Neurocognition of aging in working environments

Abstract

Aging is accompanied by changes in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. Particularly, a high status of socalled fluid cognitive functions is crucial for the employability at an older age. This status, which can be assessed by psychometric and neuroimaging methods, depends on a number of factors like physical constitution, nutrition, education and work demands. This paper systematically analyses factors affecting cognitive functions in aging and reviews current neuroscientific findings regarding training induced neuronal plasticity and compensation of cognitive declines in aging. In the second part the relationship between cognitive functions and the type of work will be discussed and the project PFIFF presented as an example for transfer of neuroscientific basic research to an applied context that aimed at ameliorating and evaluating age-and job-related cognitive deficits. The results of the first project period showed that cognitive decline, as revealed in behavior and brain wave data, may be accelerated by long-lasting unchallenging work and, hence, may occur already in middle age. In the second part of PFIFF a 3-month program consisting of a supervised cognitive training was implemented in a group of 120 assembly-line employees. Before and after the training

Benefits of Higher Cardiovascular and Motor Coordinative Fitness on Driving Behavior Are Mediated by Cognitive Functioning: A Path Analysis

“…Age-related cognitive decline affects several cognitive functions that are associated with driving behavior such as attention, visuospatial skill, memory, or cognitive processing speed (Verhaeghen et al, 2003 ; Apolinario et al, 2009 ; Gajewski and Falkenstein, 2011 ; Wasylyshyn et al, 2011 ; Young and Bunce, 2011 ; Harada et al, 2013 ; Murman, 2015 ; Fraade-Blanar et al, 2018 ; Salthouse, 2019 ). For example, both visuospatial skill and attention are required to continuously monitor the environment while being able to very quickly identifying potential hazards on the road (Andrews and Westerman, 2012 ; Michaels et al, 2017 ; Eudave et al, 2018 ; Ledger et al, 2019 ).…”

Training-Induced Improvement of Response Selection and Error Detection in Aging Assessed by Task Switching: Effects of Cognitive, Physical, and Relaxation Training

“…Indeed, in recent years, there is an increasing interest in factors ameliorating cognitive and brain aging. Whereas genetic dispositions set an individual range of cognitive abilities, which are even magnified in late relative to early adulthood (Lindenberger et al, 2008 ), variable factors like nutrition or level of physical, social, and cognitive engagement can provide stimulation of the cognitive system that can reduce some age-related deficits (Bielak et al, 2007 ; see also Greenwood and Parasuraman, 2010 and Gajewski and Falkenstein, 2011a for reviews).…”

Hängt die berufliche Wiedereingliederung nach beruflichen Bildungsleistungen vom Arbeitsmarkt ab?

“…Beim Alter könnten personalen Eigenschaften (z. B. Erfahrungswissen, soziale Kompetenzen [37]) die Effekte überlagern. Zudem könnten Abhängigkeiten von der Maßnahmeart bestehen, weil nach Vollqualifizierungen in Berufsförderungswerken eine hohe regionale Arbeitslosigkeit als Verstärker für den Alterseffekt gilt [5].…”