scholarly journals Regional Brain Volume, Brain Reserve and MMSE Performance in Healthy Aging From the NEUROAGE Cohort: Contributions of Sex, Education, and Depression Symptoms

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Pettemeridou ◽  
Eleni Kallousia ◽  
Fofi Constantinidou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Brain Reserve

Objective: The aim of this study was twofold. First, to investigate the relationship between age, gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes, brain reserve (BR), and specific regions of interest (ROIs) with global cognitive function in healthy older adults participating in a longitudinal study on aging in the island country of Cyprus. Second, to assess the contribution of important demographic and psychosocial factors on brain volume. Specifically, the effects of sex and years of education and the association between depression symptoms on brain volume were also explored in this Mediterranean cohort.Methods: Eighty-seven healthy older adults (males = 37, females = 50) scoring ≥24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were included, with a mean age of 72.75 years and a mean educational level of 10.48 years. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depression. T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were used to calculate global and regional volumes.Results: Age was negatively correlated with GM, WM, BR, MMSE scores, and ROIs, including the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, and positively with CSF. Higher MMSE scores positively correlated with GM volume. Women exhibited greater levels of depression than men. Depression was also negatively correlated with GM volume and MMSE scores. Men had greater ventricular size than women and participants with higher education had greater ventricular expansion than those with fewer years in education.Conclusions: The reported structural changes provide evidence on the overlap between age-related brain changes and healthy cognitive aging and suggest that these age changes affect certain regions. Furthermore, sex, depressive symptomatology, and education are significant predictors of the aging brain. Brain reserve and higher education accommodate these changes and works against the development of clinical symptoms.

scholarly journals Increased Glucose Activity in Subgenual Anterior Cingulate and Hippocampus of High Performing Older Adults, Despite Amyloid Burden

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Wyllians Vendramini Borelli ◽  
Eduardo Leal-Conceição ◽  
Michele Alberton Andrade ◽  
Nathalia Bianchini Esper ◽  
Paula Kopschina Feltes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Amyloid Deposition ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Definition Of

Background: Individuals at 80 years of age or above with exceptional memory are considered SuperAgers (SA), an operationalized definition of successful cognitive aging. SA showed increased thickness and altered functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex as a neurobiological signature. However, their metabolic alterations are yet to be uncovered. Objective: Herein, a metabolic (FDG-PET), amyloid (PIB-PET), and functional (fMRI) analysis of SA were conducted. Methods: Ten SA, ten age-matched older adults (C80), and ten cognitively normal middle-aged (C50) adults underwent cognitive testing and multimodal neuroimaging examinations. Anterior and posterior regions of the cingulate cortex and hippocampal areas were primarily examined, then subregions of anterior cingulate were segregated. Results: The SA group showed increased metabolic activity in the left and right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC, p <  0.005 corrected, bilateral) and bilateral hippocampi (right: p <  0.0005 and left: p <  0.005, both corrected) as compared to that in the C80 group. Amyloid deposition was above threshold in 30% of SA and C80 (p >  0.05). The SA group also presented decreased connectivity between right sACC and posterior cingulate (p <  0.005, corrected) as compared to that of the C80 group. Conclusion: These results support the key role of sACC and hippocampus in SA, even in the presence of amyloid deposition. It also suggests that sACC may be used as a potential biomarker in older adults for exceptional memory ability. Further longitudinal studies measuring metabolic biomarkers may help elucidate the interaction between these areas in the cognitive aging process.

scholarly journals Cognitive aging and verbal labeling in continuous visual memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1196-1213
Author(s):  
Alicia Forsberg ◽  
Wendy Johnson ◽  
Robert H. Logie
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related

Abstract The decline of working memory (WM) is a common feature of general cognitive decline, and visual and verbal WM capacity appear to decline at different rates with age. Visual material may be remembered via verbal codes or visual traces, or both. Souza and Skóra, Cognition, 166, 277–297 (2017) found that labeling boosted memory in younger adults by activating categorical visual long-term memory (LTM) knowledge. Here, we replicated this and tested whether it held in healthy older adults. We compared performance in silence, under instructed overt labeling (participants were asked to say color names out loud), and articulatory suppression (repeating irrelevant syllables to prevent labeling) in the delayed estimation paradigm. Overt labeling improved memory performance in both age groups. However, comparing the effect of overt labeling and suppression on the number of coarse, categorical representations in the two age groups suggested that older adults used verbal labels subvocally more than younger adults, when performing the task in silence. Older adults also appeared to benefit from labels differently than younger adults. In younger adults labeling appeared to improve visual, continuous memory, suggesting that labels activated visual LTM representations. However, for older adults, labels did not appear to enhance visual, continuous representations, but instead boosted memory via additional verbal (categorical) memory traces. These results challenged the assumption that visual memory paradigms measure the same cognitive ability in younger and older adults, and highlighted the importance of controlling differences in age-related strategic preferences in visual memory tasks.

scholarly journals Optimistic update bias increases in older age

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 2003-2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Chowdhury ◽  
T. Sharot ◽  
T. Wolfe ◽  
E. Düzel ◽  
R. J. Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Subjective Rating ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Positivity Bias ◽  
Age Related

BackgroundHealthy older adults report greater well-being and life satisfaction than their younger counterparts. One potential explanation for this is enhanced optimism. We tested the influence of age on optimistic and pessimistic beliefs about the future and the associated structural neural correlates.MethodEighteen young and 18 healthy older adults performed a belief updating paradigm, measuring differences in updating beliefs for desirable and undesirable information about future negative events. These measures were related to regional brain volume, focusing on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) because this region is strongly linked to a positivity bias in older age.ResultsWe demonstrate an age-related reduction in updating beliefs when older adults are faced with undesirable, but not desirable, information about negative events. This greater ‘update bias’ in older age persisted even after controlling for a variety of variables including subjective rating scales and poorer overall memory. A structural brain correlate of this greater ‘update bias’ was evident in greater grey matter volume in the dorsal ACC in older but not in young adults.ConclusionsWe show a greater update bias in healthy older age. The link between this bias and relative volume of the ACC suggests a shared mechanism with an age-related positivity bias. Older adults frequently have to make important decisions relating to personal, health and financial issues. Our findings have wider behavioural implications in these contexts because an enhanced optimistic update bias may skew such real-world decision making.

scholarly journals Promoting Healthy Cognitive Aging: A Systematic Review and Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 431
Author(s):  
Suk-hee Kim
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Positive Effects

<div><p><em>Promoting healthy cognitive aging within social work has been raised over the years, but the effectiveness of many preventions and interventions in healthy aging brain has been questioned because of the lack of the evidence. </em><em>The purpose of the study is to carry out a scientific research review and analysis related to healthy cognitive aging brain and professional social work. This study reviewed major trends in the health care in cognitive aging environment which impacts on social work education, practice, and research including a shift from in-patient to community care setting and increasing diversity of the older adult population. </em><em>A systematic review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of promoting healthy cognitive aging that target mild-cognitive impairment and screening among older-adults. In this scientific literature review, quantitative and qualitative outcome studies between 1989 and 2016 were reviewed. The researcher found that educational and social activity group interventions that can ease social isolation and loneliness among older adults. However, the effectiveness of home visiting remains unclear. The study also was completed to address a growing area of cognitive aging brain concern and implication for health care providers and professionals. Overall research findings support positive effects of social and family support, early mild-cognitive screening, quality of social network, healthy choice eating, and physical and mental activity in improving healthy mild-cognitive aging. </em></p></div>

scholarly journals Strategies for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Healthy Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 754-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Dumas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Institute Of Medicine ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Older Adult Population

Objective: Many advances have been made in the understanding of age-related changes in cognition. As research details the cognitive and neurobiological changes that occur in aging, there is increased interest in developing and understanding methods to prevent, slow, or reverse the cognitive decline that may occur in normal healthy older adults. The Institute of Medicine has recently recognized cognitive aging as having important financial and public health implications for society with the increasing older adult population worldwide. Cognitive aging is not dementia and does not result in the loss of neurons but rather changes in neurotransmission that affect brain functioning. The fact that neurons are structurally intact but may be functionally affected by increased age implies that there is potential for remediation. Method and Results: This review article presents recent work using medication-based strategies for slowing cognitive changes in aging. The primary method presented is a hormonal approach for affecting cognition in older women. In addition, a summary of the work examining modifiable lifestyle factors that have shown promise in benefiting cognition in both older men and women is described. Conclusions: Much work remains to be done so that evidence-based recommendations can be made for slowing cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The success of some of these methods thus far indicates that the brains of healthy older adults are plastic enough to be able to respond to these cognitive decline prevention strategies, and further work is needed to define the most beneficial methods.

scholarly journals Aging Brain and Hearing: A Mini-Review

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasue Uchida ◽  
Yukiko Nishita ◽  
Rei Otsuka ◽  
Saiko Sugiura ◽  
Michihiko Sone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Brain Reserve ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dementia Research

Brain reserve is a topic of great interest to researchers in aging medicine field. Some individuals retain well-preserved cognitive function until they fulfill their lives despite significant brain pathology. One concept that explains this paradox is the reserve hypothesis, including brain reserve that assumes a virtual ability to mitigate the effects of neuropathological changes and reduce the effects on clinical symptoms flexibly and efficiently by making complete use of the cognitive and compensatory processes. One of the surrogate measures of reserve capacity is brain volume. Evidence that dementia and hearing loss are interrelated has been steadily accumulating, and age-related hearing loss is one of the most promising modifiable risk factors of dementia. Research focused on the imaging analysis of the aged brain relative to auditory function has been gradually increasing. Several morphological studies have been conducted to understand the relationship between hearing loss and brain volume. In this mini review, we provide a brief overview of the concept of brain reserve, followed by a small review of studies addressing brain morphology and hearing loss/hearing compensation, including the findings obtained from our previous study that hearing loss after middle age could affect hippocampal and primary auditory cortex atrophy.

Body mass index and its relation to neuropsychological functioning and brain volume in healthy older adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 348 ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa Ann Gogniat ◽  
Talia Loren Robinson ◽  
Catherine Mattocks Mewborn ◽  
Kharine Renee Jean ◽  
L. Stephen Miller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Healthy Older Adults

scholarly journals Neural correlates of exceptional memory ability in SuperAgers: A multimodal approach using FDG-PET, PIB-PET, and MRI

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyllians Vendramini Borelli ◽  
Eduardo Leal-Conceição ◽  
Michele Alberton Andrade ◽  
Nathalia Bianchini Esper ◽  
Paula Kopschina Feltes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Fdg Pet ◽  
Amyloid Deposition ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

AbstractIndividuals at 80 years of age or above with exceptional memory are considered SuperAgers (SA). A multimodal brain analysis of SA may provide biomarkers of successful cognitive aging. Herein, a molecular (PET-FDG, PET-PIB), functional (fMRI) and structural analysis (MRI) of SA was conducted. Ten SA, ten age-matched older adults (C80) and ten cognitively normal middle-aged adults underwent cognitive testing and neuroimaging examinations. The relationship between cognitive scores and cingulate areas and hippocampus were examined. The SA group showed increased FDG SUVr in the left subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex (sACC, p<0.005) as compared to that in the C80 group. Amyloid deposition was similar between SA and C80 in the described regions or overall areas (p>0.05). The SA group also presented decreased connectivity between left sACC and posterior cingulate (p<0.005) as compared to that of C80 group. These results support the key role of ACC in SA, even in the presence of amyloid deposition. It also suggests that sACC can be used as a potential memory biomarker in older adults.AbbreviationsBCa – Bias corrected accelerated: SA – SuperAgers: C50 – Middle-aged controls: C80 – Age-matched controls

scholarly journals Enhanced task-related brain activation and resting perfusion in healthy older adults after chronic blueberry supplementation

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 773-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna L. Bowtell ◽  
Zainie Aboo-Bakkar ◽  
Myra E. Conway ◽  
Anna-Lynne R. Adlam ◽  
Jonathan Fulford
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Brain Perfusion ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Male Age ◽  
Blueberry Supplementation

Blueberries are rich in flavonoids, which possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. High flavonoid intakes attenuate age-related cognitive decline, but data from human intervention studies are sparse. We investigated whether 12 weeks of blueberry concentrate supplementation improved brain perfusion, task-related activation, and cognitive function in healthy older adults. Participants were randomised to consume either 30 mL blueberry concentrate providing 387 mg anthocyanidins (5 female, 7 male; age 67.5 ± 3.0 y; body mass index, 25.9 ± 3.3 kg·m−2) or isoenergetic placebo (8 female, 6 male; age 69.0 ± 3.3 y; body mass index, 27.1 ± 4.0 kg·m−2). Pre- and postsupplementation, participants undertook a battery of cognitive function tests and a numerical Stroop test within a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging scanner while functional magnetic resonance images were continuously acquired. Quantitative resting brain perfusion was determined using an arterial spin labelling technique, and blood biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress were measured. Significant increases in brain activity were observed in response to blueberry supplementation relative to the placebo group within Brodmann areas 4/6/10/21/40/44/45, precuneus, anterior cingulate, and insula/thalamus (p < 0.001) as well as significant improvements in grey matter perfusion in the parietal (5.0 ± 1.8 vs –2.9 ± 2.4%, p = 0.013) and occipital (8.0 ± 2.6 vs –0.7 ± 3.2%, p = 0.031) lobes. There was also evidence suggesting improvement in working memory (2-back test) after blueberry versus placebo supplementation (p = 0.05). Supplementation with an anthocyanin-rich blueberry concentrate improved brain perfusion and activation in brain areas associated with cognitive function in healthy older adults.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document