Putative mechanisms of cognitive decline with implications for clinical research and practice

Oliveira, Tadeu Gomes de; Starkweather, Angela; Ramesh, Divya; Fetta, Joseph; Kelly, Debra Lynch; Lyon, Debra E.; Sargent, Lana

doi:10.1111/nuf.12247

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…It consists of 30 questions evaluating 6 areas: 1) orientation (10 questions), 2) retention (3 items), 3) attention and calculation, (5 items), 4) evocation (3 items), 5) language (5 lines), and 6) constructive skill (1 item, a copy of a design). Correct use of the MMSE implies adding information on the educational level of the participant ( Oliveira et al, 2018 ). A maximal score of 30 points can be attained.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive aging: why we need creativity to increase cognitive preservation

Candeias¹,

Galindo²

2021

Health Psychology Report

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health psychology report •  original article background In general terms, aging is associated with a decline in cognitive skills. Nevertheless, researchers are aware of the existence of persons quickly losing cognitive skills during aging, in contrast to others whose skills are preserved. Consequently, an increasing amount of research in the last years has been devoted to individual differences in decline and possible factors affecting cognitive preservation. Creative engagement seems to play a role as a protective factor against cognitive decline in the elderly. participants and procedureThe current correlational study aims to analyze individual differences in terms of cognitive skills in elderly persons engaged or not engaged in creative daily activities. It is hypothesized that creative activities are correlated with higher preservation of cognitive skills in elderly persons. 80 elderly non-institutionalized persons living in the Alentejo region (Portugal) took part voluntarily in this study; 40 of them were male elderly (N = 40, ages from 65 to 90 years) and 40 were female elderly (N = 40, ages from 65 to 89 years).Cognitive skills were assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination. resultsThe results seem to show that creative activities are negatively correlated with cognitive decline in female and male elderly persons. The results of this study seem to emphasize the importance of activities of creative production and expression in the preservation of cognitive functions. conclusionsThese results suggest the importance of creativity for cognitive preservation and the need to produce innovative strategies to increase and support creative production and expression in elderly persons.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive aging: why we need creativity to increase cognitive preservation

Candeias¹,

Galindo²

2021

Health Psychology Report

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“…Cognitive decline begins with small cellular damages that in the long term extend to structural changes, such as gray matter atrophy and loss of synaptic density between brain areas (Oliveira et al, 2018;Erickson et al, 2019). In the prefrontal cortex, for example, it is possible to observe the loss of cellular bodies in early adulthood (Fjell et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the ACTN-3 gene polymorphism on functional fitness and executive function of elderly

Henrique

Braga

Almeida

et al. 2022

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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During aging, physical integrity and cognitive abilities, especially executive function, become compromised, directly influencing the quality of life of the elderly. One good strategy to ensure healthy aging is the practice of physical exercise. Activities to improve aerobic capacity and muscle strength are extremely important in old age. However, some genetic factors can interfere both positively and negatively with these gains. In this context, the polymorphism rs1815739 (R577X) of the α-actinin 3 gene (ACTN-3) is commonly studied and related to muscle phenotype. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of the ACTN-3 gene polymorphism on the functional fitness (measured by the Senior Fit test) and cognitive capacity (evaluated by the Stroop test) of the elderly (n = 347), both men and women. We did not find the effect of genotype on functional fitness, but we did observed a positive effect of the ACTN-3 gene polymorphism on executive function. The presence of the X allele of the ACTN3 gene in the elderly was related to a better performance in the Stroop test (shorter answer time). Our results showed that ACTN-3 gene polymorphism affects the executive function of the elderly but not their functional fitness.

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