1 Study Guide Exam 2 CH 5 8 Chapter 6 P122 125 Know the basic definition of each of the biological theories of aging somatic mutation theory cross linkage theory wear and tear theory free radical theory genetic control theory and immune function theory Somatic Mutation Theory Over a lifetime a person s body is exposed to external insults from air pollution chemicals in food and water and radiation These insults cause mutations genetic damage to somatic body cells Proposes that harmful or deleterious mutations that is genes that are incorrectly copied will accumulate with advancing age Will lead to an increase in pathological changes in body systems Wear and Tear Theory views the body as similar to a machine like an old car or truck that simply wears out difficult to test because we don t know what constitutes normal wear and tear idea of wear and tear implies that a more active organism should age more quickly Yet the opposite is true in humans Immune Function Theory The basic function of the immune system is surveillance It is the body s army constantly on alert programmed before birth to recognize and destroy invaders Based on two discoveries 1 The body s protective immune reactions decline with age 2 An aging immune system loses it s ability to distinguish between self and non self Instead the immune system attacks proteins of the body as if they were invaders Cross Linkage Theory Our cells are composed mostly of protein Collagen are the common proteins found in tendons ligaments bone cartilage and skin Collagen is the glue that binds cells together by Cross Links like the rungs of a ladder that connect the two side boards The accumulation of cross linked collagen is responsible for such changes as wrinkles hardening of the arteries and stiffness of joints Free Radical Theory Free radicals are unstable molecules that are produced when the body transforms food into chemical energy They are a by product of normal cells When free radicals try to unite with other molecules they can damage the cell or cause cell mutation Most changes associated with aging result from damage caused by free radicals Useful for understanding why some individuals are at greater risk of certain diseases than others and for describing part of the aging process It is not in itself a general theory of biological aging Genetic Control Theory The view that the life span is programmed into the genes It is important to recognize however that genes do not determine whether an individual gets a specific disease or how long an individual lives Many people with a genetic susceptibility to a specific disease never get it 2 What is the effect of the loss of cells in the cerebellum The cerebellum is in charge of the body s movements and balance essential in the fine tuning of voluntary and involuntary muscular movements When damaged balance and muscular movements are disrupted which can cause falls Strength and balance training and help prevent them postfall syndrome has been used to describe the fear of falling in the elderly who have had a prior fall 3 How do sleep patterns change as people age In the young adult REM sleep takes up about 20 25 of sleep time In older people REM sleep decreases Older people also sleep less each night awaken more frequently after falling asleep and spend less time in deep sleep By age 70 few people experience stage 4 deep sleep at all Many people over 60 complain of insomnia up to 65 of older people have trouble sleeping also have more difficulty regaining their normal sleep pattern if they have jet lag 4 What are the social consequences of hearing loss Hearing begins to decline through our middle years The normal loss of hearing with age is termed presbycusis This makes it hard to hear high pitched sounds social consequences problems with morale and social functioning difficulty paying attention not enjoy their free time feel disappointed with accomplishments feel lonely and left out family may get aggravated and leave individual out of conversations social isolation 5 What is osteoporosis and what is the cause Who is most at risk Bone is a dynamic tissue made up of calcium and protein When calcium is needed by the body old bone is removed then new bone is formed as calcium is added back As people grow older bone is broken down faster than it is replaced resulting in bone loss Osteoporosis occurs when outside walls of the bone become thinner and the inner part becomes spongy Symptoms include loss of height back pain curving of upper back or spine Women are 4X more likely to get it than men 6 How does sexual functioning change in men and women as they age The frequency of sexual activity declines with age for both men and women although men report less decline The decline occurs in both sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviors Both men and women continue to find satisfaction and enjoyment in sexual activity as they get older 7 Be able to define and explain the difference between fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence Fluid Intelligence refers to reasoning memory and information processing skills involves the ability to deal with novel situations and unforeseen problems The verbal component consists of vocabulary math skills learned knowledge and comprehension The performance component consists of puzzle solving ability Crystallized Intelligence is based on the information skills and strategies that people have learned through experience It reflect accumulated past experience and socialization It refers to the acquisition of practical expertise in everyday life 8 What is wisdom Wisdom refers to the ability to reason from experience to use good judgment and to use information With age we learn how to make better decisions by remembering consequences and outcomes from past decision making Wisdom comes with the passage of time and from different life experiences 9 Be able to define and explain the difference between clinical depression dementia Alzheimer s disease vascular dementia and Parkinson s disease Parkinson s Disease A neurological disorder that may occur as early as age 30 but is more often diagnosed in older people In most cases Parkinson s develops slowly over many years Parkinson s is caused by the slow death of nerve cells in the central portion of the brain which means less dopamine stated in book that the cause of Parkinson s is actually unknown Symptom s include trembling or shaking of a limb slow movement and rigidity a temporary inability to move called