Download or read book The Association Between Early life Written Language Skills and Late life Cognitive Resilience to Alzheimer s Disease written by Danielle Olivia Fearon and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the population ages, projections suggest that the number of individuals living with age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease will increase. Prevention of Alzheimer's disease is a major priority since there is currently no cure for the disease. Cognitive resilience is a hypothetical construct designed to explain why some individuals manage to avoid cognitive changes despite the presence of Alzheimer neuropathology. Educational attainment is one of the well-documented examples of building cognitive resilience since high levels of educational attainment have been associated with delayed onset of cognitive impairment. Written language skills developed in early life may reflect the development of early intellect and are essential to educational attainment. Weak early-life written language skills (i.e., low idea density and low grammatical complexity) have been associated with poor cognitive function in later life. However, there is limited understanding of the influence of written language skills and their potential contribution to cognitive resilience. This research aimed to assess the association between written language skills and cognitive resilience using data from the Nun Study. The Nun Study is a longitudinal study of aging in religious sisters who were a minimum of 75 years of age at baseline. Idea density and grammatical complexity were determined using coded autobiographies. Autobiographies were obtained from archival records and were written at a mean age of 22 years. Cognitive resilience was operationalized based on whether individuals met the clinical diagnosis of dementia at last assessment prior to death according to DSM-IV criteria while fulfilling Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropathologic criteria (“definite” or “probable”) or National Institute on Aging and Reagan Institute (NIA-RI) neuropathologic criteria (“definite”, “intermediate” or “high” likelihood) for Alzheimer's disease. Analyses included descriptive analyses (univariate and bivariate) as well as logistic regression models. The purpose of this project was to strengthen current knowledge on the potential association between early-life written language skills and late-life resilience to cognitive impairment. This study also aimed to better understand the implications of indicators of cognitive and brain reserve on this potential relationship. Based on descriptive and multivariable analyses, a relationship between written language skills (idea density and grammatical complexity) was found particularly in the CERAD sample where cognitive resilience was defined using CERAD criteria for Alzheimer neuropathology. In logistic regression models adjusting for standard covariates (age and APOE), low idea density was associated with decreased likelihood of cognitive resilience (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.15, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.02-0.72). These findings meant that higher idea density (vs. low) was associated with six times greater odds of cognitive resilience. Similarly, low grammatical complexity was significantly associated with cognitive resilience in adjusted models for age and APOE (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.50). That is, the odds of cognitive resilience in later life increased seven-fold among those with higher grammatical complexity compared to those with low grammatical complexity. Further analyses also suggested that grammatical complexity remained a significant predictor of cognitive resilience in the presence of indicators of cognitive (education) and brain (cerebral infarcts and cortical atrophy) reserve. In comparison, idea density was significant when separately adjusted for presence or number of infarcts along with standard covariates. However, idea density was not significant in a few full models (e.g., including adjustments for standard covariates (age and APOE), cortical atrophy and presence of infarcts, or standard covariates and education). These findings suggested the strong influences of both education and structural brain changes on the relationship between idea density and cognitive resilience. Future studies should aim to assess whether other forms of writing from early life (e.g., written language in social media) can also be associated with cognition in later life. Findings from this research contribute to the understanding of cognitive resilience and provide the foundation for further exploration into the influence of written language on the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Download or read book Changing Minds written by Roger Kreuz and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-12-08 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why language ability remains resilient and how it shapes our lives. We acquire our native language, seemingly without effort, in infancy and early childhood. Language is our constant companion throughout our lifetime, even as we age. Indeed, compared with other aspects of cognition, language seems to be fairly resilient through the process of aging. In Changing Minds, Roger Kreuz and Richard Roberts examine how aging affects language—and how language affects aging. Kreuz and Roberts report that what appear to be changes in an older person's language ability are actually produced by declines in such other cognitive processes as memory and perception. Some language abilities, including vocabulary size and writing ability, may even improve with age. And certain language activities—including reading fiction and engaging in conversation—may even help us live fuller and healthier lives. Kreuz and Roberts explain the cognitive processes underlying our language ability, exploring in particular how changes in these processes lead to changes in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They consider, among other things, the inability to produce a word that's on the tip of your tongue—and suggest that the increasing incidence of this with age may be the result of a surfeit of world knowledge. For example, older people can be better storytellers, and (something to remember at a family reunion) their perceived tendency toward off-topic verbosity may actually reflect communicative goals.
Download or read book Emotional Expressivity in Early Adulthood as a Predictor of Dementia and Alzheimer s Disease in Late Adulthood written by Jill M Morrison and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: As the global population ages, the prevalence of age-related disorders, such as dementia, is increasing. Dementia is a condition of progressive deterioration of cognitive ability that leads to functional deficits. The primary subtype of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, there is no cure for AD or other major forms of dementia (e.g., vascular dementia) so prevention is the best approach for reducing the burden of these conditions. Emotions experienced across the lifespan may affect the development of dementia and AD, given their high involvement in cognitive, cardiovascular and psychosocial processes. Emotions may be neuroprotective by promoting the development of cognitive resources that allow resistance to pathologic changes in the brain. Alternatively, emotions may be neuropathogenic by contributing to vascular risk factors and evoking the stress response. The objective of this study is to investigate a potential novel association of emotional expressivity in early adulthood with dementia and AD in late life. Methods: Data from the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of 678 religious sisters who were aged 75+ at baseline in 1991, were used for the investigation. Data include annual cognitive and physical assessments, post-mortem brain autopsies and historical documents obtained from convent archives. Archival autobiographies handwritten in early adulthood (mean age=22) were available for 180 U.S.-born participants. Autobiographies were scored for emotional expressivity, as well as for idea density, a measure of written language skills known to be associated with dementia and AD. Emotional expressivity was classified as high (i.e., top two quartiles) or low (i.e., bottom two quartiles) based on within-convent ranking of number of emotion words. Dementia was diagnosed if individuals displayed an inability to perform activities of daily living, and cognitive impairment on a battery of neuropsychological tests, according to standard criteria. A diagnosis of AD required evidence of dementia and AD neuropathology. Samples were selected for the analysis of dementia (n=149) and AD (n=85) based on the availability of data on dementia, AD neuropathology and all covariates of interest, and on restriction by low education. Positive, negative, and overall emotional expressivity (i.e., the sum of positive and negative emotion words) were investigated in association with both dementia and AD using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Additional analyses were performed to investigate the association of emotional expressivity with dementia. These included dividing the negative emotional expressivity variable into three (as opposed to two) categories, and testing the interaction between positive and negative expressivity in association with dementia. All final models were stratified by idea density and adjusted for age and apolipoprotein E-[epsilon]4 (APOE-[epsilon]4). Results: The association of emotional expressivity with dementia and AD was modified by idea density. Among individuals with high idea density, those with high emotional expressivity, regardless of valence (i.e., overall, positive and negative), were consistently at an increased risk of dementia and AD compared to those with low emotional expressivity. In particular, overall emotional expressivity was significantly associated with dementia in this subgroup (odds ratio [OR]=2.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.04-7.11). Among individuals with low idea density, those with high overall and negative emotional expressivity were at a decreased risk of dementia and AD compared to individuals with low emotional expressivity. Positive emotional expressivity was associated with an increased risk of dementia and AD. None of the associations of emotional expressivity with dementia or AD were significant in the low idea density subgroup. The associations did not reach statistical significance among individuals with low idea density in the additional analysis of emotional expressivity with dementia. However, among individuals with high idea density, moderate, but not high, negative emotional expressivity was associated with an increased risk of dementia (OR=3.59, 95% CI=1.13-11.89). Furthermore, high negative emotional expressivity was associated with an increased risk of dementia among individuals with low positive emotional expressivity (OR=8.17, 95% CI=1.66-58.96). Discussion: The results support emotional expressivity in early adulthood as a potential predictor of dementia and AD in late adulthood. Idea density, a known risk factor of dementia and AD, modifies the association. High emotional expressivity, regardless of valence, is associated with an increased risk of dementia and AD when cognitive risk is otherwise low (i.e., high idea density), whereas overall and negative expressivity are associated with a decreased risk of dementia and AD when cognitive risk is high (i.e., low idea density). Furthermore, as predicted, the effect of negative emotional expressivity was modified by positive emotional expressivity: negative expressivity was only associated with an increased risk of dementia when positive expressivity was low, suggesting that positive emotions may counteract the adverse effects of negative emotions. Taken all together, the results provide evidence for a potential association of emotional expressivity in early adulthood with dementia and AD in late life. These findings suggest the importance of emotional expressivity as a predictor of long-term health outcomes, including dementia and AD. As such, emotions may serve as a potential target for future dementia and AD prevention strategies.
Download or read book Cognition Language and Aging written by Heather Harris Wright and published by John Benjamins Publishing Company. This book was released on 2016-03-16 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Age-related changes in cognitive and language functions have been extensively researched over the past half-century. The older adult represents a unique population for studying cognition and language because of the many challenges that are presented with investigating this population, including individual differences in education, life experiences, health issues, social identity, as well as gender. The purpose of this book is to provide an advanced text that considers these unique challenges and assembles in one source current information regarding (a) language in the aging population and (b) current theories accounting for age-related changes in language function. A thoughtful and comprehensive review of current research spanning different disciplines that study aging will achieve this purpose. Such disciplines include linguistics, psychology, sociolinguistics, neurosciences, cognitive sciences, and communication sciences. As of January 2019, this e-book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched.
Download or read book Language Dementia and Meaning Making written by Heidi E. Hamilton and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the ways in which context shapes how cognitive challenges and strengths are navigated and how these actions impact the self-esteem of individuals with dementia and their conversational partners. The author examines both the language used and face maintenance in everyday social interaction through the lens of epistemic discourse analysis. In doing so, this work reveals how changes in cognition may impact the faces of these individuals, leading some to feel ashamed, anxious, or angry, others to feel patronized, infantilized, or overly dependent, and still others to feel threatened in both ways. It further examines how discursive choices made by healthy interactional partners can minimize or exacerbate these feelings. This path-breaking work will provide important insights for students and scholars of sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, medical anthropology, and health communication.
Download or read book Constraints on Language Aging Grammar and Memory written by Susan Kemper and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Susan Kemper A debate about the role of working memory in language processing has become center-most in psycholinguistics (Caplan & Waters, in press; Just & Carpenter, 1992; Just, Carpenter, & Keller, 1996; Waters & Caplan, 1996). This debate concerns which aspects of language processing are vulnerable to working memory limitations, how working memory is best measured, and whether compensatory processes can offset working memory limitations. Age-comparative studies are particularly relevant to this debate for several reasons: difficulties with language and communication are frequently mentioned by older adults and signal the onset of Alzheimer's dementia and other pathologies associated with age; older adults commonly experience working memory limitations that affect their ability to perform everyday activities; the rapid aging of the United States population has forced psychologists and gerontologists to examine the effects of aging on cognition, drawing many investigators to the study of cognitive aging. Older adults constitute ideal population for studying how working memory limitations affect cognitive performance, particularly language and communication. Age-comparative studies of cognitive processes have advanced our understanding of the temporal dynamics of cognition as well as the working memory demands of many types of tasks (Kliegl, Mayr, & Krampe, 1994; Mayr & Kliegl, 1993). The research findings reviewed in this volume have clear implications - for addressing the practical problems of older adults as consumers of leisure ti- reading, radio and television broadcasts, as targets of medical, legal, and financial documents, and as participants in a web of service agencies and volunteer activities.
Download or read book Early life Development and Risk of Expressing Alzheimer s Disease in Late life written by Leah P. Rathvon and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Age Differences in Word and Language Processing written by P.A. Allen and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1995-09-27 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Component cognitive processes have played a critical role in the development of experimental aging research and theory in psychology as attested by articles published on this theme. However, in the last five to ten years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of articles attempting to isolate a single factor (or small subset of factors) responsible for age differences in information processing. This view of aging is frequently termed the complexity model of the generalized slowing model, the primary assumption being that age differences in cognition are due simply to a relatively larger performance decrement on the part of older adults (compared to younger adults) as task complexity increases. Because generalized complexity theorists have questioned the utility of using component cognitive processes as theoretical constructs, the editors feel it is time to restate why component cognitive processes are critical to any thorough understanding of age differences in cognition. Thus the present edited volume represents an attempt to demonstrate the utility of the process-specific approach to cognitive aging. Central to this effort are illustrations of how regression analyses may provide evidence for general slowing by maximizing explained variance while at the same time obscuring local sources of variance.The book concentrates on age differences in word and language processing, because these factors relate to reading which is a critical cognitive process used in everyday life. Furthermore, age differences in word and language processing illustrate the importance of taking component cognitive processes into consideration. The breadth of coverage of the book attests to the wide range of cognitive processes involved in word and language processing.
Download or read book Cognitive Aging written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most Americans, staying "mentally sharp" as they age is a very high priority. Declines in memory and decision-making abilities may trigger fears of Alzheimer's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases. However, cognitive aging is a natural process that can have both positive and negative effects on cognitive function in older adults - effects that vary widely among individuals. At this point in time, when the older population is rapidly growing in the United States and across the globe, it is important to examine what is known about cognitive aging and to identify and promote actions that individuals, organizations, communities, and society can take to help older adults maintain and improve their cognitive health. Cognitive Aging assesses the public health dimensions of cognitive aging with an emphasis on definitions and terminology, epidemiology and surveillance, prevention and intervention, education of health professionals, and public awareness and education. This report makes specific recommendations for individuals to reduce the risks of cognitive decline with aging. Aging is inevitable, but there are actions that can be taken by individuals, families, communities, and society that may help to prevent or ameliorate the impact of aging on the brain, understand more about its impact, and help older adults live more fully and independent lives. Cognitive aging is not just an individual or a family or a health care system challenge. It is an issue that affects the fabric of society and requires actions by many and varied stakeholders. Cognitive Aging offers clear steps that individuals, families, communities, health care providers and systems, financial organizations, community groups, public health agencies, and others can take to promote cognitive health and to help older adults live fuller and more independent lives. Ultimately, this report calls for a societal commitment to cognitive aging as a public health issue that requires prompt action across many sectors.
Download or read book Language Memory and Aging written by Leah L. Light and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993-07-30 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a cognitive standpoint, the authors consider the role of awareness in memory and language.
Download or read book Public Mental Health written by William W. Eaton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-03 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[A] masterful volume that will do much to advance understanding of mental health as an essential public health challenge." -Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare THE GROUNDBREAKING TEXTBOOK IN POPULATION-LEVEL MENTAL HEALTH, NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED Public Mental Health equips a new generation of public health students, researchers and practitioners with the most innovative social. biological, and behavioral science approaches to mental health challenges at the population level. Incorporating insights from multiple health and science disciplines, this new edition introduces novel concepts and methodologies for understanding the occurrence of mental disorders in populations worldwide. Reflecting the disciplinary diversity and expertise of an internationally-recognized roster of contributors, its nineteen chapters include coverage of such essential topics as: · estimates of global prevalence based on new data from the Global Burden of Disease Study · the complex way in which genes, other biological factors, and life stresses increase risk · mental health disparities among population subgroups · population-level mental health consequences of violence and natural disasters · the logic and practice of prevention of mental and behavioral disorders With a perspective that will resonate from the lab to the legislature floor, Public Mental Health offers a much-need core text for students, researchers, and practitioners.
Download or read book Cognitive Aging written by Denise Park and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As our society ages, the topic of cognitive aging is becoming increasingly important. This volume provides an accessible overview of how the cognitive system changes as a function of normal aging. Building on the successful first edition, this volume provide an even more comprehensive coverage of the major issues affecting memory, attention, language, speech and other aspects of cognitive functioning. The essential chapters from the first edition have been thoroughly revised and updated and new chapters have been introduced which draw in neuroscience studies and more applied topics. In addition, contributors were encouraged to ensure their chapters are accessible to students studying the topic for the first time. This therefore makes the volume appealing as a textbook on senior undergraduate and graduate courses.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition written by Roi Cohen Kadosh and published by Oxford Library of Psychology. This book was released on 2015 with total page 1217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we understand numbers? Do animals and babies have numerical abilities? Why do some people fail to grasp numbers, and how we can improve numerical understanding? Numbers are vital to so many areas of life: in science, economics, sports, education, and many aspects of everyday life from infancy onwards. Numerical cognition is a vibrant area that brings together scientists from different and diverse research areas (e.g., neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience) using different methodological approaches (e.g., behavioral studies of healthy children and adults and of patients; electrophysiology and brain imaging studies in humans; single-cell neurophysiology in non-human primates, habituation studies in human infants and animals, and computer modeling). While the study of numerical cognition had been relatively neglected for a long time, during the last decade there has been an explosion of studies and new findings. This has resulted in an enormous advance in our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms of numerical cognition. In addition, there has recently been increasing interest and concern about pupils' mathematical achievement in many countries, resulting in attempts to use research to guide mathematics instruction in schools, and to develop interventions for children with mathematical difficulties. This handbook brings together the different research areas that make up the field of numerical cognition in one comprehensive and authoritative volume. The chapters provide a broad and extensive review that is written in an accessible form for scholars and students, as well as educationalists, clinicians, and policy makers. The book covers the most important aspects of research on numerical cognition from the areas of development psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and rehabilitation, learning disabilities, human and animal cognition and neuroscience, computational modeling, education and individual differences, and philosophy. Containing more than 60 chapters by leading specialists in their fields, the Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition is a state-of-the-art review of the current literature.
Download or read book Learning to Speak Alzheimer s written by Joanne Koenig Coste and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Allie learns to "Begin with the End in Mind" with the 7 Oaks gang in this second picture book in the 7 Habits of Happy Kids series. Includes audio Tagalong Allie has many dreams for her life. She wants to wear makeup and write a book and go to the moon But first she has to grow up Featuring the lovable characters of 7 Oaks, this ebook with audio addresses the second habit of happy kids: "Begin with the End in Mind." This story teaches that it is important to have goals and know what you want, but you have to take it one step at a time.
Download or read book Effect of Early life Enrichment on the Development of Cognitive Reserve in Mice written by Heather Collett and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resilience to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology has been attributed to the development of cognitive reserve (CR) through life experiences. These experiences can be modeled with environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents. To determine the role of EE in the development of CR, we validated a novel enrichment protocol. Mice were exposed to enrichment on an obstacle-filled running track. Track-enriched mice used object representations more flexibly, enabling them to perform complex variations of the object recognition task over longer retention delays than non-enriched and home cage enriched animals. We then evaluated the potential for CR-type outcomes in the 3xTg model of AD. We longitudinally evaluated performance on an object recognition and category recognition task after early-life EE. 3xTg mice were progressively impaired on both tasks and EE ameliorated these deficits. This research supports the validation of a novel enrichment protocol and adds to the understanding of how early-life circumstances contribute to CR.
Download or read book Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood written by Klaus E. Grossmann and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2006-06-23 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides unique and valuable firsthand accounts of the most important longitudinal studies of attachment. Presented are a range of research programs that have broadened our understanding of early close relationships and their role in individual adaptation throughout life. In addition to discussing the findings that emerged from each study, leading investigators offer rare reflections on the process of scientific discovery. Themes addressed include the complexities of designing studies that span years or even decades; challenges in translating theoretical constructs into age-appropriate assessments; how Bowlby's original models have been refined and expanded; and how attachment interacts with other key influences on development.
Download or read book The Handbook of Aging and Cognition written by Fergus I. M. Craik and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2015-11-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cognitive aging is a flourishing area of research. This third edition reviews the findings and theories since the previous edition and evaluates the field's points of growth.
