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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Aging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 17894

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bianca Acevedo

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Guest Editor

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Interests: attachment; sensory processing sensitivity; ageing; mind-body programs; neuroscience
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Helena M. Blumen

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Guest Editor

Department of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, NY 10461, USA
Interests: social, cognitive, and motor/physical aging and intervention; gait; imagery; motoric cognitive risk syndrome; social networks; social support; neuroscience; magnetic resonance imaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent times have demonstrated the importance of healthy aging—especially given the rapid growth of the aging population. This Special Issue casts a wide net to invite papers that address issues related to both healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We welcome papers using a variety of techniques, sample populations, and those from around the globe. In addition, this Special Issue invites research articles and review papers that investigate interventions, and/or the mechanisms underlying healthy ageing and neurodegenerative diseases. Although we are casting a wide net, we especially welcome articles that address the neural, sensory, motor, social, cognitive and affective processes in healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases, and their interrelationships. Our hope is that this Special Issue will draw a variety of research papers that will help us to comment on recent advances, innovations, and future directions in healthy aging.

Dr. Bianca Acevedo
Dr. Helena M. Blumen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

healthy aging
successful aging
cognitive function
interventions for healthy aging
Alzheimer’s disease
dementia
memory
social and affective processes in ageing
brain training
physical/aerobic training
mind-body

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 715 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mediation Analyses of the Role of Apathy on Motoric Cognitive Outcomes

by Mirnova E. Ceïde, Daniel Eguchi, Emmeline I. Ayers, David W. Lounsbury and Joe Verghese

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7376; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19127376 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Recent literature indicates that apathy is associated with poor cognitive and functional outcomes in older adults, including motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a predementia syndrome. However, the underlying biological pathway is unknown. The objectives of this study were to (1) examine the cross-sectional associations between inflammatory cytokines (Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP)) and apathy and (2) explore the direct and indirect relationships of apathy and motoric cognitive outcomes as it relates to important cognitive risk factors. N = 347 older adults (≥65 years old) enrolled in the Central Control of Mobility in Aging Study (CCMA). Linear and logic regression models showed that IL-6, but not CRP was significantly associated with apathy adjusted for age, gender, and years of education (β = 0.037, 95% CI: 0.002–0.072, p = 0.04). Apathy was associated with a slower gait velocity (β = −14.45, 95% CI: −24.89–4.01, p = 0.01). Mediation analyses demonstrated that IL-6 modestly mediates the relationship between apathy and gait velocity, while apathy mediated the relationships between dysphoria and multimorbidity and gait velocity. Overall, our findings indicate that apathy may be an early predictor of motoric cognitive decline. Inflammation plays a modest role, but the underlying biology of apathy warrants further investigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

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16 pages, 1813 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cognitive Training with Neurofeedback Using fNIRS Improves Cognitive Function in Older Adults

by Bianca P. Acevedo, Novia Dattatri, Jennifer Le, Claire Lappinga and Nancy L. Collins

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5531; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19095531 - 02 May 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3299

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a 4-week cognitive training program with neurofeedback (CT-NF) among 86 healthy adults (M = 66.34 years, range 54–84) randomized to either a treatment (app-based ABC games) or control (Tetris) group. Participants completed seven cognitive assessments, pre- and post-intervention, and measured their cortical brain activity using a XB-01 functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain sensor, while engaging in CT-NF. The treatment (ABC) group showed significant (pre/post-intervention) improvements in memory (MEM), verbal memory (VBM), and composite cognitive function, while the control group did not. However, both groups showed significant improvements in processing speed (PS) and executive function (EF). In line with other studies, we found that strength of cortical brain activity (measured during CT-NF) was associated with both cognitive (pre and post) and game performance. In sum, our findings suggest that CT-NF and specifically ABC exercises, confer improved cognition in the domains of MEM, VBM, PS, and EF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

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9 pages, 373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intermittent Hypoxia as a Therapeutic Tool to Improve Health Parameters in Older Adults

by Rafael Timon, Adrián González-Custodio, Aldo Vasquez-Bonilla, Guillermo Olcina and Alejo Leal

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5339; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19095339 - 27 Apr 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2707

Abstract

Aging is associated with metabolic alterations, and with a loss of strength, muscle and bone mass. Moderate intermittent hypoxia has been proposed as a new tool to enhance health-related function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of moderate intermittent hypoxia exposures on parameters related to cardiovascular and bone health in older adults. A total of 38 healthy older adults (aged 65–75 years) were divided into two groups: control group (C), and hypoxia group (H) that was subjected to an intermittent hypoxia exposure (at simulated altitude of 2500 m asl) during a 24-week period (3 days/week). Body composition, blood pressure, metabolic parameters (Cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose), C-reactive protein (CRP), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and beta C-terminal telopeptide of collagen bone formation (b-CTX) were analyzed before and after the intervention. A repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to evaluate between-group differences. The results showed that the hypoxia group achieved after the intervention a decrease in fat mass, CRP (pro-inflammatory biomarker) and b-CTX (bone resorption biomarker), as well as an increase in PINP (bone formation biomarker). In conclusion, the intermittent hypoxia might be a useful therapeutic tool to deal with problems associated with aging, such as the increase in body fat, the loss of bone mass or low-grade inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

12 pages, 1249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Episodic Memory Performance Modifies the Strength of the Age–Brain Structure Relationship

by Lauren L. Richmond, Timothy Brackins and Suparna Rajaram

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4364; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19074364 - 05 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1492

Abstract

The bivariate relationships between brain structure, age, and episodic memory performance are well understood. Advancing age and poorer episodic memory performance are each associated with smaller brain volumes and lower cortical thickness measures, respectively. Advancing age is also known to be associated with poorer episodic memory task scores on average. However, the simultaneous interrelationship between all three factors—brain structure, age, and episodic memory—is not as well understood. We tested the hypothesis that the preservation of episodic memory function would modify the typical trajectory of age-related brain volume loss in regions known to support episodic memory function using linear mixed models in a large adult lifespan sample. We found that the model allowing for age and episodic memory scores to interact predicted the hippocampal volume better than simpler models. Furthermore, we found that a model including a fixed effect for age and episodic memory scores (but without the inclusion of the interaction term) predicted the cortical volumes marginally better than a simpler model in the prefrontal regions and significantly better in the posterior parietal regions. Finally, we observed that a model containing only a fixed effect for age (e.g., without the inclusion of memory scores) predicted the cortical thickness estimates and regional volume in a non-memory control region. Together, our findings provide support for the idea that the preservation of memory function in late life can buffer against typical patterns of age-related brain volume loss in regions known to support episodic memory. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

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12 pages, 1991 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gut Microbiome Diversity and Abundance Correlate with Gray Matter Volume (GMV) in Older Adults with Depression

by Sungeun Melanie Lee, Michaela M. Milillo, Beatrix Krause-Sorio, Prabha Siddarth, Lisa Kilpatrick, Katherine L. Narr, Jonathan P. Jacobs and Helen Lavretsky

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2405; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19042405 - 19 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3159

Abstract

Growing evidence supports the concept that bidirectional brain–gut microbiome interactions play an important mechanistic role in aging, as well as in various neuropsychiatric conditions including depression. Gray matter volume (GMV) deficits in limbic regions are widely observed in geriatric depression (GD). We therefore aimed to explore correlations between gut microbial measures and GMV within these regions in GD. Sixteen older adults (>60 years) with GD (37.5% female; mean age, 70.6 (SD = 5.7) years) were included in the study and underwent high-resolution T1-weighted structural MRI scanning and stool sample collection. GMV was extracted from bilateral regions of interest (ROI: hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens) and a control region (pericalcarine). Fecal microbiota composition and diversity were assessed by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. There were significant positive associations between alpha diversity measures and GMV in both hippocampus and nucleus accumbens. Additionally, significant positive associations were present between hippocampal GMV and the abundance of genera Family_XIII_AD3011_group, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, and Oscillibacter, as well as between amygdala GMV and the genera Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Oscillibacter. Gut microbiome may reflect brain health in geriatric depression. Future studies with larger samples and the experimental manipulation of gut microbiome may clarify the relationship between microbiome measures and neuroplasticity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

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22 pages, 3674 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Usability Study of a Multicomponent Exergame Training for Older Adults with Mobility Limitations

by Melanie Thalmann, Lisa Ringli, Manuela Adcock, Nathalie Swinnen, Jacqueline de Jong, Chantal Dumoulin, Vânia Guimarães and Eling D. de Bruin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13422; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413422 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3826

Abstract

The global population aged 60 years and over rises due to increasing life expectancy. More older adults suffer from “geriatric giants”. Mobility limitations, including immobility and instability, are usually accompanied by physical and cognitive decline, and can be further associated with gait changes. Improvements in physical and cognitive functions can be achieved with virtual reality exergame environments. This study investigated the usability of the newly developed VITAAL exergame in mobility-impaired older adults aged 60 years and older. Usability was evaluated with a mixed-methods approach including a usability protocol, the System Usability Scale, and a guideline-based interview. Thirteen participants (9 female, 80.5 ± 4.9 years, range: 71–89) tested the exergame and completed the measurement. The System Usability Scale was rated in a marginal acceptability range (58.3 ± 16.5, range: 30–85). The usability protocol and the guideline-based interview revealed general positive usability. The VITAAL exergame prototype received positive feedback and can be considered usable by older adults with mobility limitations. However, minor improvements to the system in terms of design, instructions, and technical aspects should be taken into account. The results warrant testing of the feasibility of the adapted multicomponent VITAAL exergame, and its effects on physical and cognitive functions, in comparison with conventional training, should be studied. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Healthy Aging)

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