Aging and Brain Function

Posted by katie at 3:51 pm

Q&A

Aging and Brain Function

A conversation with Randy Buckner.

http://www.hhmi.org/bulletin/pdf/winter2005/Q&A.pdf

Randy Buckner studies factors that contribute to cognitive loss in aging.

hhmi bulletin | winter 2005 13

HHMI investigator Randy L. Buckner is always surprised when his studies on aging and brain function get media attention. He shouldn’t be. Baby boomers are pushing 60, approaching the stage of life when their risk of Alzheimer’s disease doubles every 5 years. So when Buckner and his team at Washington University in St. Louis talk about how the brain compensates for cognitive loss, people listen. According to his two most recent papers, changes in the brain that occur with normal aging and that can impede high-level thinking are separate from those of Alzheimer’s disease.

Why do you argue that Alzheimer’s disease is not accelerated aging?

Buckner: Data from structural studies, functional studies, even research on rare genetic mutations all strongly support a separation hypothesis—that aging and Alzheimer’s disease affect different regions of the brain. In normal aging, sections of the frontal lobe shrink, but in Alzheimer’s the main area affected is the medial temporal lobe, which contains the hippocampus. The effects are different too. The cognitive loss from normal aging involves executive function—our ability to plan and do complex tasks. Simple remembering is usually retained. But patients with Alzheimer’s disease experience profound, often rapid, memory loss. They forget recently learned information, for example, and ask the same questions over and over. Exciting research by William E. Klunk at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, using a new compound with PET [position emission tomography] to image amyloid plaques [fibrous-protein deposits characteristic of Alzheimer’s] in the brain, lets us see rather directly what we think is the pathology in Alzheimer’s. Helped by our Washington University colleague Mark Mintun, we’ve been integrating amyloid imaging with structural changes and can see the progression of atrophy in the brain.

The world is focused on changes in Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, what do we know about the physical changes of normal aging and their effects on cognitive function?

Buckner: Clinicians focus on Alzheimer’s disease because it is a big problem. Half of the people over age 85 have some form of dementia, most often Alzheimer’s. With nondemented aging, we see changes in white matter in anterior parts of the brain, and we take hypertension as at least a likely cause. We also see declines in the levels of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which have been linked to declines in executive function. I fit turned out that neurochemical modulations were closely related to cognitive changes in aging, I wouldn’t be surprised. There may be a shared mechanism or the changes may be distinct. We want to disentangle those influences and find out.

If hypertension is treated, does executive function improve?

Buckner: We don’t know, though there are hints that more hypertension means more damage. Arthur F. Kramer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at elderly people with exceptional cardiovascular fitness, and they had what looked like healthier white matter than that of normal folks.

Why worry about these changes if they don’t lead to Alzheimer’s?

Buckner: Let’s assume for a moment that the field cures Alzheimer’s disease. Then we’ll be left with this other class of change, typically considered normal aging, that may suddenly become the focus, and we don’t have as much research on it. People in their 80s are slower than their younger selves, in every cognitive way. We are trying to understand these ubiquitous changes at a mechanistic level in order to get a better understanding of the complex constellation of factors that change with aging, and to see if some folks are more at risk. If we identify the mechanisms, maybe we can identify molecular cascades [the propagation of neurodegenerative changes] and slow them, or prevent them, so that an 80-year-old will act more like a 50-year-old.

Does cognitive training help?

Buckner: A lot of people are working on cognitive training, myself included, and our studies show that frontal resources are much more available given the right guidance. With the use of simple task helpers during memory exercises, older adults show increased activity in these frontal regions, and their memory performance improves. The challenge is in developing strategies that are generalizable. Individuals in studies can get better at a set of tasks they are trained on, but it doesn’t always work for other situations. The challenge of finding ways that help cognition and generalize to many situations is an important future topic for the field.

What made you focus your research on Alzheimer’s disease and the cognitive effects of aging?

Buckner: A lot of us choose to do research in areas that apply to our families. Longevity runs in my family, and several members have had Alzheimer’s disease. Two of my grandparents had Alzheimer’s in their early 80s.When I came to Washington University, there was strong community interest in aging, so I had wonderful colleagues and scientific accessibility as well as personal interest. —CORI VANCHIERI

Use it Or Lose It

Posted by katie at 10:02 pm

Use It Or Lose It

Home Instead Senior Care Helps Keep Seniors’ Minds on the Move

Research increasingly demonstrates that keeping older adults engaged in ‘brain games’ can provide many important advantages.

“Brain games help keep aging minds young and vital,” said Paul Hogan, President and CEO of Home Instead Senior Care. “But many of today’s seniors have said goodbye to traditional ’senior’ games like bingo. They gravitate more toward video-game technology and group activities such as Scrabble and bridge tournaments.”

A study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia published in a 2006 issue of Psychological Medicine determined that individuals with high “brain reserve” – gauged by an assessment of education, occupational complexity and mentally stimulating pursuits in preventing cognitive decline – have a 46 percent decreased risk of dementia relative to those who are classified as having low brain reserve. The study also revealed that even a late-life surge in mental activity can help ward off the effects of this terrible disease.

Unfortunately, however a deterrent for many seniors who would like to stay mentally active is lack of companionship – particularly for older adults living alone.

“Sometimes seniors just need a little encouragement from family and friends to help them pursue interests that will help keep their minds stimulated,” Hogan said. “Our Home Instead CAREGiver training includes a component specifically targeted to identifying client interests and coming up with ways to engage them in mental and other activities to keep them engaged and enthused about life. Consequently, our CAREGivers have observed many positive life changes for the older adults in their care.”

What causes the kinds of “brain drain” that seniors most want to thwart?  According to Dr. Ronald Peterson, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, multiple factors apparently contribute to a sluggish senior mind.

“There is often a genetic component to Alzheimer’s , but the environment plays a role as well, Peterson said. “The cumulative effects of medical issues – vascular changes like hardening of the arteries, for instance – also contribute to dementia, and the connections between nerve cells most likely don’t work as well, either.”

Peterson has also observed that the wisdom and acquired experience seniors bring from their past to the table is often under-valued in our society – another important reason for seniors to keep both mind and body “in shape.”  He also emphasizes that there are no iron-clad rules about which senior mind activities are best suited to warding off the effects of aging.

“Whether it’s a computer game, crossword or Sudoku puzzles, or reading and analyzing a newspaper or magazine – first and foremost, seniors need to enjoy whatever activities they are engaged in,” Peterson said. “If your senior does not enjoy his or her activities, they are not likely to be beneficial, whatever they are.”

Video technology has attracted many seniors’ attention.  For instance, the second-annual “Evercare 100 @ 100 Survey,” sponsored by Evercare, polled one hundred Americans turning 100 or older about their practices and habits, and found that one in seven has played video games.1

Similarly, Nintendo’s Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day – a video game for the portable Nintendo DS™ that features simple math and other activities – has received high marks from seniors and researchers alike.

Then there’s the company’s new Wii™ home video game system, which allows players to interactively compete in sports such as bowling and golf. It has been flying off the shelves since its release, and seniors comprise a significant percentage of its consumer market. Senior care communities around the country have even begun to host Wii tournaments.

Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski, a professor of gerontology and psychology at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California says games such as Brain Age definitely can help keep older adults’ minds active.

“My family, including boys ages 17 and 21, has a long history of interest in video games,” she said. “Like kids, seniors now play games like chess with people all around the world. It’s all about communication. Seniors can do a great deal to maintain and even to improve their mental abilities. Today, aging is all about taking on new challenges for our minds.”

Tips for Mind-Stimulating Fun

If you’re still not sure on how you might get your senior loved one interested in pursuing some mind-stimulating activities, consult the following list of ideas from Home Instead Senior Care:

Video action. Interactive video games have become popular for family members of all ages. Some games, such as Nintendo’s Brain Age, and the new Wii home video game system, are particularly good for stimulating seniors’ minds.

Computer savvy not needed. Even seniors who are intimidated by the computer still can play online and other computer games. Why not try to help them get started playing Solitaire or joining an online bridge game?

Organize game night. Board or card games offer a great avenue for mind stimulation. Encourage your senior loved one to get a few friends together to join in the fun.

The magic of music. Many seniors were avid musicians in earlier years and some may still have pianos or other instruments in their homes.  Ask them to play you a tune or challenge them to learn an instrument.

Tournament fun. Bridge and Scrabble tournaments for seniors are springing up around the country. Check with your local senior center or Home Instead Senior Care office to learn of any activities in your area. Or encourage your older adult to join a local bridge group.

Think big. Crossword, large-piece jigsaw and Sudoku puzzles are great pastimes for seniors who need a mind-stimulating activity when they are alone.

Out and about. Most communities have concerts, lectures and other pursuits that interest seniors and their families. If your loved one is able to get out, consider those.

In the news. Many seniors maintain their interest in politics and current events. For your senior’s next birthday, why not renew a subscription to a newspaper or popular news magazine, or organize a news discussion group.

Just the two of you. When it’s just you and your senior loved one, remember that there are more things you can do together than just watch television. Hasbro Inc., the largest U.S. game company, has introduced three fast versions of classic board games this year: Monopoly Express, Scrabble Express and Sorry Express. Less time to play – same great fun!

Companionship Counts. Elderly companionship is an important part of stimulating seniors’ minds. If your senior has no one to spend time with, consider hiring a home care companion such as a Home Instead CAREGiver. There are many people who have committed themselves professionally to help ease the challenges aging presents to older adults and to their families. They’re available, and they want to help.

Resource:
1.  Online athttp://www.evercarehealthplans.com/newsroom_article6.jsp;jsessionid=PPLJNNEFIBMA.

Emotional response to music

Posted by katie at 12:40 pm

I found this really interesting article. It is amazing to learn about how intricate our brains are and how they store information. Night To Remember is so great because it allows older people to tap into and access their old memories and emotions in a new way.

Music and Emotional Responses in the Brain

by Antonia J

Music is an integral part of human existence. People have made and listened to music for centuries. Different rhythms and tones evoke different responses in different people – while someone may feel nostalgia upon hearing a certain song or piece of music, someone else may feel happiness, sadness, or anger. However, relatively little research has been done until recently regarding how music affects the brain – what parts of the brain process it, if different kinds of music activate different parts of the brain, why music evokes an emotional response – to name only a few questions.

Studying the brain’s function in emotions was very popular in the early twentieth century. However, with the advent of cognitive approaches to psychology, interest in emotion died out somewhat in the scientific community. Emotions seemed too subjective a topic to study in a scientific manner (1). However, once scientists realized that, although some emotions are conscious, many emotional responses are unconscious and the brain’s activity can thus be traced (1). Thus, the research into emotions has resurged.

To understand music’s impact on emotions and the brain, it is important to first have a basic understanding of what parts of the brain regulate emotion, and if separate parts of the brain regulate different emotions. Recent research suggests that there are numerous brain systems responsible for emotional responses, and there are specific systems for different basic emotions (2). However, although the systems are distinct, Panksepp and Bernatzky argue that many parts of the brain participate simultaneously in responding to music (2). They also argue that music has an even stronger impact on us than visual cues do, because it affects the brain more directly (2). The part of the brain that is most commonly associated with emotion is the amygdala. There is actually a system, consisting of three different parts of the prefrontal cortex that are connected to the amygdala, that is thought to be responsible for emotions. The parts of the brain that are involved – the the dorsolateral, the medial, and the orbitofrontal cortex – are thought to regulate decision-making and negative emotions, as well assessing the appropriate emotional response to a situation (3).

It is logical to conclude that these parts of the brain may have something to do with the processing of music that results in an emotional response. Some research suggests that both the right and left hemispheres of the brain are responsible for processing music, and that the temporal lobe is also involved, although it is unclear how (4). It does seem clear, however, that many of the parts of the brain that music activates are associated with responding to rewarding stimuli, and are implicated in the process of addiction and the hunger drive (5). This fact is particularly interesting to me. I find it fascinating that music can be so closely connected to the areas that are responsible for addiction. It obviously makes me wonder if you can become addicted to music (silly idea, I know!).

Although relatively little is known about music’s effects on the brain, there is a lot of research being conducted regarding this. I’m sure there will be a lot more information about this, even within the next year or two. Although I understand now that certain parts of the brain are activated when music is played, and that this is why we respond emotionally to music, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around this. The response people have to music is so strong, and I find it so wonderful. Thinking that emotional responses are completely related to the brain makes it a little hard for me, because I like to have an element of mystery about things that are this personal and individual to each person. But then, this knowledge about the brain makes music and emotions all the more interesting, and I can’t wait to learn more about it.

for more info and works cited visit:

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/333