Longevity - ActivityPhysical Growth Trends Brain Growth TrendsAlzheimer’s DiseaseJanuary, 2007Terminology• Longevity• Life expectancy• Life span• The average age in U.S., other countries• Average life span in U.S.…• Maximum life span in world…• Why are we (U.S.) living longer?– Sociocultural changes…• Why are we an ‘graying’ society?Maria Esther de Capovilla, Dead at 116, August, 2006, USA TodayWorld Population(www.prb.org)Population Reference BureauStart with 77 years old….• If you are a woman, – ADD 2 years• If you are a man, – SUBTRACT 2 years• If you are African American, – SUBTRACT 2 years• If your mother is over age 70– ADD 1• If your father is over age 70– ADD 1• If a parent, grandparent, or sibling died of atherosclerosis (heart attack, angina, stroke), before age 60, – SUBTRACT 2. – If they died before age 50, SUBTACT 4.• If you, a parent, or grandparent has diabetes, thyroid disorders, breast cancer for women, cancer of the digestive system, or a strong allergic tendency (asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema)– SUBTRACT 3• For each 10 pounds you are overweight– SUBTRACT 3• If you are light or moderate drinker (1-2 per day)– ADD 2• If you are a heavy drinker– SUBTRACT 8• If you NEVER drink alcohol– SUBTRACT 1• If you smoke 40+ cigarettes per day (2packs),– SUBTRACT 8• If you smoke 1-2 packs of cigarettes per day,– SUBTRACT 4• If you smoke ½ - 1 pack of cigarettes per day,– SUBTRACT 2• If you do not smoke (but only if you don’t live with a smoker), – ADD 2• If you have lived most of your life in the West North Central US (Dakotas), – ADD 1• If you have lived most of your life in the Mid-Atlantic states (NY, NJ, PA), – SUBTRACT 1• If you exercise 2-3 times per week, – ADD 3• If you sleep more than 10 hrs per night, – SUBTRACT 6• If you sleep more than 9 hours per night,– SUBTRACT 4• If you are married, – ADD 3• For each decade past age 25 in which you were unmarried, – SUBTRACT 1• If you have a close confidante, – ADD 2• If your personality is reasoned and calm, – ADD 1-3• If you are aggressive, competitive, intense– SUBTRACT 1-5 (subtract more if you are male)• If you finish college, – ADD 2• If you go on to graduate school, – ADD 1• If you have 2 or more daughters, – ADD 2• If your daily activities are active, – ADD 3• If your daily activities are sedentary, – SUBTRACT 3• Are you almost always on a weight-loss diet or do you yo-yo diet? – SUBTRACT 5• If you travel by air frequently, ride motor cycles or sky dive,– SUBTRACT 2• If your annual income is over $40,000, – SUBTRACT 2• If you volunteer on a weekly basis, – ADD 1• If you keep your home heated at 69 degrees or sleep in a cold room, – ADD 2• If you have a pet, – ADD 1• If your pet is an interactive pet (cat, dog) as a opposed to passive pets (fish, spiders), – ADD another 1Height and Weight in Infancy and ChildhoodBody Growth and Change• Slower, consistent growth• Muscle mass and strength increase•Boys stronger, body proportions changeMiddle and Late Childhood• Growth slows, patterns vary individually• Girls slightly smaller and lighter• Girls gain fat, boys gain muscleEarly Childhood• Average 20 inches, 7 ½ lbs at birth• Triple weight by 1 year• ½ adult height, 20% adult weight by age 2 InfancyTrends in Physical Growth•Infancy – Cephalocaudal– Proximodistal• Early Childhood• Middle Late Childhood– Hormones– Puberty–Weight– Trends in sexual maturity and body image among adolescentsVance 8 ½ lbs, 20 inHormone Levels by Sex and Pubertal Stage for Testosterone and EstadiolBody Growth and ChangeFig. 3.2Pubertal Growth SpurtBody Growth and ChangeFig. 3.3Fig. 3.4Normal Range and Average Development of Sexual Characteristics in Males and FemalesTrends in Physical Growth• Early Adulthood• Middle Adulthood – Late Adulthood– Appearance– Bone, muscle, and organ functioning– MenopauseBrain Structure and Function: A Brief Overviewhttp://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/color/pic3an.gifThe Brain’s Four LobesThe BrainFig. 3.7Functions of Lobes of the CortexFrontal lobesOccipital lobesTemporal lobesInvolved in voluntary movement, thinking, personality, and intentionality or purposeFunction in visionActive role in hearing, language processing, and memoryParietal lobesRoles in registering spatial location, attention, and motor controlThe BrainThe NeuronThe BrainFig. 3.8The Brain in Infancy• Rapid Growth!• Role of enriched vs. poor environment• The growth of the brain and direct correlation to physical, sensory, and verbal ability.The Brain• Childhood– Continued growth of dendrites, myelination, and anatomical changes• Adolescence– Prefrontal cortex– amygdala– Impulsivity & risk-taking related to brain development?The Brain• Adulthood and Aging– Focus: Gains and Losses & Plasticity– Brain shrinking and slowing• Normal age-graded changes• Specific changes– Adaptivity of the aging brain• Example ResearchThe Brain - Plasticity• Preventing and Treating Brain decline and/or disease– Example Studies– Project ADAPT – brain decline– The Nun Study – Alzheimer’s diseaseAlzheimer’s Disease and the Aging BrainUrgent Health Crisis• The U.S. alone will see the number of AD patients increase from about 4 million in the year 2000 to 8 million by the year 2020. By 2050, that number will reach nearly 12 million.Background• A progressive memory disorder• the most common form of dementia for people over age 50• insidious: 10-20 yearsPrevalence• less than 25% of older adults in general• but nearly 2 million OA’s• 60-75% of nursing home and board-and-care residentsDescription• Difficulty retrieving old information• Difficulty learning or retaining new information• Difficulty with working memory• Difficulty in everyday living tasks• Language and spatial ability deficits• Behavioral changes - psychiatricThe Dementias• Alzheimer’s• Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s• Huntington’s chorea• Parkinson’s• Wilson’s• others… 20% of the dementias may be reversible if diagnosed and treated early enough!Postulated causes • limited atrophy of the hippocampus• neurotoxic effects of certain amino acids• diminishing supply of neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, serotonin, catecholamines)Diagnosis • Clinical judgment• low cognitive functioning