This is a summary of all the lectures of Neuropsychology of Ageing and Dementia. It contains pictures, tables, and schematics, and sample question with the answer!
A) “Normal” development and decline
B) Exposure in early life may leave imprints on
structures or function of body systems
C) Exposure acting in mid or in later life
accelerating age-related decline
Difference between 1950 and 2014
- Number of > 70 year old further increased
- Babyboom generation
- Fewer births
Difference between 2014 and 2060
- More and more people reach a higher age
- Fewer births
Comparing developed and less developed regions
,Definitions of age
- Chronological age: measured in units of time
(months or years) that have elapsed since birth
→ example: young-olds (65-74), old-olds
(75-84), oldest-old (85+)
- 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
→ example: the Third Age (between retirement
from work force and start of age-imposed
limitations), or the Fourth Age (cognitive and
physical impairment interfering with everyday
functioning)
- Psychological age: refers to how well a person
adapts to 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
Perspective on aging process
● 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
Two theoretical models of aging
1) The selective optimization with compensation model of aging (Balter & Baltes, 1990)
→ 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
, ● Selection: a strategy of concentrating efforts on domains in which effective
functioning is most likely to remain high
● Optimization: a strategy of focusing on behaviors that maximize not only the
quantity but also the quality of life
● Compensation: refer to substituting new strategies when losses occur
2) The ecological model of aging (Lawton &
Hahemow, 1973)
→ The interaction between a person competence
and environment results in some level of
adaptation (measured in a person’s emotional
well-being)
● 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
Aging
- Why does aging occur?
- What determines how long people live?
- Biological changes: “Decremental physical changes (both structural and functional) that
develop with the passage of time and eventually end with death”
Biology of agings
- Gradual and cumulative
- Peak in early adulthood
- Decline after early adulthood → rate of decline differs strongly between individuals
→ not the majority, but even so most older adults are neither helpless nor dependent
- Are 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 disease increases with age
- Aging affects the consequences of disease when it occurs
- I.e. aging process and disease process interact
Morbidity: refers to illness and disease
Mortality: refers to death
→ Two terms are related
- Illness and disease can results 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 members of a species can live (~120 years)
- Has stayed the same over time
, 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 - compression of mortality
Theories of biology of aging
→ Some theories: biological aging occurs within the
organism regardless of outside forces
→ Other theories: biological aging is influenced by
our environment and daily habits and the way we cope with life’s challenges
● Primary aging
○ Unavoidable (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 aging
○ 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)
Programmed theories
● Time clock theory
○ Cells from human infant doubled approximately 50 times, whereas cells from a
mouse (maximum life span 3 years), doubled 10-15 times
○ Life span in 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 body against invasion
of foreign substances
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