New research shows how aging brain brings a healthy dose of perspectiveJune 13, 2008Edmonton, Alberta - A University of Alberta researcher in collaboration with researchers from Duke University has proven that wisdom really does come with age, at least when it comes to your emotions. A study conducted by Dr. Florin Dolcos, assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, identified brain patterns that help healthy older people regulate and control emotion better than their younger counterparts. The study identified two regions in the brain that showed increased activity when participants over the age of 60 were shown standardized pictures of emotionally challenging situations. "Previous studies have provided evidence that healthy older individuals have a positivity bias - they can actually manage how much attention they give to negative situations so they're less upset by them," said Dr. Dolcos, a member of the Alberta Cognitive Neuroscience Group, which brings together researchers from the University of Alberta to explore how the brain works in human thought, including issues like perception, attention, learning, memory, language, decision-making, emotion and development. "We didn't understand how the brain worked to give seniors this sense of perspective until now."
During the study, younger and older participants were asked to rate the emotional content of standardized images as positive, neutral or negative, while their brain activity was monitored with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, a high-tech device that uses a large magnet to take pictures inside the brain. The older participants rated the images as less negative than the younger participants. The fMRI scans helped researchers observe this reaction in the senior participants. The scans showed increased interactions between the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotion detection, and the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region involved in emotion control. According to Dr. Dolcos, "These findings indicate that emotional control improves with aging, and that it's the increased interaction between these two brain regions that allows healthy seniors to control their emotional response so that they are less affected by upsetting situations." The study, published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, was performed under the co-ordination of Dr. Roberto Cabeza and in collaboration with Ms. Peggy St. Jacques, both of Duke University where Dr. Dolcos received his training in brain imaging research. This research may have clinical implications. "If we can better understand how the brain works to create a positivity bias in older people, then we can apply this knowledge to better understand and treat mental health issues with a negativity bias, such as depression and anxiety disorders, in which patients have difficulty coping with emotionally challenging situations," Dolcos said. University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. Neanderthal Meningitis Brain Damage Rhinovirus Nanotechnology Cord Blood Chromosome Kidney Transplant Gene Mutations Weight Gain Colon Polyps Avian Flu Vitamin D Epilepsy Bipolar Mangrove Ace Inhibitors X-ray Smart-1 Twins Inflammatory Disease Sleep Alcoholism Fibromyalgia Genetic Variation
See More: Science News Tags | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. Scientists find a biological 'fountain of youth' in new world bat caves Scientists from Texas are batty over a new discovery which could lead to the single most important medical breakthrough in human history-significantly longer lifespans. A young brain for an old bee We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the specific kind of daily activities we engage in during the course of our lives appears to influence the extent of this decline. Researchers To Reveal Aging's Origins on Global Stage Four of the biologists who described the underlying causes of aging will soon share their findings with an international audience during a symposium at the upcoming World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Toxic molecule may help birds 'see' north and south Researchers at the University of Illinois report that a toxic molecule known to damage cells and cause disease may also play a pivotal role in bird migration. Carnegie Mellon algorithm charts evolution of genetic networks during fruit fly life cycle A new algorithm developed by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientists has revealed for the first time how genetic networks in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, evolve during the insect's life cycle. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to impact AMD progression Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as tuna and salmon may protect against progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the benefits appear to depend on the stage of disease and whether certain supplements are taken. New data demonstrate potential for early detection of Alzheimer's disease Data published in the June issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease demonstrated that minimally-invasive biospectroscopy was able to identify changes in oxidative stress (OS) levels in blood plasma, which may prove to be a useful biomarker in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Another McGill/JGH breakthrough opens door to early Alzheimer's diagnosis A new diagnostic technique which may greatly simplify the detection of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital (JGH). More Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||