Age Factors
Research Papers
Comparison of effects between SMR/delta-ratio and beta1/theta-ratio neurofeedback training for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are at high risk of progressing to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Slowing down the effect of dementia by enhancing brain plasticity represents one of the most prominent challenges. Neurofeedback (NF) has shown promising results in improving working memory but has never been evaluated in people with MCI. We aim to examine whether NF training can decrease cognitive disorders, targeting memory, attention functions and brain electrical activity in elderly patients with MCI. METHODS: In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol, we will investigate the effects of two NF training protocols on cognitive performances and on brain electrical activity. Sixty MCI patients will be assigned either to an intervention program or to psycho-pedagogical care as a control condition. Participants in the intervention group will attend 30 sessions of sensorimotor/delta-ratio NF training or beta1/theta-ratio NF training. Neuropsychological assessment, questionnaires and electroencephalography (EEG) assessment parameters will be used as dependent variables in three periods: at baseline (T0), immediately after the last NF training session at 4 months (T1) and at 3-month follow-up (T2). The primary outcome will be the change in attention measured with the Trail Making Test B. Secondary outcome will be the changes in cognitive performance and in EEG activities. DISCUSSION: If the results of our study show improvement in cognitive performances of older adults with MCI, this non-invasive, low-cost technique may deserve better consideration as a therapeutic intervention to delay cognitive decline and dementia. Consequently, research in NF will need to review and develop the rigor of its application in gerontology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03526692 . Registered on 16 May 2018.
View Full Paper →Aging and the Epidemiology of Epilepsy
BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder affecting all ages but with a peak in the elderly. The association of epilepsy with age can be explained by the predominance of brain diseases with epileptogenic potential (mostly stroke and dementia) and by the effects of the aging process through a number of molecular mechanisms involving networks of neurons with focal or diffuse distribution. SUMMARY: The prevalence of active epilepsy is 6.4 per 1,000 and the lifetime prevalence is 7.6 per 1,000. The prevalence tends to increase with age, with peaks in the oldest age groups and in socially deprived individuals. The incidence of epilepsy is 61.4 per 100,000 person-years. Epilepsy has a bimodal distribution according to age with peaks in the youngest individuals and in the elderly. The increased incidence of seizures and epilepsy in the elderly can be attributed to the increase of age-related and aging-related epileptogenic conditions. Key Messages: As the world population is steadily growing with parallel increase in the number of aged subjects, in the future, epilepsy will represent a huge burden for the society. Measures must thus be taken to prevent seizures and epilepsy through the reduction of preventable epileptogenic factors.
View Full Paper →The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review
With a rapidly aging society it becomes increasingly important to counter normal age-related decline in cognitive functioning. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive training programs may have the potential to counteract this decline. On the basis of a growing body of research that shows that meditation has positive effects on cognition in younger and middle-aged adults, meditation may be able to offset normal age-related cognitive decline or even enhance cognitive function in older adults. In this paper, we review studies investigating the effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline. We searched the Web of Science (1900 to present), PsycINFO (1597 to present), MEDLINE (1950 to present), and CABI (1910 to present) to identify original studies investigating the effects of meditation on cognition and cognitive decline in the context of aging. Twelve studies were included in the review, six of which were randomized controlled trials. Studies involved a wide variety of meditation techniques and reported preliminary positive effects on attention, memory, executive function, processing speed, and general cognition. However, most studies had a high risk of bias and small sample sizes. Reported dropout rates were low and compliance rates high. We conclude that meditation interventions for older adults are feasible, and preliminary evidence suggests that meditation can offset age-related cognitive decline.
View Full Paper →Impact of in-scanner head motion on multiple measures of functional connectivity: relevance for studies of neurodevelopment in youth
It has recently been reported (Van Dijk et al., 2011) that in-scanner head motion can have a substantial impact on MRI measurements of resting-state functional connectivity. This finding may be of particular relevance for studies of neurodevelopment in youth, confounding analyses to the extent that motion and subject age are related. Furthermore, while Van Dijk et al. demonstrated the effect of motion on seed-based connectivity analyses, it is not known how motion impacts other common measures of connectivity. Here we expand on the findings of Van Dijk et al. by examining the effect of motion on multiple types of resting-state connectivity analyses in a large sample of children and adolescents (n=456). Following replication of the effect of motion on seed-based analyses, we examine the influence of motion on graphical measures of network modularity, dual-regression of independent component analysis, as well as the amplitude and fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation. In the entire sample, subject age was highly related to motion. Using a subsample where age and motion were unrelated, we demonstrate that motion has marked effects on connectivity in every analysis examined. While subject age was associated with increased within-network connectivity even when motion was accounted for, controlling for motion substantially attenuated the strength of this relationship. The results demonstrate the pervasive influence of motion on multiple types functional connectivity analysis, and underline the importance of accounting for motion in studies of neurodevelopment.
View Full Paper →Cerebrospinal fluid production and dynamics in normal aging: a MRI phase-mapping study
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phase mapping was used for non-invasive evaluation of the to-and-fro motion of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cerebral aqueduct, and to measure the supratentorial CSF production in vivo, in 13 healthy volunteers to determine whether normal aging affects these parameters. Eight young healthy volunteers (mean age 29.8 years) and five elderly healthy volunteers (mean age 69.0 years) were examined, all were normal on conventional MRI. Slightly higher aqueductal CSF peak flow velocities and peak volume flow in both the caudal and rostral directions were found in the group of elderly healthy volunteers, however, this was not statistically significant. The calculated mean supratentorial CSF production rates in the two groups were almost identical, corresponding to approximately 900-1000 ml per 24 h, we suggest that supratentorial CSF production in healthy humans in fact occurs at this relatively high rate. Our study further suggests that the differences found in human CSF production rates are caused by interindividual factors other than age.
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