susan M. Resnick ◽  
Yuri Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Vestibular Loss ◽  
Horizontal Semicircular Canal ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Over Time

Emerging evidence suggests a relationship between impairments of the vestibular (inner ear balance) system and alterations in the function and the structure of the central nervous system (CNS) in older adults. However, it is unclear whether age-related vestibular loss is associated with volume loss in brain regions known to receive vestibular input. To address this gap, we investigated the association between vestibular function and the volumes of four structures that process vestibular information (the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia) in a longitudinal study of 97 healthy, older participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Vestibular testing included cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) to measure saccular function, ocular VEMP (oVEMP) to measure utricular function, and video head impulse tests to measure the horizontal semicircular canal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Participants in the sample had vestibular and brain MRI data for a total of one (18.6%), two (49.5%), and three (32.0%) visits. Linear mixed-effects regression was used to model regional volume over time as a function of vestibular physiological function, correcting for age, sex, intracranial volume, and intersubject random variation in the baseline levels and rates of change of volume over time. We found that poorer saccular function, characterized by lower cVEMP amplitude, is associated with reduced bilateral volumes of the basal ganglia and thalamus at each time point, demonstrated by a 0.0714 cm3 ± 0.0344 (unadjusted p = 0.038; 95% CI: 0.00397–0.139) lower bilateral-mean volume of the basal ganglia and a 0.0440 cm3 ± 0.0221 (unadjusted p = 0.046; 95% CI: 0.000727–0.0873) lower bilateral-mean volume of the thalamus for each 1-unit lower cVEMP amplitude. We also found a relationship between a lower mean VOR gain and lower left hippocampal volume (β = 0.121, unadjusted p = 0.018, 95% CI: 0.0212–0.222). There were no significant associations between volume and oVEMP. These findings provide insight into the specific brain structures that undergo atrophy in the context of age-related loss of peripheral vestibular function.

scholarly journals Aging, Vestibular Function, and Balance: Proceedings of a National Institute on Aging/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Workshop

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2471-2480
Author(s):  
Yuri Agrawal ◽  
Daniel M Merfeld ◽  
Fay B Horak ◽  
Mark S Redfern ◽  
Brad Manor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Vestibular Loss ◽  
Balance Impairment ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Key Questions

Abstract Balance impairment and falls are among the most prevalent and morbid conditions affecting older adults. A critical contributor to balance and gait function is the vestibular system; however, there remain substantial knowledge gaps regarding age-related vestibular loss and its contribution to balance impairment and falls in older adults. Given these knowledge gaps, the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders convened a multidisciplinary workshop in April 2019 that brought together experts from a wide array of disciplines, such as vestibular physiology, neuroscience, movement science, rehabilitation, and geriatrics. The goal of the workshop was to identify key knowledge gaps on vestibular function and balance control in older adults and develop a research agenda to make substantial advancements in the field. This article provides a report of the proceedings of this workshop. Three key questions emerged from the workshop, specifically: (i) How does aging impact vestibular function?; (ii) How do we know what is the contribution of age-related vestibular impairment to an older adult’s balance problem?; and more broadly, (iii) Can we develop a nosology of balance impairments in older adults that can guide clinical practice? For each of these key questions, the current knowledge is reviewed, and the critical knowledge gaps and research strategies to address them are discussed. This document outlines an ambitious 5- to 10-year research agenda for increasing knowledge related to vestibular impairment and balance control in older adults, with the ultimate goal of linking this knowledge to more effective treatment.

Inefficient Encoding as an Explanation for Age-Related Deficits in Recollection-Based Processing

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Friedman ◽  
Ray Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Semantic Retrieval ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Face ◽  
Episodic Memories

A cardinal feature of aging is a decline in episodic memory (EM). Nevertheless, there is evidence that some older adults may be able to “compensate” for failures in recollection-based processing by recruiting brain regions and cognitive processes not normally recruited by the young. We review the evidence suggesting that age-related declines in EM performance and recollection-related brain activity (left-parietal EM effect; LPEM) are due to altered processing at encoding. We describe results from our laboratory on differences in encoding- and retrieval-related activity between young and older adults. We then show that, relative to the young, in older adults brain activity at encoding is reduced over a brain region believed to be crucial for successful semantic elaboration in a 400–1,400-ms interval (left inferior prefrontal cortex, LIPFC; Johnson, Nessler, & Friedman, 2013 ; Nessler, Friedman, Johnson, & Bersick, 2007 ; Nessler, Johnson, Bersick, & Friedman, 2006 ). This reduced brain activity is associated with diminished subsequent recognition-memory performance and the LPEM at retrieval. We provide evidence for this premise by demonstrating that disrupting encoding-related processes during this 400–1,400-ms interval in young adults affords causal support for the hypothesis that the reduction over LIPFC during encoding produces the hallmarks of an age-related EM deficit: normal semantic retrieval at encoding, reduced subsequent episodic recognition accuracy, free recall, and the LPEM. Finally, we show that the reduced LPEM in young adults is associated with “additional” brain activity over similar brain areas as those activated when older adults show deficient retrieval. Hence, rather than supporting the compensation hypothesis, these data are more consistent with the scaffolding hypothesis, in which the recruitment of additional cognitive processes is an adaptive response across the life span in the face of momentary increases in task demand due to poorly-encoded episodic memories.

scholarly journals Resting‐State EEG Microstates Parallel Age‐Related Differences in Allocentric Spatial Working Memory Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Jabès ◽  
Giuliana Klencklen ◽  
Paolo Ruggeri ◽  
Christoph M. Michel ◽  
Pamela Banta Lavenex ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Age Related

AbstractAlterations of resting-state EEG microstates have been associated with various neurological disorders and behavioral states. Interestingly, age-related differences in EEG microstate organization have also been reported, and it has been suggested that resting-state EEG activity may predict cognitive capacities in healthy individuals across the lifespan. In this exploratory study, we performed a microstate analysis of resting-state brain activity and tested allocentric spatial working memory performance in healthy adult individuals: twenty 25–30-year-olds and twenty-five 64–75-year-olds. We found a lower spatial working memory performance in older adults, as well as age-related differences in the five EEG microstate maps A, B, C, C′ and D, but especially in microstate maps C and C′. These two maps have been linked to neuronal activity in the frontal and parietal brain regions which are associated with working memory and attention, cognitive functions that have been shown to be sensitive to aging. Older adults exhibited lower global explained variance and occurrence of maps C and C′. Moreover, although there was a higher probability to transition from any map towards maps C, C′ and D in young and older adults, this probability was lower in older adults. Finally, although age-related differences in resting-state EEG microstates paralleled differences in allocentric spatial working memory performance, we found no evidence that any individual or combination of resting-state EEG microstate parameter(s) could reliably predict individual spatial working memory performance. Whether the temporal dynamics of EEG microstates may be used to assess healthy cognitive aging from resting-state brain activity requires further investigation.

Age Differences in the Social Associative Learning of Trust Information

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra Leigh Seaman ◽  
Alexander P. Christensen ◽  
Katherine Senn ◽  
Jessica Cooper ◽  
Brittany Shane Cassidy
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Trust Game ◽  
Time Model ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Social ◽  
Over Time

Trust is a key component of social interaction. Older adults, however, often exhibit excessive trust relative to younger adults. One explanation is that older adults may learn to trust differently than younger adults. Here, we examine how younger (N=33) and older adults (N=30) learn to trust over time. Participants completed a classic iterative trust game with three partners. Younger and older adults shared similar amounts but differed in how they shared money. Compared to younger adults, older adults invested more with untrustworthy partners and less with trustworthy partners. As a group, older adults displayed less learning than younger adults. However, computational modeling shows that this is because older adults are more likely to forget what they have learned over time. Model-based fMRI analyses revealed several age-related differences in neural processing. Younger adults showed prediction error signals in social processing areas while older adults showed over-recruitment of several cortical areas. Collectively, these findings suggest that older adults attend to and learn from social cues differently from younger adults.

scholarly journals The psychosocial benefits of providing non-kin childcare in older adults: A longitudinal study with older New Zealanders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Á Szabó ◽  
Eva Neely ◽  
C Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Grandparental Childcare ◽  
Psychosocial Benefits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time ◽  
New Zealanders

© The Author(s) 2019. Community grandparenting may promote the well-being of older adults. We examined the impact of non-kin and grandparental childcare on quality of life and loneliness using longitudinal data from 2653 older New Zealanders collected over 2 years. Providing both non-kin and grandparental childcare predicted greater self-realisation for women only and was associated with reduced levels of control and autonomy for men. Non-kin childcare was also associated with reduced social loneliness over time independent of gender. Findings suggest that non-kin grandparenting has psychosocial benefits for older adults. Surrogate grandparenting offers promising avenues for those without grandchildren to experience the benefits of grandparenting.

scholarly journals Age-Related Differences in Medication Adherence, Symptoms, and Stigma in Poorly Adherent Adults With Bipolar Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 250-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Smilowitz ◽  
Awais Aftab ◽  
Michelle Aebi ◽  
Jennifer Levin ◽  
Curtis Tatsuoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Internalized Stigma ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
Over Time

Objective: We present a secondary analysis of data reporting differences in medication adherence, psychiatric symptom severity, and internalized stigma levels in older (age ≥ 55 years) versus younger (age < 55 years) adults with bipolar disorder (BD) and poor medication adherence. Methods: Data used for this analysis came from 184 participants in a National Institute of Mental Health–funded randomized controlled trial, comparing a customized adherence enhancement (CAE) intervention intended to promote BD medication adherence with a BD-specific educational program (EDU). At screen, study participants were ≥20% nonadherent with BD medications as measured by the Tablets Routine Questionnaire (TRQ). Psychiatric symptoms, functional status, and internalized stigma were measured using validated scales. Results: Older adults had significantly lower anxiety disorder comorbidity ( P < .01 for 1 or more anxiety disorders), depressive symptom severity scores ( P = .011), and self-stigma scores ( P = .001) compared to their younger counterparts. In the analyses evaluating change over time in TRQ between older and younger participants by treatment arm (ie, CAE and EDU), there was a significant finding of interaction between time, age-group, and treatment arm ( P = .007). Conclusions: Older adults may be less anxious and depressed, with less self-stigma, compared to younger people with BD and poor adherence. With respect to medication adherence, older individuals in EDU appear to do less well than younger individuals over time.

Can sleep quality predict low back pain intensity over time? A longitudinal study with older adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. S184
Author(s):  
P. Kalil Morelhão ◽  
R. Zambelli Pinto ◽  
C. Gobbi ◽  
M. Rodrigues Franco ◽  
C. Frange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Over Time

scholarly journals Electrophysiological differences in older and younger adults’ anaphoric but not cataphoric pronoun processing in the absence of age-related behavioural slowdown

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seçkin Arslan ◽  
Katerina Palasis ◽  
Fanny Meunier
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Anterior Negativity

Abstract This study reports on an event-related potentials experiment to uncover whether per-millisecond electrophysiological brain activity and analogous behavioural responses are age-sensitive when comprehending anaphoric (referent-first) and cataphoric (pronoun-first) pronouns. Two groups of French speakers were recruited (young n = 18; aged 19–35 and older adults n = 15; aged 57–88) to read sentences where the anaphoric/cataphoric pronouns and their potential referents either matched or mismatched in gender. Our findings indicate that (1) the older adults were not less accurate or slower in their behavioural responses to the mismatches than the younger adults, (2) both anaphoric and cataphoric conditions evoked a central/parietally distributed P600 component with similar timing and amplitude in both the groups. Importantly, mean amplitudes of the P600 effect were modulated by verbal short-term memory span in the older adults but not in the younger adults, (3) nevertheless, the older but not the younger adults displayed an additional anterior negativity emerging on the frontal regions in response to the anaphoric mismatches. These results suggest that pronoun processing is resilient in healthy ageing individuals, but that functional recruitment of additional brain regions, evidenced with the anterior negativity, compensates for increased processing demands in the older adults’ anaphora processing.

scholarly journals ADVANCING THE MEASUREMENT OF INTERGENERATIONAL CONTACT: BEYOND ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S626-S626
Author(s):  
Shelbie Turner ◽  
Karen Hooker ◽  
Shannon E Jarrott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Intergenerational Relationship ◽  
Comprehensive Theory ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Valid Instrument ◽  
Intergenerational Interactions ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Over Time

Abstract In our presentation, we will offer insights into our process of creating and validating a comprehensive theory- and evidence- informed measure of intergenerational contact that expands beyond the measurement of age-related attitudes. While attitudinal shifts are an important construct related to intergenerational contact and its impact on ageism, efforts to “Reframe Aging” require a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms by which intergenerational contact can have positive impacts on individuals, families, and communities. Intergenerational contact is dynamic; it varies both between- and within- people, dyads, and places, as well as over time. Our measure includes quantity and qualities of intergenerational contact, including the extent to which the contact is between family vs. non-family members. Unlike existing measures of intergenerational relationship, ours reflects young persons’ and older adults’ intergenerational relationships. A psychometrically valid instrument of intergenerational contact is an essential first-step for determining how aging can be reframed through intergenerational interactions.

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