Neurodevelopment, Aging and Cognition


Book Description

It was Oscar Wilde who defined the tragedy of old age by saying that " . . . as soon as you are old enough to know better, you don't know anything at all. " As improvements in the quality of health care bring about longer life, our attention has turned from the prolonging of life to the maintenance of involvement in life. In developed nations, a full 100% increase in the ranks of the elderly has appeared and with the benefits of this prolongation have come new and greater needs of the elderly cohort. Our interest is in those processes that may lead to dementia among the elderly, for in dementia we see a thief that robs victims of their memories and their place in life. This text was conceived and developed from an international con ference on neurodevelopment, aging, and cognition; the purpose of this few days a group of experts in these conference was to bring together for a fields from around the world to generate a dialog on common themes and unresolved problems. Our hope was that by keeping the meeting small and informal, we could break through barriers of terminology unique to the areas of developmental neurobiology, neuroscience, cognitive sci ence, and clinical medicine, and have a meaningful discussion on pro cesses that affect the biological integrity and cognitive performance of the aging nervous system.




Neurodevelopment, Aging, and Cognition


Book Description

It was Oscar Wilde who defined the tragedy of old age by saying that " . . . as soon as you are old enough to know better, you don't know anything at all. " As improvements in the quality of health care bring about longer life, our attention has turned from the prolonging of life to the maintenance of involvement in life. In developed nations, a full 100% increase in the ranks of the elderly has appeared and with the benefits of this prolongation have come new and greater needs of the elderly cohort. Our interest is in those processes that may lead to dementia among the elderly, for in dementia we see a thief that robs victims of their memories and their place in life. This text was conceived and developed from an international con ference on neurodevelopment, aging, and cognition; the purpose of this few days a group of experts in these conference was to bring together for a fields from around the world to generate a dialog on common themes and unresolved problems. Our hope was that by keeping the meeting small and informal, we could break through barriers of terminology unique to the areas of developmental neurobiology, neuroscience, cognitive sci ence, and clinical medicine, and have a meaningful discussion on pro cesses that affect the biological integrity and cognitive performance of the aging nervous system.




Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging


Book Description

A rapidly growing body of research has consituted a new discipline that may be called cognitive neuroscience of aging. This book offers an introduction to the topic, useful to both professionals & students in cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology & neurology.




The Aging Mind


Book Description

Possible new breakthroughs in understanding the aging mind that can be used to benefit older people are now emerging from research. This volume identifies the key scientific advances and the opportunities they bring. For example, science has learned that among older adults who do not suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, cognitive decline may depend less on loss of brain cells than on changes in the health of neurons and neural networks. Research on the processes that maintain neural health shows promise of revealing new ways to promote cognitive functioning in older people. Research is also showing how cognitive functioning depends on the conjunction of biology and culture. The ways older people adapt to changes in their nervous systems, and perhaps the changes themselves, are shaped by past life experiences, present living situations, changing motives, cultural expectations, and emerging technology, as well as by their physical health status and sensory-motor capabilities. Improved understanding of how physical and contextual factors interact can help explain why some cognitive functions are impaired in aging while others are spared and why cognitive capability is impaired in some older adults and spared in others. On the basis of these exciting findings, the report makes specific recommends that the U.S. government support three major new initiatives as the next steps for research.




New Frontiers in Cognitive Aging


Book Description

With an ever increasing population of aging people in the western world, it is more crucial than ever that we try to understand how and why cognitive competence breaks down with advancing age; why do some people follow normal patterns of cognitive change, while others follow a path of progressive decline, with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. What can be done to prevent cognitive decline - or to avoid neurodegenerative diseases? The answers, if they come, will not emerge from research within one discipline, but from work being done across a range of scientific and medical specialities. This volume brings together leading experts from a range of fields studying cognitive aging, including neuroscience, pharmacology, health, genetics, sensory biology, and epidemiology. Unlike other books in this area, this book is more about 'new frontiers' than past research and accomplishments. Recently cognitive aging research has taken several new directions, linking with, and benefiting from, rapid technological and theoretical advances in these neighbouring disciplines. This book provides unique interdisciplinary coverage of the topic. With each chapter including commentaries from specialists in related fields, the book provides an integrative study of the topic. For those within the fields of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and geriatrics, this volume will make an important contribution in furthering our understanding of a problem that affects us all.







The Wiley Handbook on the Aging Mind and Brain


Book Description

A thought-provoking treatise on understanding and treating the aging mind and brain This handbook recognizes the critical issues surrounding mind and brain health by tackling overarching and pragmatic needs so as to better understand these multifaceted issues. This includes summarizing and synthesizing critical evidence, approaches, and strategies from multidisciplinary research—all of which have advanced our understanding of the neural substrates of attention, perception, memory, language, decision-making, motor behavior, social cognition, emotion, and other mental functions. Written by a plethora of health experts from around the world, The Wiley Handbook on the Aging Mind and Brain offers in-depth contributions in 7 sections: Introduction; Methods of Assessment; Brain Functions and Behavior across the Lifespan; Cognition, Behavior and Disease; Optimizing Brain Function in Health and Disease; Forensics, Competence, Legal, Ethics and Policy Issues; and Conclusion and New Directions. Geared toward improving the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of many brain-based disorders that occur in older adults and that cause disability and death Seeks to advance the care of patients who have perceptual, cognitive, language, memory, emotional, and many other behavioral symptoms associated with these disorders Addresses principles and practice relevant to challenges posed by the US National Academy of Sciences and National Institute of Aging (NIA) Presents materials at a scientific level that is appropriate for a wide variety of providers The Wiley Handbook on the Aging Mind and Brain is an important text for neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiatrists, geriatricians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and other primary caregivers who care for patients in routine and specialty practices as well as students, interns, residents, and fellows.




The Handbook of Aging and Cognition


Book Description

Cognitive aging is a flourishing area of research. A significant amount of new data, a number of new theoretical notions, and many new research issues have been generated in the past ten years. This new edition reviews new findings and theories, enables the reader to assess where the field is today, and evaluates its points of growth. The chapters are organized to run from reviews of current work on neuroimaging, neuropsychology, genetics and the concept of brain reserve, through the 'mainstream' topics of attention, memory, knowledge and language, to a consideration of individual differences and of cognitive aging in a lifespan context. This edition continues to feature the broad range of its predecessors, while also providing critical assessments of current theories and findings.




The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging


Book Description

Decades of research have demonstrated that normal aging is accompanied by cognitive change. Much of this change has been conceptualized as a decline in function. However, age-related changes are not universal, and decrements in older adult performance may be moderated by experience, genetics, and environmental factors. Cognitive aging research to date has also largely emphasized biological changes in the brain, with less evaluation of the range of external contributors to behavioral manifestations of age-related decrements in performance. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge cognitive aging research through the lens of a life course perspective that takes into account both behavioral and neural changes. Focusing on the fundamental principles that characterize a life course approach - genetics, early life experiences, motivation, emotion, social contexts, and lifestyle interventions - this handbook is an essential resource for researchers in cognition, aging, and gerontology.




The Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer Disease in Down Syndrome


Book Description

The Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer Disease in Down Syndrome provides a multidisciplinary approach to the understanding of aging and Alzheimer disease in Down syndrome that is synergistic and focused on efforts to understand the neurobiology as it pertains to interventions that will slow or prevent disease. The book provides detailed knowledge of key molecular aspects of aging and neurodegeneration in Down Syndrome by bringing together different models of the diseases and highlighting multiple techniques. Additionally, it includes case studies and coverage of neuroimaging, neuropathological and biomarker changes associated with these cohorts. This is a must-have resource for researchers who work with or study aging and Alzheimer disease either in the general population or in people with Down syndrome, for academic and general physicians who interact with sporadic dementia patients and need more information about Down syndrome, and for new investigators to the aging and Alzheimer/Down syndrome arena. - Discusses the complexities involved with aging and Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome - Summarizes the neurobiology of aging that requires management in adults with DS and leads to healthier aging and better quality of life into old age - Serves as learning tool to orient researchers to the key challenges and offers insights to help establish critical areas of need for further research