scholarly journals Aging and Sensitivity to Illusory Target Motion With or Without Secondary Tasks

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 227-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alix L. de Dieuleveult ◽  
Anne-Marie Brouwer ◽  
Petra C. Siemonsma ◽  
Jan B. F. van Erp ◽  
Eli Brenner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
The Right ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Background Motion

Older individuals seem to find it more difficult to ignore inaccurate sensory cues than younger individuals. We examined whether this could be quantified using an interception task. Twenty healthy young adults (age 18–34) and twenty-four healthy older adults (age 60–82) were asked to tap on discs that were moving downwards on a screen with their finger. Moving the background to the left made the discs appear to move more to the right. Moving the background to the right made them appear to move more to the left. The discs disappeared before the finger reached the screen, so participants had to anticipate how the target would continue to move. We examined how misjudging the disc’s motion when the background moves influenced tapping. Participants received veridical feedback about their performance, so their sensitivity to the illusory motion indicates to what extent they could ignore the task-irrelevant visual information. We expected older adults to be more sensitive to the illusion than younger adults. To investigate whether sensorimotor or cognitive load would increase this sensitivity, we also asked participants to do the task while standing on foam or counting tones. Background motion influenced older adults more than younger adults. The secondary tasks did not increase the background’s influence. Older adults might be more sensitive to the moving background because they find it more difficult to ignore irrelevant sensory information in general, but they may rely more on vision because they have less reliable proprioceptive and vestibular information.

scholarly journals Gauging Working Memory Capacity From Differential Resting Brain Oscillations in Older Individuals With A Wearable Device

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soheil Borhani ◽  
Xiaopeng Zhao ◽  
Margaret R. Kelly ◽  
Karah E. Gottschalk ◽  
Fengpei Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Brain Oscillations ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
The Right

Working memory is a core cognitive function and its deficits is one of the most common cognitive impairments. Reduced working memory capacity manifests as reduced accuracy in memory recall and prolonged speed of memory retrieval in older adults. Currently, the relationship between healthy older individuals’ age-related changes in resting brain oscillations and their working memory capacity is not clear. Eyes-closed resting electroencephalogram (rEEG) is gaining momentum as a potential neuromarker of mild cognitive impairments. Wearable and wireless EEG headset measuring key electrophysiological brain signals during rest and a working memory task was utilized. This research’s central hypothesis is that rEEG (e.g., eyes closed for 90 s) frequency and network features are surrogate markers for working memory capacity in healthy older adults. Forty-three older adults’ memory performance (accuracy and reaction times), brain oscillations during rest, and inter-channel magnitude-squared coherence during rest were analyzed. We report that individuals with a lower memory retrieval accuracy showed significantly increased alpha and beta oscillations over the right parietal site. Yet, faster working memory retrieval was significantly correlated with increased delta and theta band powers over the left parietal sites. In addition, significantly increased coherence between the left parietal site and the right frontal area is correlated with the faster speed in memory retrieval. The frontal and parietal dynamics of resting EEG is associated with the “accuracy and speed trade-off” during working memory in healthy older adults. Our results suggest that rEEG brain oscillations at local and distant neural circuits are surrogates of working memory retrieval’s accuracy and processing speed. Our current findings further indicate that rEEG frequency and coherence features recorded by wearable headsets and a brief resting and task protocol are potential biomarkers for working memory capacity. Additionally, wearable headsets are useful for fast screening of cognitive impairment risk.

scholarly journals Locus coeruleus integrity in old age is selectively related to memories linked with salient negative events

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 2228-2233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothea Hämmerer ◽  
Martina F. Callaghan ◽  
Alexandra Hopkins ◽  
Julian Kosciessa ◽  
Matthew Betts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Aversive Events ◽  
Strong Motivation ◽  
Noradrenergic Modulation

The locus coeruleus (LC) is the principal origin of noradrenaline in the brain. LC integrity varies considerably across healthy older individuals, and is suggested to contribute to altered cognitive functions in aging. Here we test this hypothesis using an incidental memory task that is known to be susceptible to noradrenergic modulation. We used MRI neuromelanin (NM) imaging to assess LC structural integrity and pupillometry as a putative index of LC activation in both younger and older adults. We show that older adults with reduced structural LC integrity show poorer subsequent memory. This effect is more pronounced for emotionally negative events, in accord with a greater role for noradrenergic modulation in encoding salient or aversive events. In addition, we found that salient stimuli led to greater pupil diameters, consistent with increased LC activation during the encoding of such events. Our study presents novel evidence that a decrement in noradrenergic modulation impacts on specific components of cognition in healthy older adults. The findings provide a strong motivation for further investigation of the effects of altered LC integrity in pathological aging.

Abstract P198: Clinic versus Out-of-Clinic Daytime Blood Pressure Among Older Adults: Data From the Jackson Heart Study

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikki M Tanner ◽  
Daichi Shimbo ◽  
Samantha Seals ◽  
Gbenga Ogedegbe ◽  
Paul Muntner
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Blood Pressure Monitoring ◽  
White Coat ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Jackson Heart Study ◽  
Large White ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
White Coat Effect ◽  
Heart Study

In the US, antihypertensive medication treatment decisions are primarily based on blood pressure (BP) measurements obtained in the clinic setting. The optimal systolic BP (SBP) goal for adults ≥60 years is controversial and a large difference between clinic and out-of-clinic daytime BP, a white-coat effect, may be present in older individuals. We estimated the white-coat effect and calculated the percentage of untreated and treated adults <60 and ≥60 years with elevated clinic BP (defined as SBP/diastolic BP [DBP] ≥140/90 mmHg), but non-elevated out-of-clinic daytime BP (“daytime BP”, defined as SBP/DBP <135/85 mmHg) among 257 African-American participants in the Jackson Heart Study with at least 10 daytime ambulatory BP measurements. For the overall population, the white-coat effect for SBP was 12.2 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.2-15.1) in older adults and 8.4 mmHg (95% CI: 5.7-11.1) in younger adults (p=0.06). After multivariable (MV) adjustment, this difference was 1.3 mmHg. Among those without diabetes or chronic kidney disease (CKD), the white coat effect for SBP was 15.2 mmHg (95% CI: 10.1-20.2) and 8.6 mmHg (95% CI: 5.0-12.3) for older and younger adults, respectively (p=0.04). After MV adjustment, this difference was 5.9 mmHg. Also, SBP ≥150 mmHg versus <150 mm Hg was associated with a larger white-coat effect in the overall population after MV adjustment. Among those without CKD or diabetes, older age and SBP ≥150 mmHg were associated with a larger white-coat effect after MV adjustment. Among younger and older participants with elevated clinic BP, the prevalence of non-elevated daytime BP was 34% (95% CI: 26%-44%) and 32% (95% CI: 24%-40%), respectively (p=0.64), in the overall population and 35% (95% CI: 24%-48%) and 43% (95% CI: 31%-56%), respectively, for those without CKD or diabetes (p=0.37). In conclusion, a large white-coat effect was present among older adults. These data suggest a role for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in preventing potential over-treatment for hypertension among older adults.

scholarly journals DNA methylation and cognitive functioning in healthy older adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga J. G. Schiepers ◽  
Martin P. J. van Boxtel ◽  
Renate H. M. de Groot ◽  
Jelle Jolles ◽  
Frans J. Kok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Global Dna Methylation ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Relationship

Long-term supplementation with folic acid may improve cognitive performance in older individuals. The relationship between folate status and cognitive performance might be mediated by changes in methylation capacity, as methylation reactions are important for normal functioning of the brain. Although aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, the relationship between DNA methylation status and non-pathological cognitive functioning in human subjects has not yet been investigated. The present study investigated the associations between global DNA methylation and key domains of cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. Global DNA methylation, defined as the percentage of methylated cytosine to total cytosine, was measured in leucocytes by liquid chromatography–MS/MS, in 215 men and women, aged 50–70 years, who participated in the Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (FACIT) study (clinical trial registration number NCT00110604). Cognitive performance was assessed by means of the Visual Verbal Word Learning Task, the Stroop Colour-Word Interference Test, the Concept Shifting Test, the Letter–Digit Substitution Test and the Verbal Fluency Test. Using hierarchical linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, level of education, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, erythrocyte folate concentration and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 C → T genotype, we found that global DNA methylation was not related to cognitive performance on any of the domains measured. The present study results do not support the hypothesis that global DNA methylation, as measured in leucocytes, might be associated with cognitive functioning in healthy older individuals.

Effects of Age and Implanted Ear on Speech Recognition in Adults with Unilateral Cochlear Implants

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Allan Sharpe ◽  
Elizabeth L. Camposeo ◽  
Wasef K. Muzaffar ◽  
Meredith A. Holcomb ◽  
Judy R. Dubno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Retrospective Review ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Hearing In Noise ◽  
Noise Test ◽  
Right Ear Advantage ◽  
The Right

The objective of this study was to examine how age and implanted ear contribute to functional outcomes with cochlear implantation (CI). A retrospective review was performed on 96 adults who underwent unilateral CI. Older adults with right-ear implants had higher Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) scores at 1 year by 10.3% (p = 0.06). When adjusted to rationalized arcsine units (rau), right-ear HINT scores in older adults were higher by 12.1 rau (p = 0.04). Older adults had an 8.9% advantage on the right side compared to the left in post- versus preimplant scores for consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant words (p = 0.05). No significant differences were observed for younger adults. In conclusion, although adults of all ages experience improvements in speech perception following CI, there might be a subtle but consistent right-ear advantage in older adults.

scholarly journals Predictive coding over the lifespan: Increased reliance on perceptual priors in older adults – a magnetoencephalography and dynamic causal modelling study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Chan ◽  
Michael Wibral ◽  
Patricia Wollstadt ◽  
Cerisa Stawowsky ◽  
Mareike Brandl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Illusory Percept ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Band Activity

AbstractAging is accompanied by unisensory decline; but to compensate for this, two complementary strategies are potentially relied upon increasingly: first, older adults integrate more information from different sensory organs. Second, according to predictive coding (PC) we form ‘templates’ (internal models or ‘priors’) of the environment through our experiences. It is through increased life experience that older adults may rely more on these templates compared to younger adults. Multisensory integration and predictive coding would be effective strategies for the perception of near-threshold stimuli, but they come at the cost of integrating irrelevant information. Their role can be studied in multisensory illusions because these require the integration of different sensory information, as well as an internal model of the world that can take precedence over sensory input. Here, we elicited a classic multisensory illusion, the sound-induced flash illusion, in younger (mean: 27 yrs) and older (mean: 67 yrs) adult participants while recording the magnetoencephalogram. Older adults perceived more illusions than younger adults. Older adults had increased pre-stimulus beta(β)-band activity compared to younger adults as predicted by microcircuit theories of predictive coding, which suggest priors and predictions are linked to β-band activity. In line with our hypothesis, transfer entropy analysis and dynamic causal models of pre-stimulus MEG data revealed a stronger illusion-related modulation of cross-modal connectivity from auditory to visual cortices in older compared to younger adults. We interpret this as the neural correlate of increased reliance on a cross-modal predictive template in older adults that is leading to the illusory percept.

scholarly journals Predictive Coding Over the Lifespan: Increased Reliance on Perceptual Priors in Older Adults—A Magnetoencephalography and Dynamic Causal Modeling Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Chan ◽  
Michael Wibral ◽  
Cerisa Stawowsky ◽  
Mareike Brandl ◽  
Saskia Helbling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Causal Modeling ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Dynamic Causal Modeling ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Illusory Percept ◽  
Band Activity

Aging is accompanied by unisensory decline. To compensate for this, two complementary strategies are potentially relied upon increasingly: first, older adults integrate more information from different sensory organs. Second, according to the predictive coding (PC) model, we form “templates” (internal models or “priors”) of the environment through our experiences. It is through increased life experience that older adults may rely more on these templates compared to younger adults. Multisensory integration and predictive coding would be effective strategies for the perception of near-threshold stimuli, which may however come at the cost of integrating irrelevant information. Both strategies can be studied in multisensory illusions because these require the integration of different sensory information, as well as an internal model of the world that can take precedence over sensory input. Here, we elicited a classic multisensory illusion, the sound-induced flash illusion, in younger (mean: 27 years, N = 25) and older (mean: 67 years, N = 28) adult participants while recording the magnetoencephalogram. Older adults perceived more illusions than younger adults. Older adults had increased pre-stimulus beta-band activity compared to younger adults as predicted by microcircuit theories of predictive coding, which suggest priors and predictions are linked to beta-band activity. Transfer entropy analysis and dynamic causal modeling of pre-stimulus magnetoencephalography data revealed a stronger illusion-related modulation of cross-modal connectivity from auditory to visual cortices in older compared to younger adults. We interpret this as the neural correlate of increased reliance on a cross-modal predictive template in older adults leading to the illusory percept.

scholarly journals Older adults demonstrate interlimb transfer of reactive gait adaptations to repeated unpredictable gait perturbations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher McCrum ◽  
Kiros Karamanidis ◽  
Lotte Grevendonk ◽  
Wiebren Zijlstra ◽  
Kenneth Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Gait Stability ◽  
Kinematic Data ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Motor Error ◽  
The Right ◽  
Walking Speeds ◽  
Treadmill Belt ◽  
Gait Perturbations

AbstractThe ability to rapidly adjust gait to cope with unexpected mechanical perturbations declines with ageing. Previous studies however, have not ensured that pre-perturbation gait stability was equivalent, meaning that differences in unperturbed gait stability may have influenced the outcomes, which this study addresses. We also examine if interlimb transfer of gait adaptations are observed in healthy older adults, potentially driven by the increased motor error experienced due to their reduced ability to cope with the perturbations. 30 young and 28 older healthy adults experienced ten unpredictable treadmill belt accelerations (the first and last applied to the right leg, the others to the left) during walking at their stability-normalised walking speeds (young: 1.32±0.07m/s; older: 1.31±0.13m/s). Using kinematic data, we assessed the margins of stability during unperturbed walking and the first eight post-perturbation recovery steps. Older adults required three more steps to recover during the first perturbation to each leg than the young adults. Yet, after repeated perturbations of the left leg, older adults required only one more step to recover. Interestingly, for the untrained right leg, we found an improvement of three steps in the recovery of the older adults, indicating interlimb transfer of the improvements. Age differences in reactive gait stability remain even when participants’ walk with equivalent stability. Furthermore, we show that healthy older adults can transfer improvements in balance recovery made during repeated perturbations to one limb to their recovery following a perturbation to the untrained limb.

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