Processing gender stereotypes in dementia patients and older healthy adults: a self-paced reading study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (s2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Müller-Feldmeth ◽  
Katharina Ahnefeld ◽  
Adriana Hanulíková
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Age Related

AbstractWe used self-paced reading to examine whether stereotypical associations of verbs with women or men as prototypical agents (e.g. the craftsman knits a sweater) are activated during sentence processing in dementia patients and healthy older adults. Effects of stereotypical knowledge on language processing have frequently been observed in young adults, but little is known about age-related changes in the activation and integration of stereotypical information. While syntactic processing may remain intact, semantic capacities are often affected in dementia. Since inferences based on gender stereotypes draw on social and world knowledge, access to stereotype information may also be affected in dementia patients. Results from dementia patients (n = 9, average age 86.6) and healthy older adults (n = 14, average age 79.5) showed slower reading times and less accuracy in comprehension scores for dementia patients compared to the control group. While activation of stereotypical associations of verbs was visible in both groups, they differed with respect to the time-course of processing. The effect of stereotypes on comprehension accuracy was visible for healthy adults only. The evidence from reading times suggests that older adults with and without dementia engage stereotypical inferences during reading, which is in line with research on young adults.

Kinematic Analysis of Dance-Based Exergaming: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest K. Ofori ◽  
Savitha Subramaniam ◽  
Shuaijie Wang ◽  
Tanvi Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Cortical Pathology

Background: Recent studies demonstrate improvements in both postural stability and mobility among aging populations and those with stroke who are exposed to dance-based exergaming (DBExG). However, age-related deficits and aging with cortical pathology may lead to distinct movement adaptation patterns during DBExG, which could impact therapeutic outcomes.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the movement kinematics (postural stability and mobility) of healthy older adults, older adults with stroke, and young adults for different paces of dance during DBExG. Method: The study included 33 particpants (11 participant from each group of healthy older adults, older adults with chronic stroke, and healthy young adults) who performed the DBExG using slow- (SP), medium- (MP), and fast-paced (FP) songs with movements in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. Center of mass (CoM) sway area, excursion (Ex), and peaks as well as hip, knee, and ankle joint excursions were computed. Results: Results of the study revealed that CoM sway areas and Exs were greater for healthy young adults than for older adults with stroke for the SP dance (p < 0.05) and that there were significantly more AP CoM peaks for young adults than for healthy older adults and those with stroke for the FP dance (p < 0.05). Young adults also exhibited greater hip and ankle Exs than older adults with stroke (p < 0.05) for all song paces. Similarly, knee and ankle Exs were greater for healthy older adults than for older adults with stroke for all song paces (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The quantitative evaluation and comparison of the movement patterns presented for the three groups could provide a foundation for both assessing and designing therapeutic DBExG protocols for these populations.

scholarly journals Older adults show a more sustained pattern of effortful listening than young adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronan McGarrigle ◽  
Sarah Knight ◽  
Lyndon Rakusen ◽  
Jason Geller ◽  
Sven Mattys
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Listening Task

Listening to speech in adverse conditions can be challenging and effortful, especially for older adults. This study examined age-related differences in effortful listening by recording changes in the task-evoked pupil response (TEPR; a physiological marker of listening effort) both at the level of sentence processing and over the entire course of a listening task. A total of 65 (32 young adults; 33 older adults) participants performed a speech recognition task in the presence of a competing talker, while moment-to-moment changes in pupil size were continuously monitored. Participants were also administered the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale; a questionnaire assessing daily life listening fatigue within four domains (social, cognitive, emotional, physical). Normalized TEPRs were overall larger and more steeply rising and falling around the peak in the older versus the young adult group during sentence processing. Additionally, mean TEPRs over the course of the listening task were more stable in the older versus the young adult group, consistent with a more sustained recruitment of compensatory attentional resources to maintain task performance. No age-related differences were found in terms of total daily life listening fatigue; however, older adults reported higher scores than young adults within the social domain. Overall, this study provides evidence for qualitatively distinct patterns of physiological arousal between young and older adults consistent with age-related upregulation in resource allocation during listening. A more detailed understanding of age-related changes in the subjective and physiological mechanisms that underlie effortful listening will ultimately help to address complex communication needs in aging listeners.

Spatiotemporal Stability of Lip Movements in Older Adult Speakers

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy B. Wohlert ◽  
Anne Smith
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Movement Pattern ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Tactile Acuity ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Speech Kinematics ◽  
Global Parameters

Although the intelligibility of healthy older adults normally seems unimpaired, age-related changes occur in sensorimotor components of the speech system and in such global parameters as speech rate. In order to clarify the effect of these changes on the variability of speech movements, we examined oral peripheral abilities, speech rate, and speech kinematics in a group of 10 adults age 76–83, compared to a group of 10 young adults. Participants repeated a short phrase 15 times at habitual, fast, and slow rates. The resulting lip displacement signals were time- and amplitude-normalized, and successive standard deviations along the movement waveforms were summed to produce a spatiotemporal index (STI) representing individual variability in movement pattern. Participants tended to show greatest variability at slow rate, less variability at fast rate, and least variability at habitual rate. For the older adults, STI at habitual rate was significantly higher (more variable) and speech durations were longer than those of young adults. Perioral strength and tactile acuity were poorer in these older adults than in young adults. We conclude that as sensorimotor abilities change in old age, speakers are less consistent in the spatiotemporal organization of speech movements, reflecting decreased stability of speech motor control.

scholarly journals Determining the Underlying Relationship Between Swallowing and Maximum Vocal Pitch Elevation: A Preliminary Study of Their Hyoid Biomechanics in Healthy Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 3408-3418
Author(s):  
Anumitha Venkatraman ◽  
Robert Brinton Fujiki ◽  
Bruce A. Craig ◽  
M. Preeti Sivasankar ◽  
Georgia A. Malandraki
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Vocal Pitch ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Muscle Changes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Moderate Positive Correlation

Purpose Deficiencies in swallowing (aspiration) and in maximum vocal pitch elevation have been shown to correlate in dysphagia. However, the underlying mechanisms that may explain this relationship are not known. In this study, we compare hyoid kinematics between swallowing and maximum vocal pitch elevation in healthy adults. Method Ten young ( M = 21 ± 1.33 years) and eight older ( M = 72.85 ± 5.59 years) healthy adults completed trials of maximum vocal pitch elevation (vowels /a/ and /i/) and swallowing (thin liquid and pudding) under videofluoroscopy. Superior and anterior hyoid excursions were obtained using kinematic analysis. Two-way analyses of variance and Spearman rho correlations were used to examine differences and relationships between swallowing and maximum pitch elevation biomechanics. Results Superior hyoid excursion was significantly greater for liquid swallows compared to pitch elevation tasks (/a/ and /i/; p = .002; Cohen's d = 1.28; p = .0179, Cohen's d = 1.03, respectively) and for pudding swallows compared to pitch tasks ( p = .000, Cohen's d = 1.64; p = .001, Cohen's d = 1.38, respectively). Anterior hyoid excursion was not significantly different between the two functions, but was overall reduced in the older group ( p = .0231, Cohen's d = .90). Furthermore, there was a moderate positive correlation between the degree of superior excursion during liquid swallows and maximum pitch elevation for both vowels ( r s = .601, p = .001; r s = .524, p = .003) in young adults, and between the degree of anterior excursion during liquid swallows and pitch elevation for both vowels ( r s = .688, p = .001; r s = .530, p = .008) in older adults. Conclusions Swallowing and maximum pitch elevation require similar anterior, but not superior, hyoid excursion in healthy adults. Differential correlations between the two tasks for each age group may be associated with age-related muscle changes. We provide evidence of partially shared biomechanics between swallowing and maximum pitch elevation.

scholarly journals Effect of Taichi Softball on Function-Related Outcomes in Older Adults: A Randomized Control Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Lou ◽  
Liye Zou ◽  
Qun Fang ◽  
Huiru Wang ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related

The purpose of this present study was to examine the effect of Taichi softball (TCSB) on physical function in Chinese older adults. Eighty Chinese older adults were randomly assigned into either an experimental group experiencing four 90-minute TCSB sessions weekly for seven consecutive weeks or a control group. At baseline and 7 weeks later, all participants were asked to perform physical functional tests for both lower and upper limbs. Multiple separate Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures were applied to evaluate the effects of TCSB on function-related outcomes between baseline and postintervention in the two groups. The findings indicate that a short-term and intensive TCSB training program does not only improve low limb-related physical function such as dynamic balance and leg strength, but also strengthen upper limb-related physical function (e.g., arm and forearm strength, shoulder mobility, fine motor control, handgrip strength, and fine motor function). Health professionals could take into account TCSB exercise as an alternative method to help maintain or alleviate the inevitable age-related physical function degeneration in healthy older adults. In addition, researchers could investigate the effect of TCSB exercise on physical function in special populations such as patients with different chronic diseases or neurological disorder (e.g., Parkinson’s disease).

scholarly journals Bicycling Exercise Helps Maintain a Youthful Metabolic Cost of Walking in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Aslan ◽  
Joshua M. Collette ◽  
Justus D. Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Minimal Effect ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Walking Performance ◽  
Walking Economy

The decline of walking performance is a key determinant of morbidity among older adults. Healthy older adults have been shown to have a 15–20% lower walking economy compared with young adults. However, older adults who run for exercise have a higher walking economy compared with older adults who walk for exercise. Yet, it remains unclear if other aerobic exercises yield similar improvements on walking economy. The purpose of this study was to determine if regular bicycling exercise affects walking economy in older adults. We measured metabolic rate while 33 older adult “bicyclists” or “walkers” and 16 young adults walked on a level treadmill at four speeds between (0.75–1.75 m/s). Across the range of speeds, older bicyclists had a 9–17% greater walking economy compared with older walkers (p = .009). In conclusion, bicycling exercise mitigates the age-related deterioration of walking economy, whereas walking for exercise has a minimal effect on improving walking economy.

scholarly journals Effects of Tongue-Strengthening Self-Exercises in Healthy Older Adults: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial

Dysphagia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitsuro Yano ◽  
Shinsuke Nagami ◽  
Tomonori Yokoyama ◽  
Katsuya Nakamura ◽  
Miyu Kobayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Training Period ◽  
Tongue Pressure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tongue Strength ◽  
Measuring Device ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
At Home

AbstractTongue-strengthening exercises (TSE) using a device have been proposed as an intervention for improving tongue strength and endurance. However, devices for TSE have been expensive and difficult to manipulate and are not commonly used in home or clinical settings. This study therefore aimed to investigate whether tongue-strengthening self-exercises (TSsE) using a tongue-strengthening self-exercise tool at home can improve tongue strength in healthy older adults. This study included 27 participants (exercise group, η = 16, 7 men, 9 women, median age 84.5 years; control group, n = 11, 2 men, 9 women, median age 79.0 years). Exercises in the exercise group consisted of pushing the anterior tongue against the hard palate 30 times, 3 times a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks using a tongue-strengthening self-exercise tool. This tool is available in five levels of hardness. The most suitable hardness of the tool for each participant was calculated based on 60% of maximum tongue pressure (MTP) during the first 2 weeks of the training period and 80% of MTP for the remainder of the training period, as assessed using a tongue pressure-measuring device. The exercise group showed a significant improvement of 4.1 kPa in MTP (an 11.53% increase) and 4.53 s in endurance of tongue pressure (ETP) (a 99.86% increase). Furthermore, adherence in the exercise group was 99.2%. In conclusion, performing TSsE for 8 weeks was effective for increasing MTP and ETP in healthy older adults. This indicates that TSsE may be useful in older individuals at home to prevent age-related tongue muscle weakness.

scholarly journals How the healthy ageing brain supports semantic binding during language comprehension

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roksana Markiewicz ◽  
Katrien Segaert ◽  
Ali Mazaheri
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Oscillatory Brain Activity ◽  
High Beta

AbstractSemantic binding refers to constructing complex meaning based on elementary building blocks. Using EEG, we investigated the age-related changes in modulations of oscillatory brain activity supporting semantic binding. Young and older adult participants were visually presented two-word phrases in a semantic binding (e.g. swift horse) vs. no semantic binding context (e.g. swrfeq horse). We found that the oscillatory brain activity associated with semantic binding significantly differed between healthy older and young adults. Specifically, in young adults we found a semantic binding signature in the low-beta range centred around the onset of the target word (i.e. a smaller low-beta increase for binding relative to no binding), while in healthy older adults we found an opposite pattern about ~500ms later in the low- and high-beta range (i.e. a smaller low- and high-beta decrease for binding relative to no binding). We interpret the different and delayed oscillatory signature for semantic binding in healthy older adults to reflect that they are relying on different mechanisms to integrate word meaning into their semantic context.

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.

Mechanism of Sequential Swallowing During Straw Drinking in Healthy Young and Older Adults

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Daniels ◽  
David M. Corey ◽  
Leslie D. Hadskey ◽  
Calli Legendre ◽  
Daniel H. Priestly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Significant Relation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Laryngeal Penetration ◽  
Airway Invasion ◽  
Edge Location

Recent research has revealed differences between isolated and sequential swallowing in healthy young adults; however, the influence of normal aging on sequential swallowing has not been studied. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of normal aging on deglutition during sequential straw drinking. Videofluoroscopic samples of two 10-s straw drinking trials were obtained for 20 healthy young men (age 29±3 years) and 18 healthy older men (age 69±7 years). Hyolaryngeal complex (HLC) movement patterns, leading edge of the bolus location at swallow onset, and occurrences of airway invasion were determined. Two HLC patterns were identified: (a) HLC lowering with the epiglottis returned to upright between swallows and (b) partially maintained HLC elevation with the epiglottis inverted between swallows. The bolus was frequently in the hypopharynx at swallow onset. Strong associations were identified between age and HLC pattern, age and leading edge of the bolus location, and HLC pattern and leading edge location. Laryngeal penetration was uncommon overall; however, it occurred more frequently in the older adults than in the young adults. A significant relation was identified between age and the average Penetration-Aspiration Scale score. Laryngeal penetration was associated with both HLC movement patterns and hypopharyngeal bolus location, particularly in older adults. Results indicate that subtle age-related differences are evident in healthy young and older adults with sequential straw drinking. These data suggest that specific inherent swallowing patterns may increase the risk of laryngeal penetration with normal aging.

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