LB - Ageing

• Ageing


  The process of growing old
• Ageing (at the biological level)


  • Results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time
  • Leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity
  • Leads to a growing risk of disease
  • Ultimately leads to death
• Successful ageing


  (According to the classic concept of Rowe and Kahn) High physical, psychological, and social functioning in old age without major disease
• Factors influencing healthy ageing


  • Positives
  • Hearing loss
  • Cataract
  • Respiratory issues
  • Back and neck pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Depression
  • Dementia
• As people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time
• Over the last century, a variety of factors have increased life span in rapid fashion
• Lifespan

  Not the same as healthspan
• Today the number of people aged 60 years and older outnumbers children younger than 5 years
• By 2050 the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 15
• Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%
• In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries
• Reduced processing speed


  Gradual decline starts as early as 40, more dramatic decline after 70
• There is no decline in language in older adults (old view)
• How ageing impacts language


  • Language production - Grammatical complexity (e.g., active vs. passive voice) declines in older adults
  • Older adults known more words than young adults
  • There is a large amount of variability in the degree to which language declines with age
• Cardiovascular fitness


  Relationship with word finding abilities in a cross-sectional sample of healthy elderly adults
• Chronological age


  Different from biological age
• Tip-of-the-tongue states


  A state in which one cannot quite recall a familiar word but can recall words of similar form and meaning, most commonly occur with infrequent words
• Regular physical exercise is beneficial for cognition
• Cognitive training is beneficial for working memory and executive function
• Lifestyle factors impacting brain health and cognition throughout the lifespan


  • Sleep
  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Cognitive training
• Increased lifespan poses healthcare, economical and societal challenges
• Healthy ageing involves cognitive decline across different aspects of cognition
• There is substantial individual variability in brain ageing and cognitive ageing
• Individual differences can help create markers of healthy ageing
• Based on individual differences, we can develop interventions to positively impact cognitive ageing