scholarly journals Neural mechanisms supporting emotional and self-relevant information processing and encoding in older and younger adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T Daley ◽  
Holly J Bowen ◽  
Eric C Fields ◽  
Katelyn Parisi ◽  
Angela Gutchess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Neutral Information ◽  
Referential Processing

Emotion and self-referential processing can both enhance memory, but whether they do so via common mechanisms across the adult lifespan remains underexplored. To fill this gap, the current study directly compared, within the same fMRI paradigm, the encoding of emotionally salient and self-referential information in older adults and younger adults. Behavioral results replicated the typical patterns of better memory for emotional than neutral information and for self-referential than non-self-referential materials; these memory enhancements were present for younger and older adults. In neural activity, young and older adults showed similar modulation by emotion, but there were substantial age differences in the way self-referential processing affected neural recruitment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we also found little evidence for overlap in the neural mechanisms engaged for emotional and self-referential processing. These results reveal that – just as in cognitive domains – older adults can show similar performance to younger adults in socioemotional domains even though the two age groups engage distinct mechanisms. These findings demonstrate the need for future research that delves into the neural mechanisms supporting older adults’ memory benefits for socioemotional material.

scholarly journals Neural mechanisms supporting emotional and self-referential information processing and encoding in older and younger adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-421
Author(s):  
Ryan T Daley ◽  
Holly J Bowen ◽  
Eric C Fields ◽  
Katelyn R Parisi ◽  
Angela Gutchess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Neutral Information ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Two Age Groups

Abstract Emotion and self-referential information can both enhance memory, but whether they do so via common mechanisms across the adult lifespan remains underexplored. To address this gap, the current study directly compared, within the same fMRI paradigm, the encoding of emotionally salient and self-referential information in older adults and younger adults. Behavioral results replicated the typical patterns of better memory for emotional than neutral information and for self-referential than non-self-referential materials; these memory enhancements were present for younger and older adults. In neural activity, young and older adults showed similar modulation by emotion, but there were substantial age differences in the way self-referential processing affected neural recruitment. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found little evidence for overlap in the neural mechanisms engaged for emotional and self-referential processing. These results reveal that—just as in cognitive domains—older adults can show similar performance to younger adults in socioemotional domains even though the two age groups engage distinct neural mechanisms. These findings demonstrate the need for future research delving into the neural mechanisms supporting older adults’ memory benefits for socioemotional material.

scholarly journals Mental Health and Social Connectedness Across the Adult Lifespan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Madeline A. Gregory ◽  
Nicole K. Legg ◽  
Zachary Senay ◽  
Jamie-Lee Barden ◽  
Peter Phiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound consequences on collective mental health and well-being, and yet, older adults appear better off than younger adults. The current study examined mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups in a large sample (n = 5,320) of Canadians using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest older adults are experiencing better mental health and more social connectedness relative to younger adults. Loneliness predicted negative mental health outcomes across all age groups, while the negative association between social support and mental health was only significant at average and high levels of loneliness in the 65–69 age group. Results point towards differential mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups and indicate that loneliness and social support may be key intervention targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further examine mechanisms of resiliency among older Canadian adults during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Information Avoidance in Decision Making: Do the Reasons Vary by Age?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 364-364
Author(s):  
Stephanie Deng ◽  
Julia Nolte ◽  
Corinna Loeckenhoff
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Medical Decision ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Information Avoidance ◽  
Highly Correlated

Abstract Older adults make up the majority of the U.S. patient population and age differences in information avoidance have potential implications for their ability to participate in informed medical decision making. Meta-analytic evidence suggests that older adults seek less information before making a decision than younger adults do (Mata & Nunes, 2010). However, age differences in explicit information avoidance have yet to be quantified. We hypothesized that older adults would avoid decision-relevant information more strongly than younger adults do. We also examined the self-reported reasons for information avoidance and hypothesized that older adults would express more concern about unwanted information influencing their affect (Reed & Carstensen, 2012) and decision preferences (Mather, 2006), both of which are known predictors of information avoidance (Woolley & Risen, 2018). To test these assumptions, we conducted a pre-registered online study involving three different health-related decision scenarios. For each scenario, an adult lifespan sample (N=195, Mage=52.95, 50% female, 71% non-Hispanic White) chose to either receive or avoid information. Responses were highly correlated across scenarios and results were pooled into a single avoidance measure. Analyses indicated that concerns about consequences for decision preferences positively predicted decision avoidance (p<.001), whereas concerns about consequences for affect did not (p=.079). Contrary to predictions, older age was not significantly associated with information avoidance (p=.827). Further, self-reported concerns about the influence of unwanted information on affect and decision preferences were negatively associated with age (ps<.001). This suggests that interventions to foster pre-decisional information seeking should be tailored to the target age group.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF AGE ON CONNECTION TO NATURE AND POSITIVE AFFECT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S278-S278
Author(s):  
Amy Knepple Carney ◽  
Julie Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory ◽  
Connection To Nature ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Socioemotional Selectivity

Abstract Socioemotional selectivity theory positis that when we feel our time as limited, when a person ages, emotion based goals become a priority (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). Although previous studies have shown that all age groups benefit from a connection to nature (CN; Bisceglia, Perlman, Schaack, & Jenkins, 2009; Han, 2008; Mayer et al., 2009), there have been no studies conducted to determine if there are age differences in CN and how that relation contributes to positive affect. Analyses were conducted with a sample size of 152 participants with an average age of 37.55 years (SD = 15.64; Range 18 -89). Age was significantly positively associated with CN, r(151)=.16, p<.05. Additionally, an ANOVA showed that middle-aged to older adults reporting significantly higher CN than younger adults. The relation of positive affect to age and CN was then examined. In the analysis examining the effects of age and CN on positive affect, the model was significant, F(3, 146)=8.48, p<.05, R2 = .15. Both, CN, and age, uniquely contributed to the variance accounted for on positive affect, although, the interaction of CN and age did not uniquely contribute to the variance. These results may be indicative of socioemotional selectively theory, in that older adults were choosing connection to nature because it fulfilled more emotional activities/goals than the younger adults in the study. Because previous research has all but ignored the association of CN and age and their relation to positive affect, it should be considered in future research.

scholarly journals Load-dependent modulation of alpha oscillations during working memory encoding and retention in young and older adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sghirripa ◽  
Lynton Graetz ◽  
Ashley Merkin ◽  
Nigel C Rogasch ◽  
John G Semmler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Frequency Changes

AbstractWorking memory (WM) is vulnerable to age-related decline, particularly under high loads. Visual alpha oscillations contribute to WM performance in younger adults, and although alpha decreases in power and frequency with age, it is unclear if alpha activity supports WM in older adults. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while 24 younger (aged 18-35 years) and 30 older (aged 50-86) adults performed a modified Sternberg task with varying load conditions. Older adults demonstrated slower reaction times at all loads, but there were no significant age differences in accuracy. Regardless of age, alpha power decreased, and alpha frequency increased with load during encoding, and the magnitude of alpha suppression during retention was larger at higher loads. While alpha power during retention was lower than fixation in older, but not younger adults, the relative change from fixation was not significantly different between age groups. Individual differences in alpha power did not predict performance for either age groups or at any WM loads. Future research should elaborate the functional significance of alpha power and frequency changes that accompany WM performance in cognitive ageing.

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

Video Games and Emotion Regulation

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Ossenfort ◽  
Derek M. Isaacowitz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Interactive Media ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Media Preferences

Abstract. Research on age differences in media usage has shown that older adults are more likely than younger adults to select positive emotional content. Research on emotional aging has examined whether older adults also seek out positivity in the everyday situations they choose, resulting so far in mixed results. We investigated the emotional choices of different age groups using video games as a more interactive type of affect-laden stimuli. Participants made multiple selections from a group of positive and negative games. Results showed that older adults selected the more positive games, but also reported feeling worse after playing them. Results supplement the literature on positivity in situation selection as well as on older adults’ interactive media preferences.

scholarly journals Are the Acute Effects of THC Different in Aging Adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 590
Author(s):  
Raeghan L. Mueller ◽  
Jarrod M. Ellingson ◽  
L. Cinnamon Bidwell ◽  
Angela D. Bryan ◽  
Kent E. Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Aging Adults

In recent years of expanding legalization, older adults have reported the largest increase in cannabis use of any age group. While its use has been studied extensively in young adults, little is known about the effects of THC in older adults and whether the risks of cannabis might be different, particularly concerning intoxication and cognition. The current study investigated whether age is associated with the deleterious effects of THC on cognitive performance and other behavioral measures before and after ad libitum self-administration of three different types of cannabis flower (THC dominant, THC + CBD, and CBD dominant). Age groups consisted of young adults (ages 21–25) and older adults (ages 55–70). Controlling for pre-use scores on all measures, the THC dominant chemovar produced a greater deleterious effect in younger adults compared with older adults in tests of learning and processing speed, whereas there were no differences between old and young in the effects of the other chemovars. In addition, the young group reported greater cannabis craving than the older group after using the THC chemovar. Consistent with some reports in the preclinical literature, the findings suggest that older adults may be less sensitive to the effects of THC on cognitive and affective measures.

scholarly journals Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults Following Hurricane Sandy

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1041-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis A Merdjanoff ◽  
Rachael Piltch-Loeb ◽  
Sarah Friedman ◽  
David M Abramson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Emergency Housing ◽  
Young Old ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract Objectives This study explores the effects of social and environmental disruption on emergency housing transitions among older adults following Hurricane Sandy. It is based upon the Sandy Child and Family Health (S-CAFH) Study, an observational cohort of 1,000 randomly sampled New Jersey residents living in the nine counties most affected by Sandy. Methods This analysis examines the post-Sandy housing transitions and recovery of the young-old (55–64), mid-old (65–74), and old-old (75+) compared with younger adults (19–54). We consider length of displacement, number of places stayed after Sandy, the housing host (i.e., family only, friends only, or multi-host), and self-reported recovery. Results Among all age groups, the old-old (75+) reported the highest rates of housing damage and were more likely to stay in one place besides their home, as well as stay with family rather than by themselves after the storm. Despite this disruption, the old-old were most likely to have recovered from Hurricane Sandy. Discussion Findings suggest that the old-old were more resilient to Hurricane Sandy than younger age groups. Understanding the unique post-disaster housing needs of older adults can help identify critical points of intervention for their post-disaster recovery.

Human-Technology Interaction Factors Associated with Electronic Personal Health Records (ePHRs) Use Among Younger and Older Adult Users: A Secondary Data Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Luo ◽  
Krystal Dozier ◽  
Carin Ikenberg
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Personal Health Record ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Clinical Notes ◽  
Interaction Factors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Two Age Groups

BACKGROUND An electronic personal health record (ePHR), also known as a personal health record (PHR), was broadly defined as an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage, and share their health information in a secure and confidential environment. Although ePHRs can benefit individuals as well as caregivers and healthcare providers, the use of ePHRs among individuals continues to remain low. The relationship between age and ePHRs use has been documented in previous studies, which indicated younger age was related to higher ePHRs use, and patients who are younger were more likely to use ePHRs. OBJECTIVE The current study aims to examine the relationship between human-technology interaction factors and ePHRs use among adults, and then compare the different effects of human-technology interaction factors on ePHRs use between younger adults (18-54 years old) and older adults (55 years of age and over). METHODS We analyzed the from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS5, Cycle 3) collected from U.S. adults aged 18 years old and over in 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted for all variables and each item of ePHRs use. Bivariate tests (Pearson test for categorical variable and F-test for continuous variables) were conducted over four age groups. Lastly, adjusting for socio-demographics and healthcare resources, a weighted multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationship between human-technology interaction factors and ePHRs use. RESULTS The final sample size was 1,363 and divided into two age groups: 18-54 years old and 55 years of age and older. The average level of ePHRs use was low (Mean=2.76, range=0-8). There is no significant difference on average ePHRs use between two age groups. Including clinical notes was positively related to ePHRs use in both groups: 18-54 years old (beta=0.28, P<0.01), 55 years old and above (beta=0.15, P<0.01). While accessing ePHRs using a smartphone app was only associated with ePHRs use among younger adults (beta=0.29, P<0.001), ease to understand health information in ePHRs was positively linked to ePHRs use only among older adults (beta=0.13, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study found that including clinical notes was positively related to ePHRs use in both age groups, which suggested that including clinical notes as a part of ePHRs might improve the effective use of ePHRs among patients. Moreover, accessing ePHRs using a smartphone app was associated with higher ePHRs use among younger adults while ease of understanding health information in ePHRs was linked to higher ePHRs use among older adults. The design of ePHRs should provide the option of being accessible through mobile devices to promote greater ePHRs use among young people. For older adults, providers could add additional notes to explain health information recorded in the ePHRs.

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