Abstract
Growing evidence demonstrates that aging not only leads to structural and functional alterations of individual components of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system (NMSS) but also results in a systemic re-organization of interactions within and between the different levels and functional domains. Understanding the principles that drive the dynamics of these re-organizations is an important challenge for aging research. The present Hypothesis and Theory paper is a contribution in this direction. We propose that age-related declines in brain and behavior that have been characterized in the literature as dedifferentiation and the loss of complexity (LOC) are: (i) synonymous; and (ii) integrated. We argue that a causal link between the aforementioned phenomena exists, evident in the dynamic changes occurring in the aging NMSS. Through models and methods provided by a dynamical systems approach to coordination processes in complex living systems, we: (i) formalize operational hypotheses about the general principles of changes in cross-level and cross-domain interactions during aging; and (ii) develop a theory of the aging NMSS based on the combination of the frameworks of coordination dynamics (CD), dedifferentiation, and LOC. Finally, we provide operational predictions in the study of aging at neural, muscular, and behavioral levels, which lead to testable hypotheses and an experimental agenda to explore the link between CD, LOC and dedifferentiation within and between these different levels.
Highlights
Understanding the mechanisms underlying age-related declines across multiple functional subsystems ranks highly on the agenda of science and society
We propose that age-related declines in brain and behavior that have been characterized in the literature as dedifferentiation and the loss of complexity (LOC) are: (i) synonymous; and (ii) integrated
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The present paper offers an integrative theoretical framework that provides a broader perspective on the consequences of aging on coordination processes that occur within the neuro-musculo-skeletal system (NMSS)
Summary
Understanding the mechanisms underlying age-related declines across multiple functional subsystems ranks highly on the agenda of science and society To achieve this objective, the most commonly adopted approach in aging research has emphasized dividing the neuro-musculo-skeletal system (NMSS) into smaller and presumably, more tractable units. The most commonly adopted approach in aging research has emphasized dividing the neuro-musculo-skeletal system (NMSS) into smaller and presumably, more tractable units From this perspective, declines in neural, cognitive, sensori-motor and muscular functioning are generally considered as separate domains, each having its own evolution over time. During the last 30 years, this approach has considerably improved our understanding of how aging affects the different levels of observation and functional sub-systems of the organism. Despite (or rather, because of) the proliferation of isolated theories and potential mechanisms operating at different levels (about 300 have been identified by Medvedev, 1990), aging research remains data rich and theoretically poor
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