Healthy Cognitive Aging and the Prevention of Dementia

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurodegenerative Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 8662

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Interests: neurodegenerative disorders; neuroscience; memory; neuroimaging; clinical trials; aging; rehabilitation; quality of life; theory of mind; Parkinson’s disease

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Guest Editor
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: neurodegenerative disorders; multiple sclerosis; stroke; neuropsychology; cognitive impairment; clinical trials; aging; behavioural neuroscience; apathy; body representation
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Department of Psychology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Interests: neurodevelopment; cognitive reserve; aging; brain reserve; stress; neuropsychology; virtual reality; COVID and degenerative disorders
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ageing is the strongest known risk factor for cognitive decline, but dementia is not a natural or inevitable consequence of ageing. Behavioral prevention strategies on lifestyle-related risk factors for dementia, as well as new therapeutic interventions (i.e., virtual reality and non-invasive brain stimulation) can help maintain high levels of cognition and functional integrity, and can reduce the social, medical, and economic burden associated with cognitive decline and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. The aims and scope of this Special Issue are to enhance knowledge concerning the risk factors associated with the progression from normal cognitive decline to dementia, and to highlight recent advances and innovative approaches for dementia prevention, intervention, and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, we are soliciting empirical articles, theoretical proposals, and scientific reviews investigating the effects of innovative interventions to prevent or reduce the burden of age-related on cognitive disorders or neurodegenerative conditions.

Prof. Dr. Gabriella Santangelo
Dr. Simona Raimo
Prof. Dr. Maria Dolores Roldan-Tapia
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • aging
  • dementia
  • virtual reality
  • cognition
  • brain training
  • telehealth
  • COVID-19

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 979 KiB  
Article
Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind across Adulthood
by Simona Raimo, Maria Cropano, María Dolores Roldán-Tapia, Lidia Ammendola, Daniela Malangone and Gabriella Santangelo
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(7), 899; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12070899 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5497
Abstract
Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. Previous studies on age-related changes in mentalizing processes have provided conflicting results. This study aims to investigate the age-related changes in the cognitive and affective components of ToM throughout adulthood. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. Previous studies on age-related changes in mentalizing processes have provided conflicting results. This study aims to investigate the age-related changes in the cognitive and affective components of ToM throughout adulthood. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-eight healthy participants divided into five age groups (18–40 years old; 41–50 years old; 51–60 years old; 61–70 years; 71–80 years old) underwent tasks assessing the cognitive (ToM Picture Sequencing Task, TMPS, and the Advanced Test of ToM, ATT) and affective (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task, RMET, and the Emotion Attribution Task, EAT) components of ToM, in both verbal and nonverbal modality. Results: Regarding affective ToM, both the youngest- and middle-old adult groups (61 to 80 years) performed worse than the young and youngest-middle adult groups (18 to 50 years) in the RMET, but no significant differences were found in the EAT. Regarding cognitive ToM, the middle-old adult group (71 to 80 years) performed worse than the young adult group (18 to 40 years) only in the TMPS, but no significant differences were found in the ATT. Conclusion: Rather than a general decline in ToM, our results provide evidence regarding selective changes in ToM in older adults, further confirming the dissociation of cognitive and affective ToM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Cognitive Aging and the Prevention of Dementia)
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13 pages, 1582 KiB  
Article
The Effect of APOE ɛ4 on the Functional Connectivity in Frontoparietal Network in Hypertensive Patients
by Dandan Wang, Chang Xu, Wenxiao Wang, Hui Lu, Junying Zhang, Furu Liang and Xin Li
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(5), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050515 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2057
Abstract
Allele 4 of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE ε4) and hypertension are considered risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The detection of differences in cognitive function and brain networks between hypertensive patients who are APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers may help in understanding [...] Read more.
Allele 4 of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE ε4) and hypertension are considered risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The detection of differences in cognitive function and brain networks between hypertensive patients who are APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers may help in understanding how hypertension and risk genes cumulatively impair brain function, which could provide critical insights into the genetic mechanism by which hypertension serves as a potential risk factor for cognitive decline and even AD. Using behavioral data from 233 elderly hypertensive patients and neuroimaging data from 38 of them from Beijing, China; the study aimed to assess the effects of APOE ε4 on cognition and to explore related changes in functional connectivity. Cognitively, the patients with APOE ε4 showed decreased executive function, memory and language. In the MRI sub-cohort, the frontoparietal networks in the APOE ε4 carrier group exhibited an altered pattern, mainly in the left precentral regions, inferior frontal lobe and angular gyrus. More importantly, the decline of cognitive function was correlated with abnormal FC in the left precentral regions in APOE ε4 carriers. APOE ε4 aggravated the dysfunction in frontal and parietal regions in hypertensive patients. This highlights the importance of brain protection in hypertensive patients, especially those with a genetic risk of AD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Cognitive Aging and the Prevention of Dementia)
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