Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging
- The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Models of Cognitive Aging
- 1 Overview of Models of Cognitive Aging
- 2 Cognitive Reserve
- 3 How Age-Related Changes in the Brain Affect Cognition
- 4 Neuroadaptive Trajectories of Healthy Mindspan: From Genes to Neural Networks
- 5 Cognitive Aging: The Role of Neurotransmitter Systems
- 6 How Arousal-Related Neurotransmitter Systems Compensate for Age-Related Decline
- Part I Summary: Models of Cognitive Aging
- Part II Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging
- Part III Aging in a Socioemotional Context
- Part IV Cognitive, Social, and Biological Factors across the Lifespan
- Part V Later Life and Interventions
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
3 - How Age-Related Changes in the Brain Affect Cognition
from Part I - Models of Cognitive Aging
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2020
- The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging
- The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Models of Cognitive Aging
- 1 Overview of Models of Cognitive Aging
- 2 Cognitive Reserve
- 3 How Age-Related Changes in the Brain Affect Cognition
- 4 Neuroadaptive Trajectories of Healthy Mindspan: From Genes to Neural Networks
- 5 Cognitive Aging: The Role of Neurotransmitter Systems
- 6 How Arousal-Related Neurotransmitter Systems Compensate for Age-Related Decline
- Part I Summary: Models of Cognitive Aging
- Part II Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging
- Part III Aging in a Socioemotional Context
- Part IV Cognitive, Social, and Biological Factors across the Lifespan
- Part V Later Life and Interventions
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
Summary
Cognition changes with age, and the amount and trajectory of change varies across individuals and functions. In this review, we argue that three general principles characterize adult life-span changes in brain and cognition. (1) Dimensionality: Many features of brain and cognition in aging and neurodegenerative disease represent quantitative differences along a continuum and are not unique to pathology. (2) Early influences – developmental origins of health and disease: Genetic dispositions and early environmental factors, likely even from fetal life, can have lasting impact on the brain and cognition. (3) Influences from a multitude of environmental factors: Current brain state and cognitive function will be determined by a combination of early factors and later environmental influences, often in interaction. These principles entail a model of age-associated cognitive decline and dementia based on dimensions rather than categories, life span rather than aging, and multidimensional systems-vulnerability rather than one major “biomarker.”
Keywords
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- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive AgingA Life Course Perspective, pp. 47 - 61Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
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