scholarly journals How Old Is My Dog? Identification of Rational Age Groupings in Pet Dogs Based Upon Normative Age-Linked Processes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi D. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
And Behavior

Behavioral development is a lifelong process where cognitive traits such as learning and memory may be expected to take quadratic or linear trajectories. It is common practice for operational purposes to reduce study subjects into chronological categories when conducting research. However, there are no agreed-upon thresholds for this practice, and the lack of standardization may hinder comparison between studies of normative and pathological aging. In this perspective review, chronological categories have been identified that can be considered to represent normative cognitive and neurological aging in domestic family dogs. These categories work to capture age-related developmental trajectories for the majority of dog breeds. It is encouraged that researchers studying cognition and behavior, pathological cognitive deficits, or welfare of dogs across age categories utilize the categories presented here to best enable comparison between studies. The proposed groups could also support education programs informing owners of what behavioral changes to expect in their dog as they age, but they cannot be used to reflect health-based needs associated with breed-specific morbidity. The use of the age categories proposed here highlights significant welfare issues for breeds with the shortest average lifespans (e.g., the Great Dane). Studies show no evidence of an increased rate of behavioral or cognitive aging in short-lived breeds, and the shortest-lived breeds are most likely to die when classified by the proposed categories as Mature Adults. Adoption of these chronological categories in future research would aid comparison between studies and identification of non-normative age-related pathologies.

scholarly journals Strategies and cognitive reserve to preserve lexical production in aging

GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Baciu ◽  
Sonja Banjac ◽  
Elise Roger ◽  
Célise Haldin ◽  
Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Compensatory Strategies ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Complementary Domain

AbstractIn the absence of any neuropsychiatric condition, older adults may show declining performance in several cognitive processes and among them, in retrieving and producing words, reflected in slower responses and even reduced accuracy compared to younger adults. To overcome this difficulty, healthy older adults implement compensatory strategies, which are the focus of this paper. We provide a review of mainstream findings on deficient mechanisms and possible neurocognitive strategies used by older adults to overcome the deleterious effects of age on lexical production. Moreover, we present findings on genetic and lifestyle factors that might either be protective or risk factors of cognitive impairment in advanced age. We propose that “aging-modulating factors” (AMF) can be modified, offering prevention opportunities against aging effects. Based on our review and this proposition, we introduce an integrative neurocognitive model of mechanisms and compensatory strategies for lexical production in older adults (entitled Lexical Access and Retrieval in Aging, LARA). The main hypothesis defended in LARA is that cognitive aging evolves heterogeneously and involves complementary domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms, with substantial inter-individual variability, reflected at behavioral, cognitive, and brain levels. Furthermore, we argue that the ability to compensate for the effect of cognitive aging depends on the amount of reserve specific to each individual which is, in turn, modulated by the AMF. Our conclusion is that a variety of mechanisms and compensatory strategies coexist in the same individual to oppose the effect of age. The role of reserve is pivotal for a successful coping with age-related changes and future research should continue to explore the modulating role of AMF.

scholarly journals Measuring the repertoire of age-related behavioral changes in Drosophila melanogaster

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Overman ◽  
Daniel M. Choi ◽  
Kawai Leung ◽  
Joshua W. Shaevitz ◽  
Gordon J. Berman
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Behavior

Aging affects almost all aspects of an organism – its morphology, its physiology, its behavior. Isolating which biological mechanisms are regulating these changes, however, has proven difficult, potentially due to our inability to characterize the full repertoire of an animal’s behavior across the lifespan. Using data from fruit flies (D. melanogaster) we measure the full repertoire of behaviors as a function of age. We observe a sexually dimorphic pattern of changes in the behavioral repertoire during aging. Although the stereotypy of the behaviors and the complexity of the repertoire overall remains relatively unchanged, we find evidence that the observed alterations in behavior can be explained by changing the fly’s overall energy budget, suggesting potential connections between metabolism, aging, and behavior.

scholarly journals Implicit Memory and Cognitive Aging

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma V. Ward ◽  
David R. Shanks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Implicit Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Age Related

It is well documented that explicit (declarative, conscious) memory declines in normal aging. Studies have shown a progressive reduction in this form of memory with age, and healthy older adults (typically aged 65+ years) usually perform worse than younger adults (typically aged 18–30 years) on laboratory tests of explicit memory such as recall and recognition. In contrast, it is less clear whether implicit (procedural, unconscious) memory declines or remains stable in normal aging. Implicit memory is evident when previous experiences affect (e.g., facilitate) performance on tasks that do not require conscious recollection of those experiences. This can manifest in rehearsed motor skills, such as playing a musical instrument, but is typically indexed in the laboratory by the greater ease with which previously studied information is processed relative to non-studied information (e.g., repetition priming). While a vast amount of research has accumulated to suggest that implicit memory remains relatively stable over the adult lifespan, and is similar in samples of young and older adults, other studies have in contrast revealed that implicit memory is subject to age-related decline. Improving methods for determining whether implicit memory declines or remains stable with age is an important goal for future research, as the issue not only has significant implications for an aging society regarding interventions likely to ameliorate the effects of age-related explicit memory decline, but can also inform our theoretical understanding of human memory systems.

scholarly journals Situation model updating in young and older adults

2019 ◽  
pp. 016502541987412
Author(s):  
Lara Hoeben Mannaert ◽  
Katinka Dijkstra
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Model Updating ◽  
Situation Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Situation Models ◽  
The Past ◽  
Age Related

Over the past decade or so, developments in language comprehension research in the domain of cognitive aging have converged on support for resilience in older adults with regard to situation model updating when reading texts. Several studies have shown that even though age-related declines in language comprehension appear at the level of the surface form and text base of the text, these age differences do not apply to the creation and updating of situation models. In fact, older adults seem more sensitive to certain manipulations of situation model updating. This article presents a review of theories on situation model updating as well how they match with research on situation model updating in younger and older adults. Factors that may be responsible for the resilience of language comprehension in older age will be discussed as well as avenues for future research.

Neuropsychological and neuropathological sequelae of cerebral anoxia: A critical review

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIANA CAINE ◽  
JOHN D.G. WATSON
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Visual Recognition ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Cerebral Anoxia ◽  
Visuospatial Deficits ◽  
Anoxic Event ◽  
Memory Disturbance ◽  
And Behavior

Fifty-eight studies of the neuropathological and neuropsychological outcomes of cerebral anoxia were reviewed. Neuropathological reports were examined for the variety, extent, and specificity of lesions resulting from an anoxic event. While most attention has focused on damage to the hippocampus following anoxic brain injury, the review indicated that watershed cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia were both more frequently damaged than the hippocampus. The hippocampus was the sole affected structure in only 18% of reported cases. Neurological, neuropsychological and psychiatric studies were analyzed. Of 67 individual case reports, a memory disturbance was documented in 36 (54%), but a memory disturbance without report of additional cognitive deficits occurred in only 13 (19.4%). Changes in personality and behavior were noted in 31 (46.2%). Visuospatial or, less frequently, visual recognition problems were noted in 21 individual cases (31.3%) reviewed. Memory deficits were found in all 14 group studies reviewed, while in 9 papers changes in behavior or personality were also documented. Six studies also reported visuospatial deficits. Careful reading of the literature reveals a range of cognitive and behavioral changes that reflect very well the neuropathological outcomes of anoxic episodes. (JINS, 2000, 6, 86–99.)

scholarly journals Cognitive Aging in Dogs

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durga Chapagain ◽  
Friederike Range ◽  
Ludwig Huber ◽  
Zsófia Virányi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Behavioral Enrichment

A decline in the physical or mental health of older dogs can be a challenge for the owners, whose relationship with their dog is compromised by the cognitive and behavioral changes in their dogs. Although dog owners tend to consider many physiological and behavioral changes in old dogs as part of the normal aging process, it is important to differentiate between normal aging and pathologic aging, since behavioral changes may be the first indication of declining health and welfare in old dogs. Most reviews on cognitive aging in dogs have focused on translational approaches to human Alzheimer's disease; from a practical perspective, however, understanding normal cognitive aging in pet dogs and screening cognitively affected dogs are important in their own right. Here we review the literature on different cognitive functions that decline during aging, signs of cognitive dysfunction, screening methods, and preventive measures for age-related cognitive decline. Moreover, we discuss the drawbacks of using questionnaires as subjective measures of aging and propose the development of objective methods to distinguish normal cognitive aging from severe cognitive dysfunction. We suggest that multi-targeted approaches that combine owner-evaluated questionnaires with neuropsychological tests can be most effective in screening cognitively affected dogs from normally aging dogs. Regarding preventive measures, we conclude that combinations of dietary intervention and behavioral enrichment may be more beneficial than single-pathway manipulations in delaying cognitive aging or retaining various cognitive functions during aging.

scholarly journals C-35 Clinical Diagnosis of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia with Underlying Primary Age-Related Tauopathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1064-1064
Author(s):  
A Carlew ◽  
L Fields ◽  
C White ◽  
B Evers ◽  
L Lacritz
Keyword(s):  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽  
Consensus Conference ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Gradual Onset ◽  
Clinical Presentations

Abstract Objective Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) is a neuropathologic entity characterized by neurofibrillary tangles in medial temporal regions comparable to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but with few or no amyloid plaques. A definitive clinical phenotype for PART has not been determined. Some studies report milder deficits and a longer course compared with AD. In the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center database, the most common clinical diagnosis of PART cases classified as dementia is AD, though primary progressive aphasia/behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is also common. We describe 3 patients diagnosed with bvFTD later found to have PART to further describe possible PART phenotypes. Method Charts of 3 autopsy-proven PART cases clinically diagnosed as bvFTD by consensus conference were reviewed. All patients (A, B, C) were male and presented with behavioral changes. Only B was APOE4+. Neuroimaging was mostly unremarkable (ventriculomegaly in patient C). Results All subjects presented with anosognosia, fatigue, and behavioral changes, 1 (A) with pronounced apathy and 2 (B, C) with disinhibition, impulsivity, and mood swings. Onset was early 70’s for A & C, and 50’s for B. Patients B & C had gradual onset/course (~20 years) with initial subtle executive (EF) dysfunction and intact memory. Patient A had a 6-year course and initial deficits in EF and memory. Conclusion This review underscores the varied presentation and clinical course of PART, including presence of early behavioral changes. Slower progression as previously reported was seen in 2 of 3 patients. Future research is warranted to better characterize the entire spectrum of clinical presentations in subjects with PART neuropathology.

Motivation and the Social Context of Aging and Decision Making

2021 ◽  
pp. 234-251
Author(s):  
JoNell Strough ◽  
Kelly Smith
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Social ◽  
Motivational Influences

This chapter focuses on the role of motivation for understanding adult age differences in decision making. It begins by reviewing research on cognitive aging and decision making. It then reviews research that highlights older adults’ motivation to selectively allocate cognitive resources when making decisions and their motivation to draw upon life experience and emotion regulation strategies. Next, because age-related shifts in motivation accentuate a focus on meaningful social relationships, the chapter considers social aspects of aging and decision making. It discusses age-related differences in selection of social network members and considers factors that may motivate older adults to involve others in the decision-making process. It suggests how research on motivation and aging and decision making could be used to inform decision-making interventions. After suggesting directions for future research, it concludes by highlighting the implications of research on aging and decision making for understanding contextual and motivational influences on cognitive aging.

Numerical Cognition during Cognitive Aging

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Uittenhove ◽  
Patrick Lemaire
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Numerical Cognition ◽  
Number System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Complex Arithmetic ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Number Comparison ◽  
Performance Variations ◽  
Age Related Changes

This chapter provides an overview of age-related changes and stabilities in numerical cognition. For each component (i.e. approximate and exact number system, quantification, and arithmetic) of numerical cognition, we review changes in participants’ performance during normal and pathological aging in a wide variety of tasks (e.g. number comparison, subitizing, counting, and simple or complex arithmetic problem-solving). We discuss both behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying these performance variations. Moreover, we highlight the importance of taking into account strategic variations. Indeed, investigating strategy repertoire (i.e. how young and older adults accomplish numerical cognitive tasks), selection (i.e. how participants choose strategies on each problem), execution (i.e. how strategies are implemented once selected), and distribution (i.e. how often participants use each available strategy) enables to determine sources of aging effects and individual differences in numerical cognition. Finally, we discuss potential future research to further our understanding of age-related changes in numerical cognition.

Don’t Forget the Little Brain: A Framework for Incorporating the Cerebellum Into the Understanding of Cognitive Aging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Bernard
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Advanced Age ◽  
Cortical Function ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Cerebellar Function ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior

With the rapidly growing population of older adults, an improved understanding of brain and cognitive aging is critical, given the impacts on health, independence, and quality of life. To this point, we have a well-developed literature on the cortical contributions to cognition in advanced age. However, while this work has been foundational for our understanding of brain and behavior in older adults, subcortical contributions, particularly those from the cerebellum, have not been integrated into these models and frameworks. Incorporating the cerebellum into models of cognitive aging is an important step for moving the field forward. There has also been recent interest in this structure in Alzheimer’s Disease, indicating that such work may be beneficial to our understanding of neurodegenerative disease. Here, I provide an updated overview of the cerebellum in advanced age, and propose that it serves as a critical source of scaffolding or reserve for cortical function. Age-related impacts on cerebellar function further impact cortical processing, perhaps resulting in many of the activation patterns commonly seen in aging.

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