Oxidative Stress Theory Of Aging

As an individual grows older there are many signs of aging, which occur. There are common areas of decline in cognition such as some loss of hearing, vision, and working memory that are considered part of the normal aging process. When these symptoms start to worsen and vastly impair everyday tasks, the consideration of a form of dementia is brought forward. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a brain disease, is the most common type of dementia, and affects majority of people 60 years or older (1,14). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which only continues to worsen over time. Each individual is affected differently with symptoms and the progression. As of right now there is no cure for it (14).

Aging is a natural process of cognitive impairment in elderly people causing loss of executive functions as compared to younger people. A huge number of people in our current population are in this group. Eurostats (European statistical Institute) data show 18.9% of the European population in 2015 was 65 years and over. With aging, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia increases.

Psychological changes during old age are interrelated factors occur that have a significant impact on psychological changes during aging. Anatomical and functional modifications in the nervous system and sense organs, modifications in cognitive functions and modifications in affectivity: losses, motivations, personality. Psychological changes may be subject to subjective perceptions of both the person who manifests them and the person who can evaluate them. There are people who live with serious concern the decline of some functions and others who do not value it properly. In general with aging there is a decline and a slowing of cognitive abilities, although there is enormous variability and depends on numerous factors (educational level,

They also note that the existing neuropsychological models suggest that specific age related cognitive function changes as a result of deterioration in the frontal-lobe. Additionally, they affirm that aging results in deterioration of executive function as well as a decline in working memory capacity. Thus, various studies have suggested that parts of the brain such as the hippocampus usually experience biochemical and structural changes due to normal ageing processes; these changes lead to the cognitive function deterioration. Kokavec and Crowe (1999) claim that cognitive deterioration may arise from excessive consumption of psychoactive substances such alcohol to add on to the ageing process. Studies suggest that the brain usually experiences deterioration in a similar fashion to individuals in old age. In addition, chronic alcoholics exhibit extensive cognitive deficit that resembles individuals who are effected by generalized brain deterioration and illnesses such as

Cognitive aging is commonly labeled strictly as memory and only found in “some people”. However, this is not true. The knowledge of cognitive aging has grown immensely, but there is still much to be learned. The surface has only been scratched with many more questions to be answered. Cognitive aging is worthy of study and effects everyone, but there is also much more is still to be learned.

Aging process will lead to decline of biological functions and the ability to adapt to metabolic stress. Since the percentage of mortality increases rapidly with aging, it is clear that all of the body systems will changes in the individual which make him or her more vulnerable to disease. Among the systems that get affected by aging process are endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and reproductive

To determine whether or not brain training can successfully assist in successful aging, one must define what successful aging is. Successful aging can be defined as “low probability of disease and disease-related disability, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement with life” (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). These elements are all interrelated and provide an individual with choice and independence in their later stages of life. A crucial element for successful aging is high cognitive capacity, however it is a known fact that cognitive decline is a normal part of aging (Ball, 2004). From early adulthood, individuals start showing signs of decline in important cognitive domains such as reasoning, processing speed and short term memory. These cognitive domains underpin a high cognitive capacity and heavily impact the daily activities of an aging population. Regular tasks such as driving, doing the groceries,banking, handling medication and cooking require a substantial level of cognitive functioning and without it, an aging population becomes dependent on the society around it to support them.

Research has attempted to explain cognitive aging through a variety of theories. Each of these theories believes that it can encapsulate all the changes that occur in cognition as individual’s age. Some of these cognitive aging theories include executive function, speed of processing, inhibition and frontal lobe theory. This paper will examine each theory along with the supporting research. Furthermore this paper will attempt to draw a conclusion on which theory or explanation best explains cognitive aging.

This theory is called the Cellular Aging where “the cumulative effect of stress and toxins, [are] causing first cellular damage and eventually the death of cells” (Berger 690). Fortunately, these causes of aging can be modified through eating foods rich in antioxidants to reduce the damage created by free radicals, and practicing mental fitness to keep the brain sharp. Calorie-Restriction, the method of "limiting dietary energy intake . . . while consuming sufficient quantities of vitamins minerals and other important nutrients . . . [can also slow cellular aging]" (Berger 691). However, Berger states that such method does not work for everyone because the specifics of diet are crucial. Restricted-diet might help other creatures, but it doesn’t guarantee that it will slow down the human aging

Its paramount to study cognitive aging because the term has been described for physical aging, but it is still not well understood. The cognitive functions can affect a person’s quality of life, and even the ability to live independently. Cognitive aging in early adulthood may be cognate to the development of pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease in later adulthood.

As people age, they change in a many of ways both biological and psychological. Some of these changed can be for the better and other may not. They are many changes that occur during the aging of the brain, one significant factor is the neuroanatomical and neuropsychological changes that also take place as the individual continues to age. Memory plays a very important part when it comes to all aspects of information processing. During the early, age of an individual’s life is when people tend to retain a great amount of information but as the adults gets older in some cases their memory begins to decline and have difficulty recalling information.

Module ten discussed oxidative stress, and the causes, as well as consequences of liver disorders. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an abnormal balance between nonspecific oxidation reactions, and the body's ability to counteract them. A nonspecific oxidation reaction refers to one that involves free radicals reacting in a disorderly fashion with other molecules. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can cause cellular damage, targeting that of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Free radicals within the body can lead to fragmentation of proteins causing them to have an abnormal function, oxidize polysaturated lipids at their double bond causing disruption in the membrane function, and cause mutations in DNA. Antioxidants react directly with free radicals in the body to render them inactive. Some antioxidant

Aging is a biological process by gradual deterioration of the physiological functions and metabolic processes. (Hilaire Bakala et al 2012) Exposure to stressful situations during early life can have intense health consequences and is impaired throughout life. However some cases of this impact do not become evident until much later in life or decades later, when the individuals begin to show signs of accelerated ageing. (Katherine A. et al 2014). While understanding the relationship between early life and longevity has important implications in the field of aging, we have still little information about the mechanisms involved in the prolonged times scales of stress-aging. A stress can stimulate various pathways leading to increased production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) it is well known that are highly reactive and capable of damaged many biological macro molecules such as DNA, RNA, Proteins, and Lipids (Govinda Rao 1989; Tian et al 1998). The accumulation of oxidative damaged molecules may cause genetic mutation and cellular senescence (Tian et al 1998). Several data indicates that mitochondria are mostly affected organelles during aging.

The brain is one of the most important and complex organs in the human body. It is able to allow us to experience things like our thoughts, actions, feelings, and everything we see or touch on the daily basis. Without our brain we would not be able to remember anything. Memory is when the mind and its functions can store informations that you’re taught and it has the ability to remember it. Our minds are able to process and remember things through experiences and studies over the years. This is all apart of the way the brain works. During this study, psychologists used different experiments types of tests by and research to

Aging is the process of becoming older, as we age, multiple mutations occur that concern all the processes of aging well as it compromising a number of different genes. There are many theories of biological aging, such as the Cellular Aging Theory, Immunological Theory, and the Wear and Tear Theory. The Cellular Aging theory describes the process of aging in which cells slow their number of replication, thus giving each species a “biological clock that determines its maximum life span” and how quickly one 's health will deteriorate(Hooyman, 42). After a certain number of years, each cell which follows an apparent biological clock starts to replicate itself less, thus the specific individual or species slowly deteriorates. This theory gives