Akihiko Iwahara

The relation between cognitive function and UI in healthy, community-dwelling, middle-aged and elderly people

The aim of this study was to examine the relation between UI and cognitive function among non-disabled middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling people. A total of 201 participants (86 men and 115 women) were given a structured questionnaire regarding their condition of UI as well as a cognitive assessment battery (memory, attention, verbal fluency, information processing speed, and visuospatial function). The results showed a significant relation between UI and cognitive tasks for letter fluency, attention, and information processing speed, while no relation was found in cognitive tasks for memory and visuospatial function. Based on these findings, possible mechanisms regarding the relation between UI and cognitive function, and preventive methods to reduce the prevalence of UI in middle-aged and upper middle-aged community dwellers are discussed.

Developmental trajectories of verbal and visuospatial abilities in healthy older adults: Comparison of the hemisphere asymmetry reduction in older adults model and the right hemi-ageing model

Two models of cognitive ageing, the hemisphere asymmetry reduction in older adults (HAROLD) model and the right hemi-ageing model, were compared based upon the verbal memory and visuospatial task performance of 338 elderly participants. Comparison of the developmental trajectories for four age groups (50s, 60s, 70s and 80s) supported the HAROLD model, but not the right hemi-ageing model. Performance differences between the verbal memory and visuospatial tasks in the earlier age groups decreased in the later age groups. There was a sex difference in the cognitive-decline trajectories for verbal and visuospatial task performance after the 50s.

HOW JAPANESE STUDENTS CHARACTERIZE INFORMATION FROM WEB-SITES

How 352 Japanese university students regard web-site information was investigated by two kinds of survey. Application of correspondence analysis and cluster analysis to the questionnaire responses to the web-site advertisement showed students regarded a web-site as a new alien medium which is different from current media. Students regarded web-sites as simply complicated, intellectual, and impermanent, or not memorable. Students got precise information from web-sites but they did not use it in making decisions to purchase goods.

Relations Between Exercise Habit and Visual Attentional Ability in Older Adult Community Dwellers: Evidences From the Yakumo Study:

Objective: The relation between mild everyday exercise and cognitive ability in healthy older people was examined using cohort study database. Methods: Individually calculated linear regression coefficients in digit cancelation task performances for 11 years age from 65 to 75 years were compared between mild exercise habit holders and non-holders. Results: Exercise habit holders showed significantly smaller age-related decline than non-holders, irrespective of task difficulty. Discussion: The results suggested that even mild exercise habit for long years possesses benefits on sustaining cognitive function in older people as well as the physical activities such as programmed in a sport gym. It also becomes clear that it is difficult for ordinary older adult to continue exercising habits for many years. Therefore, more substantial ways are required for local health officials to advertise the effectiveness of mild exercise habits and to devise the necessary work to become a habit.

Sex Difference in Cognitive Aging for Letter Fluency and Semantic Fluency

This study examined the sex difference in cognitive aging for verbal abilities. To examine developmental changes on Letter Fluency (LFT) and Semantic Fluency (SFT) tests, healthy 224 women and 139 men over 40 years old participated in this study. The results showed that performance of both sex in the 40’s and 50’s remained at the same level, but the performance declining for the LFT and the SFT after the 70’s were not parallel. For the LFT, men showed a steep decline from 50’s to 70’s, whereas women showed a gradual decline from 50’s to 80’s. For the SFT, men showed a sharp decline from 50’s to 70’s and remained at a similar level after the 70’s, whereas women did not show a steep performance decline from their 50’s to 70’s and their performance level in 70’s was the same as in 80’s.