scholarly journals Awareness of Age-Related Change as a Behavioral Determinant of Survival Time in Very Old Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Kaspar ◽  
Hans-Werner Wahl ◽  
Manfred Diehl
Keyword(s):  
Survival Time ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Perceived Age

Although research on the association between subjective views of aging (VOA) and survival is scarce, more negative VOA have been found to be associated with increased all-cause mortality, even after controlling for possible confounders. Longitudinal studies on the predictive association of VOA with survival in individuals aged 80 years or older are, however, very limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to link adults’ awareness of age-related change (AARC), a multidimensional measure of adults’ subjective VOA, to survival time across a 3.5-year observation interval in advanced old age. To put the AARC construct in context, the study also considered related psychosocial concepts (i.e., perceived control and appraisal of life) essential for coping with late-life challenges as potential behavioral predictors of longevity. Data came from a representative panel study that included persons living in community and institutional settings. A total of 1,863 interviews were conducted at wave 1. This study used meta-data from wave 2 fieldwork 2 years after the initial assessment and death records obtained during panel maintenance after 3.5 years to estimate determinants of survival. Results showed that loss-related VOA indicated increased risk to survival, whereas gain-related VOA were predictive of longer survival. Both perceived age-related losses and perceived age-related gains exerted a significant independent effect on late-life mortality over and above socio-demographic background characteristics, perceived control, engagement with life, as well as health status. These findings suggest that the multidimensional examination of very old adults’ VOA may help to better understand successful longevity in the Fourth Age.

IC-P-100: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study of Age-Related Shrinkage in the Superior,Middle and Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Old and Very Old Age

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. S40-S40
Author(s):  
Olof E. Lindberg ◽  
Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona ◽  
Linnea Engström ◽  
Leif A. Svensson ◽  
Eva Öhrndahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Very Old Age

Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Their Contribution to Healthy Aging

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Mello ◽  
Giulia Paroni ◽  
Julia Daragjati ◽  
Alberto Pilotto
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Gastrointestinal Microbiota ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Older Subjects

Studies on populations at different ages have shown that after birth, the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota composition keeps evolving, and this seems to occur especially in old age. Significant changes in GI microbiota composition in older subjects have been reported in relation to diet, drug use and the settings where the older subjects are living, that is, in community nursing homes or in a hospital. Moreover, changes in microbiota composition in the old age have been related to immunosenescence and inflammatory processes that are pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the pathways of frailty. Frailty is an age-related condition of increased vulnerability to stresses due to the impairment in multiple inter-related physiologic systems that are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as falls, delirium, institutionalization, hospitalization and death. Preliminary data suggest that changes in microbiota composition may contribute to the variations in the biological, clinical, functional and psycho-social domains that occur in the frail older subjects. Multidimensional evaluation tools based on a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) have demonstrated to be useful in identifying and measuring the severity of frailty in older subjects. Thus, a CGA approach should be used more widely in clinical practice to evaluate the multidimensional effects potentially related to GI microbiota composition of the older subjects. Probiotics have been shown to be effective in restoring the microbiota changes of older subjects, promoting different aspects of health in elderly people as improving immune function and reducing inflammation. Whether modulation of GI microbiota composition, with multi-targeted interventions, could have an effect on the prevention of frailty remains to be further investigated in the perspective of improving the health status of frail ‘high risk' older individuals.

scholarly journals Stability and change in well-being among middle-aged and older Japanese

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88
Author(s):  
Takeshi Nakagawa ◽  
Yukiko Nishita ◽  
Chikako Tange ◽  
Makiko Tomida ◽  
Kaori Kinoshita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

Prior evidence suggests that subjective well-being (SWB) remains relatively stable across adulthood. However, longitudinal evidence is sparse except in Western societies such as North America and Western Europe. We examined age-related changes in SWB (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) among middle-aged and older Japanese. We applied multilevel growth models to 14-year seven-wave longitudinal data of a dynamic cohort study. A total of 3,890 participants aged 40–81 at first assessment were included in the analysis. The longitudinal results demonstrated differential trajectories of SWB. Life satisfaction exhibited an accelerated increase in middle age but decreased and leveled off in old age. Positive affect increased in midlife and declined in late life. Negative affect remained stable in middle age but increased in old age. Demographics, health, and methodological correlates did not fully account for age-related changes in SWB. Of note, increases in negative affect in old age remained evident even after controlling for the correlates. In conclusion, life satisfaction was stable across adulthood, which was not the case with positive and negative affect. We discussed the possible mechanisms in these observed trajectories of SWB, in particular, negative affect in late life.

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) as a biomarker of cognitive decline at the end of life: contrasting age and time to death trajectories

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 981-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Praetorius Björk ◽  
Boo Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Gamma Glutamyltransferase ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

ABSTRACTBackground:A recently published study suggests that Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) in midlife is related to an increased risk of dementia. In the present longitudinal study, we explore the effects of serum GGT on cognitive decline and dementia also in more advanced ages.Methods:We analyzed GGT in a sample of 452 individuals, aged 80 years and older at baseline, with the purpose to explore subsequent effects on cognitive performance. We specifically modeled GGT to cognitive change, time to death, and dementia.Results:Our main finding is that a higher level of GGT is associated with cognitive decline prior to death and vascular dementia in late life. These findings were evident across cognitive domains.Conclusions:This is the first longitudinal study to report on significant associations in late life between GGT, cognitive performance and dementia. Further research is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms of GGT as a marker of age-related cognitive decline.

scholarly journals The contrasting human gut microbiota in early and late life and implications for host health and disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
O. Skillington ◽  
S. Mills ◽  
A. Gupta ◽  
E.A. Mayer ◽  
C.I.R. Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Late Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Health And Development ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Diet And Lifestyle

The gut microbiota plays a significant role in health and development from birth and continues to affect several processes throughout life and into old age. During both infancy and old age, the trajectory of the gut microbiota changes with contrasting consequences at both stages for the host. The infant gut is unstable, and colonization is influenced by a variety of perinatal and postnatal factors. Many of these factors can contribute to an altered microbiota profile in infancy which can be associated with negative consequences later in life such as allergies, obesity, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The late-life gut microbiota is influenced by physiological changes within the host, illness, diet and lifestyle that impact its composition and functionality. Indeed, reduced microbial diversity, loss of beneficial microorganisms and increased pathobionts are key signatures of the elderly microbiome. Such changes have been associated with degenerative diseases including inflammageing, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and increased risk of infection with Clostridioides difficile. Here, we examine early- and late-life factors that contribute to contrasting gut microbiota disturbances and the consequences associated with these disruptions. Finally, we provide compelling evidence of nutritional and probiotic/prebiotic interventions that may help alleviate the effects of gut microbiota changes into old age.

Self and personality in old and very old age: A sample case of resilience?

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. M. Staudinger ◽  
W. Fleeson
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Rough Approximation ◽  
Very Old Age ◽  
Personal Life Investment

AbstractCharacteristics and processes linked to self and personality functioning are considered as illustrations of resilience in old and very old age. Two self-related processes—coping styles and personal life investment—are investigated as examples of internal resources that the aging person may bring to bear when dealing with the risks of old age. Beyond chronological age as a rough approximation of such risks, this article specifically explores the relationship between physical risks, self-related processes, and level of adaptation in a representative sample of 70- to 103-year-olds. The central hypothesis is that self-related processes may buffer age-related risks, and may to a certain degree preserve or avoid large drops in levels of adaptation. Working on a correlational level of analysis, results indicated that well into old age, the self is able to maintain a relatively high level of adaptation. Also, under conditions of a high degree of physical constraints: (a) both coping styles and personal life investment were associated with resilience; (b) beyond particular coping styles, a selective flexibility in coping was associated with resilience. The degree of physical constraints moderated (c) the adaptiveness of several coping styles and of personal life investment; and (d) extreme physical constraints appeared to limit the possibilities of resilience. The effect of physical constraints on level of adaptation in turn was moderated by age. Consistent with a life-span theory of development, results are interpreted as an example of evidence for the resilience of the aging self and its limits.

scholarly journals Inactivity and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism: A Vicious Cycle in Old Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Rezuş ◽  
Alexandra Burlui ◽  
Anca Cardoneanu ◽  
Ciprian Rezuş ◽  
Cătălin Codreanu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Muscle Metabolism ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Metabolism ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Aging is an inevitable and gradually progressive process affecting all organs and systems. The musculoskeletal system makes no exception, elderly exhibit an increased risk of sarcopenia (low muscle mass),dynapenia (declining muscle strength), and subsequent disability. Whereas in recent years the subject of skeletal muscle metabolic decline in the elderly has been gathering interest amongst researchers, as well as medical professionals, there are many challenges yet to be solved in order to counteract the effects of aging on muscle function efficiently. Noteworthy, it has been shown that aging individuals exhibit a decline in skeletal muscle metabolism, a phenomenon which may be linked to a number of predisposing (risk) factors such as telomere attrition, epigenetic changes, mitochondrial dysfunction, sedentary behavior (leading to body composition alterations), age-related low-grade systemic inflammation (inflammaging), hormonal imbalance, as well as a hypoproteic diet (unable to counterbalance the repercussions of the age-related increase in skeletal muscle catabolism). The present review aims to discuss the relationship between old age and muscle wasting in an effort to highlight the modifications in skeletal muscle metabolism associated with aging and physical activity.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Characterization of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Retired National Football League Players

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 873-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Randolph ◽  
Stella Karantzoulis ◽  
Kevin Guskiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Neurocognitive Profiles

AbstractIt has been hypothesized that exposure to repetitive head trauma from contact sports over a long-playing career may eventuate in an increased risk of late-life cognitive impairment. There are currently two competing hypotheses about the possible mechanism underlying such impairment. One is the presence of a unique neurodegenerative disorder known as “chronic traumatic encephalopathy” (CTE). The other is diminished cerebral reserve leading to the earlier clinical expression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study examined informant AD8 inventory data in a sample of 513 retired National Football League (NFL) players. These data were indicative of possible cognitive impairment in 35.1% of this relatively young sample. A comparison of neurocognitive profiles in a subsample of this group to a clinical sample of patients with a diagnosis of MCI due to AD revealed a highly similar profile of impairments. Overall, the data suggest that there may be an increased prevalence of late-life cognitive impairment in retired NFL players, which may reflect diminished cerebral reserve. The findings are considered preliminary, but emphasize the need for larger, controlled studies on this issue. (JINS, 2013,19, 1–8)

scholarly journals Theoretical foundations of the educational module aimed at providing students with a complex of knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for understanding the specifics of color communication of elderly people

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia Griber ◽  
Yulia Ustimenko
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Educational Module ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Very Old Age ◽  
Different Color ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

The goal of the paper is to present the theoretical foundations of a unique training program aimed at providing students with a complex of knowledge, skills and abilities needed to understand the specifics of color communication in old and very old age. The objectives of the paper include an analytical review of the sources that have defined the program content, the structure of the educational module, and its methodological basis. The selection of research sources was carried out through the RSCI, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science systems. In the process of work the methods of theoretical and comparative analysis, systematization and generalization of materials were used. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the sources, which represent the dynamics of age-related physiological changes in color vision and examine their impact on color communication of elderly people. Each of the theoretical models included into the review makes a special contribution to the development of the problem. The experiments with colored glasses of K. Ishihara et al. provide an opportunity to feel the impact of age-related decline in visual ability on everyday life and habits of an aging person. The research of D.T. Lindsay and A.M. Brown helps to understand how aging of the eye influences perception of individual shades. The method of M.F. Hassan's research group simulates how elderly people see different color combinations and complex images. An optical google of T. Suzuki et al. enables young people to experience senile miosis in any environment in real time under different illuminance conditions. J.L. Hardy's et al. experiment explains why elderly people often do not realize that their color perception is changing. In the complex, all the studies presented in the review help students to better understand the specifics of color communication in old and very old age, and thus to form a sustainable complex of knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for improving the quality of color design projects, creating by young professionals for elderly people

scholarly journals Basic Resources and Psychological Strengths as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 110-110
Author(s):  
Charikleia Lampraki ◽  
Daniela Jopp
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Very Old Age ◽  
Psychological Strengths

Abstract Loss of personal resources is expected to have a negative effect on well-being in all ages, however, in very old age, this effect may be exacerbated. Centenarians, who are confronted with accumulated age-related losses, may be at higher risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. This study investigated the link between basic resources (i.e., health, social network) and depressive symptoms and whether it was mediated by psychological strengths (i.e., meaning, optimism) in 119 centenarians and near-centenarians (Mage = 99.7 years). Results indicated that meaning in life fully mediated the link between health and depressive symptoms, and the link between social network size and depressive symptoms. Similarly, optimism mediated the link between network and depression, but no mediation effect was found when considering health as basic resource. In sum, basic resources are only indirectly associated to depressive feelings, with psychological strengths playing an important intervening role in very old age.

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