Exploring the effects of degraded vision on sensorimotor performance

Purpose Many people experience unilateral degraded vision, usually owing to a developmental or age-related disorder. There are unresolved questions regarding the extent to which such unilateral visual deficits impact on sensorimotor performance; an important issue as sensorimotor limitations can constrain quality of life by restricting ‘activities of daily living’. Examination of the relationship between visual deficit and sensorimotor performance is essential for determining the functional implications of ophthalmic conditions. This study attempts to explore the effect of unilaterally degraded vision on sensorimotor performance. Methods In Experiment 1 we simulated visual deficits in 30 participants using unilateral and bilateral Bangerter filters to explore whether motor performance was affected in water pouring, peg placing, and aiming tasks. Experiment 2 (n = 74) tested the hypothesis that kinematic measures are associated with visuomotor deficits by measuring the impact of small visual sensitivity decrements created by monocular viewing on sensorimotor interactions with targets presented on a planar surface in aiming, tracking and steering tasks. Results In Experiment 1, the filters caused decreased task performance—confirming that unilateral (and bilateral) visual loss has functional implications. In Experiment 2, kinematic measures were affected by monocular viewing in two of three tasks requiring rapid online visual feedback (aiming and steering). Conclusions Unilateral visual loss has a measurable impact on sensorimotor performance. The benefits of binocular vision may be particularly important for some groups (e.g. older adults) where an inability to complete sensorimotor tasks may necessitate assisted living. There is an urgent need to develop rigorous kinematic approaches to the quantification of the functional impact of unilaterally degraded vision and of the benefits associated with treatments for unilateral ophthalmic conditions to enable informed decisions around treatment.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of The impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the age-related excess risk of coronary heart disease.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1046795.497269 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Julia Critchley

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Excess Risk ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact

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The Role of Vascular Aging in Atherosclerotic Plaque Development and Vulnerability

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612825666190830175424 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (29) ◽

pp. 3098-3111 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Luca Liberale ◽

Giovanni G. Camici

Keyword(s):

Atherosclerotic Plaque ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Plaque Burden ◽

Vascular Aging ◽

Age Related ◽

Plaque Development ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Background: The ongoing demographical shift is leading to an unprecedented aging of the population. As a consequence, the prevalence of age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications is set to increase in the near future. Endothelial dysfunction and vascular stiffening characterize arterial aging and set the stage for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerotic plaques evolve over time, the extent to which these changes might affect their stability and predispose to sudden complications remains to be determined. Recent advances in imaging technology will allow for longitudinal prospective studies following the progression of plaque burden aimed at better characterizing changes over time associated with plaque stability or rupture. Oxidative stress and inflammation, firmly established driving forces of age-related CV dysfunction, also play an important role in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization and rupture. Several genes involved in lifespan determination are known regulator of redox cellular balance and pre-clinical evidence underlines their pathophysiological roles in age-related cardiovascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Objective: The aim of this narrative review is to examine the impact of aging on arterial function and atherosclerotic plaque development. Furthermore, we report how molecular mechanisms of vascular aging might regulate age-related plaque modifications and how this may help to identify novel therapeutic targets to attenuate the increased risk of CV disease in elderly people.

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The impact of vascular risk factors on the thickness and volume of the choroid in AMD patients

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94676-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elżbieta Krytkowska ◽

Aleksandra Grabowicz ◽

Katarzyna Mozolewska-Piotrowska ◽

Zofia Ulańczyk ◽

Krzysztof Safranow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Vascular Risk Factors ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Control Group ◽

Vascular Risk ◽

Average Volume ◽

Central Ring ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact ◽

Wet Amd

AbstractDisturbances in choroidal microcirculation may lead to the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We aimed to assess changes in the choroidal volume and thickness in the macular region in AMD eyes and to investigate whether coexisting vascular risk factors alter choroidal status. We enrolled 354 AMD patients (175 dry, 179 wet AMD) and 121 healthy controls. All participants underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination and assessment of choroidal thickness and volume. A multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, and smoking status revealed that wet AMD was an independent factor associated with higher average thickness of the central ring area (ATC) and average volume of the central ring area (AVC) and lower choroidal vascularity index (CVI) compared to controls (β = + 0.18, p = 0.0007, β = + 0.18, p = 0.0008, respectively) and to dry AMD (β = + 0.17, p = 0.00003 for both ATC and AVC and β = − 0.30 p < 0.0001 for CVI). ATC, AVC and average volume (AV) were lower in AMD patients with hypertension and ischaemic heart disease (IHD). The duration of hypertension was inversely correlated with ATC, AVC and AV (Rs = − 0.13, p < 0.05; Rs = − 0.12; p < 0.05, Rs = − 0.12; p < 0.05, respectively) while IHD duration negatively correlated with AV (Rs = − 0.15, p < 0.05). No such associations were observed in the control group. Our findings show that the choroidal vascular system in eyes with AMD is much more susceptible to damage in the presence than in the absence of systemic vascular disease.

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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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Incidence of diabetes mellitus among people living with and without HIV in British Columbia, Canada between 2001 and 2013: a longitudinal population-based cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048744 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e048744

Author(s):

Andreea Bratu ◽

Taylor McLinden ◽

Katherine Kooij ◽

Monica Ye ◽

Jenny Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

British Columbia ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Population Based ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Trend Test ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Age Related ◽

Hiv Serostatus ◽

The Impact

IntroductionPeople living with HIV (PLHIV) are increasingly at risk of age-related comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM). While DM is associated with elevated mortality and morbidity, understanding of DM among PLHIV is limited. We assessed the incidence of DM among people living with and without HIV in British Columbia (BC), Canada, during 2001–2013.MethodsWe used longitudinal data from a population-based cohort study linking clinical data and administrative health data. We included PLHIV who were antiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve at baseline, and 1:5 age-sex-matched persons without HIV. All participants had ≥5 years of historic data pre-baseline and ≥1 year(s) of follow-up. DM was identified using the BC Ministry of Health’s definitions applied to hospitalisation, physician billing and drug dispensation datasets. Incident DM was identified using a 5-year run-in period. In addition to unadjusted incidence rates (IRs), we estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR) using Poisson regression and assessed annual trends in DM IRs per 1000 person years (PYs) between 2001 and 2013.ResultsA total of 129 PLHIV and 636 individuals without HIV developed DM over 17 529 PYs and 88,672 PYs, respectively. The unadjusted IRs of DM per 1000 PYs were 7.4 (95% CI 6.2 to 8.8) among PLHIV and 7.2 (95% CI 6.6 to 7.8) for individuals without HIV. After adjustment for confounding, HIV serostatus was not associated with DM incidence (adjusted IRR: 1.03, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.27). DM incidence did not increase over time among PLHIV (Kendall trend test: p=0.9369), but it increased among persons without HIV between 2001 and 2013 (p=0.0136).ConclusionsAfter adjustment, HIV serostatus was not associated with incidence of DM, between 2001 and 2013. Future studies should investigate the impact of ART on mitigating the potential risk of DM among PLHIV.

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The Impact of Bone on the Biology of Aging

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2643 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 740-740

Author(s):

Gerard Karsenty

Keyword(s):

Muscle Function ◽

Male Fertility ◽

Leydig Cells ◽

Memory Loss ◽

Age Related ◽

Systematic Exploration ◽

Biology Of Aging ◽

The Impact ◽

The Brain ◽

Regulate Energy Metabolism

Abstract We hypothesized that bone may secrete hormones that regulate energy metabolism and reproduction. Testing this hypothesis revealed that the osteoblast-specific secreted protein osteocalcin is a hormone regulating glucose homeostasis and male fertility by signaling through a GPCR, Gprc6a, expressed in pancreatic β bells and Leydig cells of the testes. The systematic exploration of osteocalcin biology, revealed that it regulates an unexpectedly large spectrum of physiological functions in the brain and peripheral organs and that it has most features of an antigeromic molecule. As will be presented at the meeting, this body of work suggests that harnessing osteocalcin for therapeutic purposes may be beneficial in the treatment of age-related diseases such as depression, age-related memory loss and the decline in muscle function seen in sarcopenia.

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Adolescence as a “critical period” in the heritage language use. Polish in Germany

Open Linguistics ◽

10.1515/opli-2021-0019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 301-315

Author(s):

Hanna Pułaczewska

Keyword(s):

Role Models ◽

Personal Development ◽

Critical Period ◽

Growing Up ◽

Age Related ◽

The Media ◽

Role Of Parents ◽

Qualitative Part ◽

The Impact

Abstract In the article, we consider the impact of adolescence upon the usage of Polish in Polish-German bilinguals raised and living in Germany and demonstrate how adolescence surfaces as a socially based “critical period” in this usage using results from a survey and interviews conducted with 30 teenagers. In the quantitative part of the study, we seek to establish whether adolescents’ age affected the pattern and quantity of their usage of Polish in the media and contacts with age peers, whether the latter two facets of growing up with Polish were interrelated, and which other factors affected peer-relevant activities in Polish. Both age and peer contact turned out to significantly affect the use of the media in Polish, while peer contact in Polish was affected by the parental use of Polish in parent-child communication. The qualitative part presents the context and motivation for using Polish by the youths in peer-relevant activities. We integrate the results with insights provided by child development psychology from the perspective of language socialisation theory and interpret the age-related decline of interest in the Polish media as an effect of a diminishing role of parents and the increasing role of age peers as role models in personal development.

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The Impact of Oxidative Stress on Blood-Retinal Barrier Physiology in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010064 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 64

Author(s):

Annamaria Tisi ◽

Marco Feligioni ◽

Maurizio Passacantando ◽

Marco Ciancaglini ◽

Rita Maccarone

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Pigment Epithelium ◽

Retinal Pigment ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Blood Retinal Barrier ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact

The blood retinal barrier (BRB) is a fundamental eye component, whose function is to select the flow of molecules from the blood to the retina and vice-versa, and its integrity allows the maintenance of a finely regulated microenvironment. The outer BRB, composed by the choriocapillaris, the Bruch’s membrane, and the retinal pigment epithelium, undergoes structural and functional changes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness worldwide. BRB alterations lead to retinal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Several risk factors have been associated with AMD onset in the past decades and oxidative stress is widely recognized as a key factor, even if the exact AMD pathophysiology has not been exactly elucidated yet. The present review describes the BRB physiology, the BRB changes occurring in AMD, the role of oxidative stress in AMD with a focus on the outer BRB structures. Moreover, we propose the use of cerium oxide nanoparticles as a new powerful anti-oxidant agent to combat AMD, based on the relevant existing data which demonstrated their beneficial effects in protecting the outer BRB in animal models of AMD.

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