scholarly journals Musical Training and Brain Volume in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Laura Chaddock-Heyman ◽  
Psyche Loui ◽  
Timothy B. Weng ◽  
Robert Weisshappel ◽  
Edward McAuley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Musical Practice ◽  
Musical Listening

Musical practice, including musical training and musical performance, has been found to benefit cognitive function in older adults. Less is known about the role of musical experiences on brain structure in older adults. The present study examined the role of different types of musical behaviors on brain structure in older adults. We administered the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index, a questionnaire that includes questions about a variety of musical behaviors, including performance on an instrument, musical practice, allocation of time to music, musical listening expertise, and emotional responses to music. We demonstrated that musical training, defined as the extent of musical training, musical practice, and musicianship, was positively and significantly associated with the volume of the inferior frontal cortex and parahippocampus. In addition, musical training was positively associated with volume of the posterior cingulate cortex, insula, and medial orbitofrontal cortex. Together, the present study suggests that musical behaviors relate to a circuit of brain regions involved in executive function, memory, language, and emotion. As gray matter often declines with age, our study has promising implications for the positive role of musical practice on aging brain health.

scholarly journals Generalizing Longitudinal Age Effects on Brain Structure – A Two-Study Comparison Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Jockwitz ◽  
Susan Mérillat ◽  
Franziskus Liem ◽  
Jessica Oschwald ◽  
Katrin Amunts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Sample Characteristics

Cross-sectional studies indicate that normal aging is accompanied by decreases in brain structure. Longitudinal studies, however, are relatively rare and inconsistent regarding their outcomes. Particularly the heterogeneity of methods, sample characteristics and the high inter-individual variability in older adults prevent the deduction of general trends. Therefore, the current study aimed to compare longitudinal age-related changes in brain structure (measured through cortical thickness) in two large independent samples of healthy older adults (n = 161 each); the Longitudinal Healthy Aging Brain (LHAB) database project at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and 1000BRAINS at the Research Center Juelich, Germany. Annual percentage changes in the two samples revealed stable to slight decreases in cortical thickness over time. After correction for major covariates, i.e., baseline age, sex, education, and image quality, sample differences were only marginally present. Results suggest that general trends across time might be generalizable over independent samples, assuming the same methodology is used, and similar sample characteristics are present.

scholarly journals Musical experience relates to functional connectivity in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 714-714
Author(s):  
Meishan Ai ◽  
Timothy Morris ◽  
Laura Chaddock-Heyman ◽  
Psyche Loui ◽  
Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Musical Experience ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Previous studies have shown that engaging in musical activities throughout the lifespan may buffer age-related decline in auditory and motor function, as well as in general cognitive function. MRI studies have demonstrated that individuals with musical training and experience exhibited greater grey matter volume and functional connectivity in extensive brain regions, especially in auditory and motor systems, compared to matched controls with no particular musical training or experience. Therefore, musical activity is a potential protective factor for brain health across lifespan. However, how lifespan musical experience shapes functional connectivity in older adults is still unknown. The current analysis investigated whether general musical experience (Goldsmith Music Sophistication Index) is associated with functional connectivity in older adults (age=65.7±4.4, n=69), focusing on seed regions in primary motor areas (bilateral precentral gyrus) and primary auditory regions (bilateral anterior/posterior superior temporal gyrus) and their functional connectivity towards other areas throughout the whole brain. We found that older adults with more musical experience showed greater functional connectivity between anterior superior temporal gyrus and insula (R2=0.10, p=0.01), and between posterior superior temporal gyrus and cerebellum (R2=0.08, p=0.02). However, musical experience and music-related functional connectivity was not significantly correlated with general cognitive functions in our sample. Overall, our findings suggest that older adults with more musical experience might be more efficient in some aspects of auditory processing and auditory-motor skills, but this may not transfer towards domain-general cognitive tests. Our results support the notion that even non-professional engagement in musical experiences may afford benefits to the aging brain.

scholarly journals The Role of Secondary Care Networks, Gender, and Race on Primary Caregiver Burden

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 493-493
Author(s):  
Jiaming Liang ◽  
Maria Aranda
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Primary Caregiver ◽  
National Study ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Gender And Race

Abstract In addition to primary caregivers, many older adults receive care from secondary care networks (SCN), which include family members and friends. Literature rarely considers support that SCN provided to primary caregivers. This study examines: (a) the association between SCN support and primary caregiver burden, and (b) the intersectional effects of gender (male/female)-race (White/Black) identities of primary caregivers on the association. A cross-sectional study using data from 2015 National Health and Aging Trend Study (NHATS) and National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) was conducted. A total of 967 older adults, 967 primary caregivers, and 2253 secondary caregivers were selected. SCN support was measured by (a) care domain overlap, and (b) proportion of caregiving by SCN. Negative binomial regressions on overall and split samples estimated main effects of SCN support and the intersectional effects of gender and race. Both SCN-related variables were associated with primary caregiver burden, but significant three-way interaction was only found between gender, race, and proportion of caregiving by SCN. Black female caregivers reported heaviest burden and having SCN support was associated with lower risk of being burdened. Whereas Black male caregivers reported lightest burden and SCN support was not associated with their perceived burden. Our findings support the positive role of SCN in reducing stress of primary caregivers, and demonstrate that positive impacts of SCN support vary across gender-race groups. The results indicate a strong need for support programs aimed at promoting cooperation among family caregivers for burden reduction, especially families with female and Black primary caregivers.

scholarly journals Caregiver Stress and Empathy: Neural and Hormonal Correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 179-179
Author(s):  
Shalmali Mirajkar ◽  
David Warren ◽  
Janelle Beadle
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Tend And Befriend ◽  
The Right

Abstract Providing care to older adults with chronic conditions can be emotionally meaningful and stressful. The tend-and-befriend theory highlights the role of affiliation/empathy in stress reduction, but it has not been established whether this theory extends to caregivers for older adults. Addressing this gap, we assessed caregiver empathy and stress through behavioral, hormone, and neuroimaging measures. In Experiment 1, we compared 19 caregivers (Mage=67.1) to 24 non-caregivers (Mage=72.6), and found that caregivers with a greater reduction in cortisol to an empathic context showed greater prosocial behavior (r2=0.3). In experiment 2 (N=32), we examined differences between caregivers and non-caregivers in whole brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) with seed regions of interest (posterior cingulate cortex (PCC); amygdala), and covariation of RSFC with empathy (α=0.05). For emotional empathy, caregivers had stronger connectivity between the PCC seed, medial prefrontal cortex, and right supramarginal gyrus, and between the amygdala seed and the right middle frontal gyrus.

Exercise is Medicine for the Aging Brain

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Liu-Ambrose ◽  
John R. Best
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Lifestyle Factor ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Modifying Factors ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Cognitive decline is a common feature of aging. Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle factor that has been identified as positively impacting cognitive health of older adults. Here, we review the current evidence from epidemiological (i.e., longitudinal cohort) and intervention studies on the role of physical activity and exercise in promoting cognitive health in older adults both with and without cognitive impairment. We highlight some of the potential underlying mechanisms and discuss some of the potential modifying factors, including exercise type and target population, by reviewing recent converging behavioral, neuroimaging, and biomarker evidence linking physical activity with cognitive health. We conclude with limitations and future directions for this rapidly expanding line of research.

Individual differences in the relationship between episodic detail generation and resting state functional connectivity vary with age

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Matijevic ◽  
Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna ◽  
Aubrey Anne Ladd Wank ◽  
Lee Ryan ◽  
Matthew D. Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Brain Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

The ability to generate episodic details while recollecting autobiographical events is believed to depend on a collection of brain regions that form a posterior medial network (PMN). How age-related differences in episodic detail generation relate to the PMN, however, remains unclear. The present study sought to examine individual differences, and the role of age, in PMN resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) associations with episodic detail generation. Late middle-aged and older adults (N = 41, ages 52-81), and young adults (N = 21, ages 19-35) were asked to describe recent personal events, and these memory narratives were coded for episodic, semantic and ‘miscellaneous’ details. Independent components analysis and regions-of-interest analyses were used to assess rsFC within anterior PMN connections (hippocampal and medial prefrontal) and posterior PMN connections (hippocampal, parahippocampal and parieto-occipital). Compared to younger adults, older adults produced memory narratives with lower episodic specificity (ratio of episodic:total details) and a greater amount of semantic detail. Among the older adults, episodic detail amounts and episodic specificity were reduced with increasing age. There were no significant age differences in PMN rsFC. Stronger anterior PMN rsFC was related to lower episodic detail in the older adult group, but not in the young. Among the older adults, increasing age brought on an association between increased anterior PMN rsFC and reduced episodic specificity. The present study provides evidence that functional connectivity within the PMN, particularly anterior PMN, tracks individual differences in the amount of episodic details retrieved by older adults. Furthermore, these brain-behavior relationships appear to be age-specific.

Older adults' spirituality and life satisfaction: a longitudinal test of social support and sense of coherence as mediating mechanisms

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1243-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
SEAN COWLISHAW ◽  
SYLVIA NIELE ◽  
KAREN TESHUVA ◽  
COLETTE BROWNING ◽  
HAL KENDIG
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTSpirituality is proposed to be a component of successful ageing and has been shown to predict wellbeing in old age. There has been conceptual discussion of possible mechanisms that link spirituality with positive psychological functioning in older adults, but few empirical examinations of these linking mechanisms over time. The current study examined the role of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC) and social support in mediating the effects of spirituality on life satisfaction in older participants over a four-year period. The study used a cross-lagged panel analysis to evaluate longitudinal mediation within a path analysis framework. Results showed that the meaningfulness dimension of SOC mediated the influence of spirituality on life satisfaction over time, suggesting that spirituality may influence older adults' experience and perception of life events, leading to a more positive appraisal of these events as meaningful. Social support was not found to mediate the pathway between spirituality and life satisfaction. This study may be the first to examine the link between spirituality, sense of coherence, social support and wellbeing, as measured by life satisfaction, using longitudinal data from a community sample of older adults. The study provides evidence for the positive role of spirituality in the lives of older people. This is an area that requires further examination in models of successful ageing.

scholarly journals Locus coeruleus MRI contrast is associated with cortical thickness in older adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Bachman ◽  
Martin J. Dahl ◽  
Markus Werkle-Bergner ◽  
Sandra Düzel ◽  
Caroline Garcia Forlim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Reference Tissue ◽  
Frontoparietal Network

AbstractThere is growing evidence that neuronal integrity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is important for later-life cognition. Less understood is how LC integrity relates to brain correlates of cognition, such as brain structure. Here, we examined the relationship between cortical thickness and a measure reflecting LC integrity in older (n = 229) and younger adults (n = 67). Using a magnetic resonance imaging sequence which yields high signal intensity in the LC, we assessed the contrast between signal intensity of the LC and that of neighboring pontine reference tissue. The Freesurfer software suite was used to quantify cortical thickness. LC contrast was positively related to cortical thickness in older adults, and this association was prominent in parietal, frontal, and occipital regions. Brain regions where LC contrast was related to cortical thickness include portions of the frontoparietal network which have been implicated in noradrenergically modulated cognitive functions. These findings provide novel evidence for a link between LC structure and cortical brain structure in later adulthood.

Studying Multilingualism and Group Differences in Adult Communication

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Loraine K. Obler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Aging Brain

The focus of this article is on the study of bilingual and multilingual adults at the Howard Goodglass Aphasia Research Center and the Language in the Aging Brain Laboratory by Drs. Obler and Albert along with former students and colleagues. Summaries of studies examining research in healthy bilingual adults, healthy monolingual older adults, and monolingual and bilingual individuals with aphasia are presented.

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