<p>Providing care for a frail older adult who is suffering from dementia has been described as a stressful experience that may erode psychological well-being and physical health of caregivers. The present study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), among older family caregivers of persons with neurocognitive disorders, compared with an intervention based on progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Participants were randomly assigned to either MBSR or PMR (<i>n</i> = 28). The MBSR group showed significantly greater reductions in self-reported levels of depression and isolation from pre- to post-intervention, and those changes remained significant at 8 weeks post-intervention. Both groups showed similar decreases in levels of perceived stress, cortisol awakening response, daily average cortisol, and in resting systolic blood pressure from pre- to post-intervention. Results suggest that MBSR and relaxation-based interventions may both be effective for caregivers, however, further research, employing waitlist control participants will be necessary for unambiguous interpretation of the present results.

The 5XFAD mouse is a double transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which harbors a human amyloid precursor protein transgene with three mutations (K670N/M671L, I716V, V717I) and a human presenilin-1 transgene with two mutations (M146L, L286V). These mutations act additively to produce large amounts of amyloid-beta (A?) and rapid development of AD-related pathology, including A?-plaques, neuroinflammation, synapse loss, impaired synaptic plasticity and death of layer 5 cortical neurons (Oakley et al., 2006, J. Neurosci., 26, 10129-10140). Despite the extensive characterization of neuropathology in the 5XFAD mouse, much less research has been completed characterizing age-related changes in behaviour. Sex, the albinism producing tyrosinase mutation (Tyrc), the retinal degeneration phosphodiesterase 6b mutation (Pde6brd1) and the limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B dysferlin mutation (Dysfim) are genetic factors present in the background strain (C57BLxSJL) of the 5XFAD mouse and other AD models. However, background genetic factors are rarely controlled, and their influence on AD-related behavioral phenotypes is largely unknown. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to characterize age-related changes in behaviour of the 5XFAD mouse, and determine the extent to which background genetic factors influence the expression of AD-related behavioral phenotypes. Male and female 5XFAD and wild-type (WT; C57BL6xSJL F2) mice completed a behavioural test battery at 3-4, 6-7, 9-10, 12-13 and 15-16 months of age in a cross-sectional experimental design. In experiment 1, motor ability was assessed with the open-field (locomotor activity), rota-rod (motor coordination and learning), balance beam (balance) and the wire and grid suspension tests (grip-strength). 5XFAD mice weighed less than WT mice at 9-15 months of age, and also reared less on the open-field and performed worse on the rota-rod. 5xFAD mice also travelled less distance on the open-field, fell faster on the balance beam and showed impaired grip-strength at 12-13 months of age. The Dysfim mutation has been previously shown to produce muscular weakness and impair motor function, but mutant Dysfim did not impair the motor performance of either WT or 5XFAD mice. In experiment 2, 5XFAD and WT mice were tested on the Morris water maze to assess visuo-spatial learning and memory. 5XFAD mice were impaired in acquisition and reversal learning, but not memory at 6 and 9 months of age. Motor impairments in 5XFAD mice impaired swimming ability and confounded learning and memory performance of mice at 12 and 15 months. Female mice performed worse than male mice, and albino mice performed worse than pigmented mice, demonstrating that background genetic factors influence the performance of mice on the Morris water maze. In experiment 3, olfactory learning and memory was assessed with an olfactory digging discrimination test. 5XFAD mice did not differ from WT mice in memory performance at any age tested. We then examined A? plaque pathology in 5XFAD mice and confirmed the presence of A? deposits in brain regions associated with motor function and learning and memory. Very few A? deposits were present in the cerebellum suggesting plaque pathology in the basal ganglia and/or motor cortex impairs motor function. Extensive A? plaque deposition was also found in the olfactory memory system despite the lack of olfactory memory impairment in 5XFAD mice. These results indicate that the 5XFAD mouse is a useful model for A?-pathology, cognitive and motor impairments observed in AD, but it is required that sex and albinism are properly controlled in the assessment of cognitive function.

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Effective everyday hearing requires the auditory system to organize auditory input into perceptual streams corresponding to objects of interest. Changes in this process may be responsible for age-related deterioration in the capacity to effectively hear important sounds masked by background noise. Younger (18-25) and older (55+) adults with healthy hearing listened to 10-second intervals of a simple pattern of “ABA” tone triplets. The ABA patterns are used as a model of real-world auditory streaming, because they are initially perceived as one integrated stream, and over time are reorganized into two segregated streams. Participants performed a target-detection task designed to index their perceptual organization of the tones, which does not depend on potentially-biased, subjective judgment (Thompson, Carlyon, & Cusack, 2011). Complex tones with narrowly-spaced, unresolvable frequency components were used in this experiment to control for age-related decreases in frequency selectivity. Both groups demonstrated a capacity for segregating the A and B tones based on differences in harmonic spacing, as predicted. However, despite our acoustic controls the older adults showed significantly less segregation of the 6ST stimuli, indicating that there are additional age-related changes in auditory streaming, which make them less likely to segregate in response to harmonic spacing differences. Additionally, older adults showed significantly better overall performance on the task than younger adults, indicating that the age differences are not simply due to age-related deficits in task execution. The ABA intervals were presented either continuously, or with 5-second interruptions prior to each trial that have previously been shown to “reset” perceptual streaming back to an integrated percept (Cusack, Deeks, Aikman, & Carlyon, 2004). For both age groups interruptions preceding the ABA intervals were shown to be capable of resulting in decreased segregation, as predicted. Targets were presented at 4 time points (2, 4, 6, and 8 seconds) in order to test for age differences in the time course of streaming. In the results for the 8-semitone stimuli, we observed strong evidence for delayed build-up in older adults, in response to the Gap condition. However, this evidence was not statistically conclusive and future experiments are needed determine the effect’s validity. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-20 10:50:27.01

Centenarian population studies are one of several approaches currently used to study the aging process and characterize successful aging. I have described a methodology permitting the simultaneous generation of RNA, DNA, protein, and plasma samples, as well as fixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and frozen blood aliquots, from a single 10- to 30-ml sample of peripheral blood obtained from donors of any age, and showed that although extremely old individuals are somewhat anemic, it is possible to obtain enough biological material from their blood to conduct aging studies. / I investigated the possibility of immortalizing B-lymphocytes from extremely old individuals, using the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and found that although extremely old individuals (90+ years) possess low levels of circulating B-lymphocytes, it is possible to immortalize B cells present in less than one milliliter of their blood using EBV. / Using biological material obtained from blood samples of individuals of all ages by the method for blood sample processing I have described, I studied the mRNA expression of cell death (specifically caspase) genes in nonagenarians and centenarians, successful models of aging who have survived or avoided age-associated diseases, as well as in their younger counterparts, to determine whether apoptotic genes may be part of the genetic determinants of longevity. I found that a population of extremely old individuals (90+) shows a unique pattern of caspase mRNA expression, characterized by high levels of caspase-1 and -3, and low levels of caspase-8, mRNA, while slightly less aged individuals (70--89) are characterized by high levels of caspase-8 mRNA expression. Furthermore, I showed that these changes in caspase mRNA do not appear to result from age-related changes in PBMC composition, such as decreases in CD24. Therefore, I suggest that unique patterns of caspase mRNA result from the regulation of message abundance on a per cell basis, via a putative regulation of caspase genes at the transcription or RNA processing level, rather than age-associated changes in immune profiles.

North American populations are aging, yet the issues and challenges faced by older adults remain largely unaccounted for in planning processes. This research examines this invisibility in the specific case of Winnipeg, MB and through University of Manitoba’s Centre on Aging Age-Friendly Communities Community University Research Alliance (CURA) that builds on the World Health Organization (WHO 2006) notion of age-friendly cities. The research will first document the relationship between aging issues, age-friendly cities and planning through a review of planning and aging-related literature. The second aspect of the research is focus groups interviews with community partners in the Age-Friendly Communities CURA, and semi-structured interviews with municipal planners. Recommendations developed outline how organizations working towards a more age-friendly city can more effectively engage with planning processes, particularly during the review of Winnipeg’s official plan.

Changes in motivation and goals over the lifespan as posited by Carstensen’s Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (1993) have shown to effect information processing and memory, such that motivation-consistent information is more likely to be remembered and evaluated more positively by young and older adults. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of motivation-consistent mental health information on memory for and evaluations of this information as well as attitudes towards mental health services and intentions to seek these services. An Internet-based sample of 160 younger (18-25) and 175 older adults (60+) were randomly assigned to read a mental health information pamphlet that emphasized motivations relevant to either early adulthood or late adulthood. Participants completed measures assessing memory for and subjective evaluation of the pamphlet, and attitudes towards and intentions to seek mental health services. There was no significant interaction between age group and pamphlet version on any of the variables measured; suggesting that designing and implementing motivation-consistent mental health information for different age groups confers little benefit with respect to information retention, as well as attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional psychological help.

<p> This curriculum was designed for older adults and their caregivers. The curriculum begins with an overview of the issue and addresses aging issues through six 3-hour sessions. The design was deliberate in nature to bring to light the importance of a social worker. It focuses on competence to work with families who seek caregiver model options, realities, and expectations of both the older adult and the caregiver, and what to look for in assisted living or aging in place. The importance of understanding cultural and spiritual aspects and their meanings in the caregiving process is emphasized. An extensive literature review identified various stressors among older adults and their caregivers and identified effective interventions to address their psychosocial needs based on evidence-based and empirically based research studies. This curriculum was designed to provide information and to bring awareness of the importance of empowerment of older adults and their caregivers. </p>