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Summary Neuropsychology of aging and dementia
Lecture 1. Aging part I
→ mix of nature and nurture
Definitions of age:
Chronological age: Measured in units of time (months of years) that have elapsed since birth
Biological age: Where people stand relative to the number of years they will live (in terms of
the body’s organ system and physical appearance)
- speculative
Functional age: Person’s competence in carrying out specific tasks
- in comparison with chronological age peers
Psychological age: Refers to how well a person adapts to the changing conditions
Social age: Views held by most members of a society about what individuals in a particular
chronological age group should do and how they should behave. (how to dress, etc)
What is old actually?
Chronological age: the magic age of 65, it is arbitrary (willekeurig). From working life to not
working life.
- Young-old: ages 65-74
- Old-old: ages 75-84
- Oldest old: ages 85+
Functional age:
- The third age (between retirement from work force and start of age-imposed limitation)
- The fourth age (cognitive and physical impairments interfering with everyday
functioning)
,Perspectives on aging processes:
Normative aging: what is considered a usual, normal, or average outcome
Successful aging: what is considered an ideal rather than average outcome
Positive aging: the ability to find happiness and well-being even in the face of physical and/or
psychological challenges. The quality of life.
Two theoretical models of aging:
1. The selective optimization with compensation model of aging: individuals engage in
adaptation throughout their lives they are capable of learning and changing and calling upon
extra (reserve) capacity that they might not need to use under ordinary circumstances. It is in
behavior and in the brain
- Selection: is a strategy of concentrating efforts on domains in which effective
functioning is most likely to remain high
- Optimization: is a strategy of focusing on behaviors that maximize not only the
quantity but also the quality of life
- Compensation: refers to substituting new strategies when losses occur
2. The ecological model of aging: balance to what you can do and your stress levels. During
life you have different capabilities to deal with challenges and the challenges are changing
during life. If you have high competence you can adapt to more strong challenges. The
interaction between a person's competence and environment results in some level of
adaption.
- Competence: physical, sensory, cognitive and social capabilities. A person with high
competence will adapt positively to a wider range of environmental press than a
person with low competence.
,Why does aging occur?
Biology of ageing:
- gradual and cumulative: you don’t notice this day by day
- peak in early adulthood
- decline after early adulthood
- Rate of decline differs strongly between individuals; genetics, environment factors
→are the biological changes a consequence of the aging process rather than the
disease?
- aging in the absence of any disease is rare
- The likelihood of many diseases increases with age.
Aging affects the consequences of disease when it occurs. For example; aging process and
disease process interact.
Morbidity: refers to illness and disease
Mortality: refers to death
→ Two terms are related:
- illness and disease can result in death
- Death is often preceded by illness and disease
- Morbidity does not necessarily result in mortality
Life span: the maximum longevity, or extreme upper limit of time, that member of a species
can live. Has stayed the same over time, but the amount of people will increase to achieve
that age.
Life expectancy: the average number of years that individuals in a particular birth cohort can
be expected to live. Has increased over time, affected by factors such as level of nutrition,
, sanitary conditions and medical care. More and more people will approach the maximum life
span, also defined as the compression of mortality
Theories of biology of aging:
Primary ageing:
- unavailable (inevitable) biological process that affects all members of a species
(universal)
- Is set in motion early in life and progress gradually over time Individual differences in
progression rate
- Is intrinsic: is determined by factors within the organism
Secondary ageing:
- Experienced by most, but not necessarily all members of a species
Neither inevitable nor universal
- Resulting from hostile environmental influences
● Disease
● Disuse (e.g. lack of exercise)
● Abuse (e.g. smoking)
Time clock theory
Findings:
- Cells from human infant doubled approximately 50 times, whereas cells from a mouse
(maximum life span 3 years) doubled 10-15 times
- Life span is controlled by genetically determined time clock at cellular level
- Cells from infants and young children divide more times than cells from older adults
Recent studies: telomeres
- Protective cap at the tail ends of chromosomes
Immune theory: Immune system: defends the body against invasion of foreign substances by
producing antibodies. The immune system is programmed to maintain its efficiency for a
certain amount of time, after which it starts to decline
- Insufficient antibodies
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