Ageing Cognitive Development

Ageing Cognitive Development

1. Biological

   • PAUS ET AL (2001)
     • grey matter - growth of synaptic connections between neurons. then synaptic pruning - environ factors = learning
       • increase until adolescents - decline = decrease of cog functions
     • white matter - myelination of nerve fibres (axon coating) - transmit info quickly = brain processes
       • frontal cortex = deterioration = stop of myelination stops maturity = less nerve cells to transmit info
     • BRICKMAN et al 2006
       • MRI - white and perf (Y, M, O) increased white matter = better perf. memory and EF (neuroantomical changes
   • FRONTAL LOBE HYPOTHESIS
     • RAZ 2002 - first to decline = wm high risk damage
       • frontal lobes important for complex thought processes Geraci 2006
   • Neurotransmitters
     • Acetylcholine attention and mem
       • released when cholinergic neurons stimulated
         • cholinergic pathways = suport high level cog functions
           • Christopher, Sutherland and Smith 2005 - caffeine improve cog tasks (that are dependant on basal forebrain cholinergic system
             • mem impaired when given scopamine which reverses effects of cholinergic activity
     • Noradrenaline - high order procresses - learning and mem - low level functions arousal
       • Smith et al 2003 cloridine reverses = decreased RT
   • less blood flow/volumes dcrease/decrease in frontal lobe = fail to encode strategies

2. what is ageing

   • changes in cognition over lifespan - factors responsible for this change
     • independant youth middle age, dependant and frail in infancy and old age

3. TASKS

   • Memory - Recall - Paired Associations
   • Reasoning - Ravens progressive Matrices - Series Completion
   • Spatial Visualisation - Paper Folding - 2D-3D
   • Vocabulary - Provide Definitions/Antonym
   • Perceptual Speed - Digit to Symbol - Pattern Comparison

4. Normal vs Abnormal Ageing

   • Ballesteros, Mayas, Reales 2013
     • effect of ageing in mem executive control and speed of processing NORMAL PP's and ABNORMAL -mild cog impairment
       • more cog decline ABNORMAL + increase risk of AD and Dementia
         • only severe in abnormal
           • Deary et al 2009 - AD = low cog function + behavioural limitations affecting daily life
             • Chertkow et al 2009 - cog abilities still sufficient until symptoms worsen = diseases and disorders eg. Dementia
               • ^age^dementia probability (White et al 1986) due to severity levels
                 • associated with Alzheimers Disease
                   • severe memory loss/apraxia - skilled movements/agnosia - recognise by sight/decline verbal/^depressions
                     • mem new items reduced (STM) remote mem worsened and aphasia brocas and wernickes declined
                       • DUE TO decline in brain functions
                         • E.G Reduction in cholinergic activity = cog decline in AD (Bohnen et al 2005)
                           • Chol system protects brain against damage = loss of nerve celss = loss in neurons thus intel. cog. perf. decreases
                     • Olfactory functions decrease in AD patients (Nordin + Murphy 1996) higher odour thresholds
               • Dementia = EMOTIONAL DISORDERdeterioration of intellectua functioning from atrophy of CNS
                 • (Reisberg et al 1989 FAST) 7 stages
                   • E>G. loss of intelligence power... loss of motor and speech skills
                 • mem loss and decline of intellectual skills atypical in old = less llikely diagnosed
                 • ^ if patient has learning disabilities Oliver, Adams + Kaisy, 2008)
                 • Frontotemporal dementia FTD
                   • frontal lobe damaged (centre of emotion = behavioural problems + executive disfunction
                   • imparied speech/damage to relationships/abnormal posture
         • almost all intellectual functions decline in dementia - hard to identify
           • deterioration of mem
   • Decreased Well-Being
     • Behavioural Problems
       • Depression - ^patients and caregivers (woods. 2011) monomine hypothesis abnormal levels of transmitters in limbic system
       • Anxiety
         • All due to decrease in cog ability = increase risk of STROKE
           • impacts daily lives/reoccuring/rehab is vital/decreases physical and mental abilities
       • Personality Disorders - Sadavoy, 1996 - PD masked by other behaviours associated with mental illnesses
     • PARKINSONS - movement disorder -impacts speech/no facial expressions/tremour/slurred speech
       • = Behavioural problems and psychosis (hallucinations
     • SLEEP
       • circadian rhythm affected older
         • older = less sleep, weird times
         • sleep acnea - stop breathing (60 times) = ^BP/^heart disease/^stroke