Aging class Exam 1

84 Q, all multiple choice, usually takes about an hour. There is a matching section. Final will be cumulative

What are the 4 focuses of human development & aging?

Biological

Psychological

Sociocultural

Life-cycle

Leading causes of death

1. Cardiovascular disease

2. Cancer (lung and bronchus)

3. Unintentional injuries

4. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

5. Stroke

6. Alzheimer’s disease

7. Diabetes

8. Pneumonia (different from pie chart)

9. Kidney disease

10. Suicide

What does cohort mean?

• Cohort: anyone born in a specific year or set of years 

• Generations examples: baby boomers 1946-1964, Gen X 1965-1979/80, Gen Y (aka millennials) 1981-1994/6, Gen Z 1997-2012, Gen A 2012-2025 (current) [do not need to memorize just to know]

What are normative age-graded influences

🔹 Definition: Typical life events and experiences that occur at expected ages due to biological, social, or cultural factors.

🔹 Examples:

• Biological: Puberty, menopause, aging effects

• Social/Cultural: Starting school (age 5-6), getting a driver’s license (teen years), retirement (around 65)

🔹 Key Point: These influences are shared by most people in a society and help shape the life course.

What are normative history-graded influences

Like covid or a war, natural disasters

Research Methods

Applying (age and cohort are going to confound each other)

Define: Reliability (consistent answer)

-How consistently an instrument measures what it attempts to measure

Validity (correct answer)

-How accurately an instrument measures what it attempts to measure

Cohort effects

• Age differences due to experiences and characteristics unique to a particular cohort or generation of people.

• Cohort: anyone born in a specific year or set of years.

• Examples are the Baby boomers, children who grew up in the Great Depression, veterans of WWII and the Vietnam War

Age effects

• Changes due to biological, psychological, or sociocultural forces.

  • How intelligence changes over the life course.

  • How parent-child relationships change over the life course.

Sequential design

• Follow multiple cohorts longitudinally.

• This largely solves both the cohort and time-of-measurement effect problems.

• However, it is extremely expensive and time-consuming.

  Pros: balance efficiency and depth, tracks changes over time, reduces cohort effects, more time-efficient than traditional longitudinal studies, better external validity

  Cons: complex, resource intensive, potential for dropout (attrition), difficult data integration, requires large sample sizes, confounding variables can still exist

Longitudinal design

• Measure same people over multiple times.  Compare responses at different waves of data collection to understand aging process.

• Potential of confounding between age and time-of-measurement effects. 

• Superior to cross-sectional research for studying aging. 

• Attrition is also a potential problem (e.g., comorbidity)

  Pros: tracks overtime, establishes temporal relationships, better for studying cause and effect, reduces recall bias, useful for life course research

  Cons: time consuming, expensive, risk for droppout (attrition), technonogy changes, measurement method changes, difficult to keep consistency, confounding factors may develop over time

Time-of-Measurement

• Age differences due to sociocultural, environment, historical events at the time that the data were collected. 

• Time of measurement effects are also called Period effects. (They are also a History threat to internal validity of research design.)

  Time-of-measurement effects (the answer may be due to when you ask the question and is not necessarily true all the time)

Cross-sectional design

• Study different age groups of people and compare their responses to determine age differences.

• Confounding of age and cohort

  Pros: Quick and cost effective, good for prevalence studies, people do not drop out with follow up, exploratory & hypothesis-generating, easy to conduct

  Cons: no causality, susceptible to bias, not tracked overtime, limited to explaining temporal relationships, potential for confounding

What demographic in America lives the longest?

Hispanics

Who lives the longest in the world?

Japanese women

What is happening to the US population

It is aging

Who is the fastest growing age group

85+

What is primary aging?

• Primary aging: happens to everyone, normal, happens because you are getting old (examples: wrinkles, prebecusis “hearing loss”, presbyopia “eye sight loss”, thinning hair, menopause)

  • Normative, disease-free development in adulthood

    • Biopsychosocial/life cycle processes

    • Loss of memory

  • wrinkles, grey hair,

What is secondary aging?

• Secondary: a result of a disease or some trauma/event, could have lifestyle factors, not necessarily affecting everyone  (osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, dementia, athrosclerosis, myocardial infarction, erectile dysfunction, depression)

  • Developmental change related to disease, lifestyle or other enviornemtallydementia, T2D,

How different arthritis forms are caused? Rhematoid and arthritis

• 🦴 Osteoarthritis (OA)

  • Cause: Wear and tear of cartilage over time

  • Onset: Gradual, develops with age

  • Symptoms: Joint pain, stiffness, bone spurs, worsens with activity

  • Affected Joints: Common in knees, hips, spine, hands

  • Inflammation: Mild or absent

  • Autoimmune? ❌ No

  🔥 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

  • Cause: Autoimmune attack on joint lining

  • Onset: Can start at any age, rapid onset

  • Symptoms: Joint pain, swelling, stiffness (worse in the morning), fatigue

  • Affected Joints: Usually symmetrical (both hands, wrists, feet)

  • Inflammation: Severe, leads to joint deformity

  • Autoimmune? ✅ Yes

Functional decline

• Functional decline: health declines that reach a practical threshold level.

Define these theories on why people age: telomeres (get shorter as you age), free-radicals (antioxidants are the solution to this), cross-linking (our bodies get stiffer)

Free Radicals: randomly produced reactive chemicals Antioxidant (vit. A, C, E, coenzyme Q): prevent the production of free radicals -may postpone disease

• Hayflick limit and Telomeres: Has to do with how many times your cell can reproduce 

  • When things are copied it takes some of the telemeres and soon there is no more to take

• Cross-linking: producing collagen (protein) buildup

  • Skin thickens over time, this suggests that this thickening happens in everything which is why all parts of the body get old (might make us more prone to harm from MI) 

• Programmed Cell Death Theories: aging programmed genetically

Cross linking theory of aging

Hayflick limit and telomeres theory of aging

• Aging caused at cellular level

• Examples:

  • Hayflick limit and telomeres (our cells have to replicate and they have the bottom of the telomere until there is no more to take)

Free radicals theory of aging

• Free radicals – randomly produced reactive chemicals. Antioxidants (Vit. A, C, E, Coenzyme Q)  prevent production of free radicals – may postpone disease.

Define Depression

Depression is a common mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities. It can affect thoughts, emotions, and physical health, impacting a person’s ability to function in daily life.

Casues of depression:

• Loss

• Genetic vulnerability to depression (typically with early onset) 

• Loss of independence, perception of powerlessness

• Medication side effects or interaction

• Vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disease

• Medical illnesses (coronary heart disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis) 

• Imbalance in neurotransmitters (low serotonin | early waking)

Define delirium

Delirium is a sudden and severe disturbance in mental function, causing confusion, disorientation, and difficulty focusing. It develops quickly (hours to days) and can fluctuate throughout the day.(sudden onset that fluctuates)

• Symptoms: global impairment of intellectual functioning

• Onset-acute | disruption of brain metabolism, neurotransmitters (infections, medication interactions, post-operative stress, stroke) 

• Is treatable 

• Similar symptoms as depression and dementia

Define dementia

Dementia is a progressive decline in cognitive function that affects memory, thinking, reasoning, and daily activities. It is not a specific disease but a syndrome caused by various brain disorders.

• Syndrome - caused by many diseases

• Symptoms: memory impairment, cognitive disturbances-one other area (language, spatial abilities, judgment, delusions/hallutionations) 

• Onset: develops over months and years; progressive 

• Some treatments- pharmacological, social (not as treatable, we have not figured out how to treat this)

Mental health

adaptability is important to maintaining good mental health

Psychotic disorders are usually diagnoses…

by young adulthood

you usually know about these things by young adulthood (you don’t just get crazy as an adult)

Nerurotransmitteers linked to memory decline

Dopamine

Emitional functioning

(positive feelings in older vs younger adults)

ADL (Activities of daily living)

ADLs are basic self-care tasks that are essential for everyday functioning. They include:

1. Bathing/Showering – The ability to clean oneself.

2. Dressing – The ability to choose appropriate clothes and dress independently.

3. Grooming – The ability to maintain personal hygiene (e.g., brushing teeth, combing hair).

4. Toileting – The ability to use the toilet independently.

5. Transferring – Moving from one position to another (e.g., from a bed to a chair).

6. Eating – The ability to feed oneself.

IADL (instrumental activities of daily living)

IADLs are more complex tasks that support independent living but are not as essential for basic functioning as ADLs. They include:

1. Managing Finances – Paying bills, managing a budget.

2. Transportation – Ability to drive or arrange transportation for activities or appointments.

3. Shopping – The ability to buy groceries or other necessary items.

4. Meal Preparation – Cooking and preparing meals.

5. Housework – Cleaning, laundry, and maintaining the home.

6. Managing Medications – Taking medications correctly and on schedule.

7. Communication – Using a phone or other communication devices to stay in touch with others.

Functional vs structural

Structures: MRI

Functional: fMRI

• Structural neuroimaging:

  • We are imaging anatomical features of the brain

  • 3 types REMEMBER THE EXAMPLES:  X-rays, computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 

  • What health conditions can you identify using this technique? Bone fractures, tumors and other conditions that cause structural damage to the brain (this includes damage from strokes) 

• Functional Neuroimaging:

  • Are we measuring structure or activity? Brain activity 

  • Name 4 types REMEMBER TYPES: SPECT, PET, fMRI, and NIRSI. Near-infrared neural imaging (also EKG EEG, but not needed to know) 

  • What have these techniques taught us? Teach what parts of the brain activate with different behaviors, show default networks of the brain (when we are at rest) 

What type of alzhiemer’s onset for big al?

early

What are different types of prevention?

Primary prevention: 

• Something you do to prevent the illness/disease from ever happening 

• Like| vaccine, diet and exercise, stop drinking or smoking if applicable. 

Secondary Prevention:

• After a condition has begun, before impairments 

• Like catching skin cancer during a routine physical instead of when you have symptoms

Tertiary prevention: (trying to keep your body from getting sicker) 

• Avoid complications, sustain life, you know you have the condition

• Like: checking blood sugar if T1D, chemotherapy 

Quaternary Prevention: (trying to get a better life/some self sufficiency back) 

• Improve functional capabilities 

• Like: physical therapy, pain medication, wheelchairs,

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes memory loss, confusion, and changes in behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and affects thinking, memory, and the ability to perform daily tasks.

Early onset: fast progression

Regular: slow onset, slow progression

Sundowning:

Possible causes of AD: Genetics, age, brain changes, inflammation, vascular health, lifestyle factors, head injuries, hormonal changes, and environmental factors all play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Beta-amyloid cascade hypothesis: The Beta-amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain disrupts cell communication, triggers inflammation, and leads to cell death, initiating a chain of events that contributes to Alzheimer's disease.

Chronic illnesses

Poylpharmacy: use of a lot of meds that might start interacting with each other and you cannot tell if things are happening from the meds or a new disease

Primary prevention: (eat well and exercise) for lung cancer stop smoking, ect.

Immune system: (T-lymphocytes) weakened response to new infections, decreased production of immune cells, reduced antibody production, chronic inflammation, autoimmune risk

Hearing loss (noise): this is often due to noise exposure

Number 1 reason for nursing home in later life is health deterioration or health emergency

What is polypharmacy and the risks that come with it?

• The use of multiple medications

• Taking at least 5 different medications at a time (that complexity; when to take what and with or without food; is difficult to remember) 

• Could be dangerous if not done correctly 

• Best practice: try to limit the amount of medications or try to limit the complexity of it 

• Some interactions could be dangerous 

• Side effects can be damaging

Rheumatoid Arthritis

An Autoimmune disease causing inflammation in joints which causes pain

Osteoporosis:

Bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases

Osteoarthritis

The most common form of arthritis occuring when the protective cartilage that cushions the bones wears down

Cataracts

Clouding of the eyes natural lens, which causes blurred vision (97-99% sucess rate with surgery)

Glacoma

Buildup of fluid in the eye, pressing on the retina and optic nerve (common in infant and elderly 2 kinds -1 leads to blindness)

Macular degeneration

An eye disease in which part of your retina degenerates causing vision loss

Prebyopia

Age related vision loss difficulty seeing close and focusing your eyes (occurs around 40 happens even in Aristotlles time)

Diabetic Retinopathy

A complication of diabetes that affects the eyes due to poorly controlled blood sugar (enlarged blood vessls in back of eyes)

Prebycusis

gradual hearing loss as a result of old age (one of the most common conditions affecting aging adults)

Vertigo

A sensation in which you feel as though you are moving, spinning or off balance

Autonomic Nervous System

The nerves in the body outside the brain and spinal column; controls regulation function in the body

Angina Pectoris

Chest pain that occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough blood or oxygen. Insufficient supply of oxygen to heart muscles

CVA

A stroke, includes trouble walking, speaking, and understanding caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. it is completely cut off

Hypertension

Higher or equal to 130 systolic BP with higher than 80 Dystolic BP (often due to suffering of blood vessels)

Myocardial infarcation

A heart attack; results of blockage in blood supply to the heart

Athrosclerosis

The build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls

Congestive heart failure

A weakness of the heart that leads to a buildup of fluid in the lungs and surrounding body tissues

Emphysema

Lung disease that damages and enlarges the air sacs in the lungs

COPD

Chronic Lung Disease that makes it difficult to breath