50 Years of Cognitive Aging Theory

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this Introduction to the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences special issue on "50 Years of Cognitive Aging Theory" are to provide a brief overview of cognitive aging research prior to 1965 and to highlight significant developments in cognitive aging theory over the last 50 years. Method: Historical and recent theories of cognitive aging were reviewed, with a particular focus on those not directly covered by the articles included in this special issue. Results: Prior to 1965, cognitive aging research was predominantly descriptive, identifying what aspects of intellectual functioning are affected in older compared with younger adults. Since the mid-1960s, there has been an increasing interest in how and why specific components of cognitive domains are differentially affected in aging and a growing focus on cognitive aging neuroscience. Discussion: Significant advances have taken place in our theoretical understanding of how and why certain components of cognitive functioning are or are not affected by aging. We also know much more now than we did 50 years ago about the underlying neural mechanisms of these changes. The next 50 years undoubtedly will bring new theories, as well as new tools (e.g., neuroimaging advances, neuromodulation, and technology), that will further our understanding of cognitive aging.

Measuring longitudinal cognition: Individual tests versus composites

“…Some other reports suggest executive function changes in early AD [39,40], and the relationship between lower executive function and biomarkers of brain amyloidosis has been observed before in this preclinical cohort [12]. However, we caution that some of what appears in this article to be a consistency advantage of executive function tests may be principally a function of normal aging [41], rather than disease‐related processes, as outcomes that change more reliably with age will look superior by our inconsistency metric. The slight apparent advantage of executive function scores in relating to biomarkers (Fig.…”

Differential tDCS and tACS Effects on Working Memory-Related Neural Activity and Resting-State Connectivity

“…WM capacity plays a central role in daily life activities and is predictive for a widerange of higher-level cognitive measures (Johnson et al, 2013;Unsworth et al, 2014). Impairments in WM entail functionally disabling symptoms in advanced age (Park et al, 2002;Park and Reuter-Lorenz, 2009;Anderson and Craik, 2017) and in several neuropsychiatric conditions (Lee and Park, 2005;Nakao et al, 2009).…”

Multimodal neuroimaging analysis reveals age‐associated common and discrete cognitive control constructs

“…Accordingly, the function of inhibition was then seen as "common" cognitive control constructs and has been shown to impact the performance in all cognitive control tasks (Friedman & Miyake, 2017;Miyake & Friedman, 2012). Recent review articles suggest that there are diverse deficits in cognitive control related to aging (see Anderson & Craik, 2017; also Gratton, Cooper, Fabiani, Carter, & Karayanidis, 2018). However, there is not yet a strong consensus with respect to the brain localization of the multiple cognitive control functions in the unity/diversity framework (see Friedman & Miyake, 2017).…”