Abstract
AbstractNormal aging is associated with a number of cognitive deficits, including changes in executive functioning. Research suggests that hemispheric asymmetry during certain tasks becomes less pronounced in the elderly, reflected in greater bilateral patterns of cortical activation among older adults. Forty-two younger adults and thirty-five older adults were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests sensitive to frontal functioning. In addition, they completed a lexical decision task to assess lateralized implicit priming at two stimulus onset asynchronies (50 and 750 ms). Results of accuracy and reaction time data support Cabeza’s model of reduced asymmetry in older adults completing a semantic priming task. Analysis of the contribution of executive functioning revealed its importance in semantic memory processing.
Highlights
Older adults frequently show a variety of changes in thinking, including increased distractibility, selfreported memory problems, and an inability to inhibit task-irrelevant thoughts
There is evidence of reduced hemispheric asymmetry in cognitive processing in older adults. Summarizing this literature, Cabeza (2002) developed his Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) model, which proposed that older adults show less lateralization during certain cognitive tasks because they recruit resources from both hemispheres in order to compensate for age-related decrements of functioning
The current study supports Cabeza’s (2002) HAROLD model; older adults demonstrate a tendency to utilize bilateral resources when performing a task while younger adults complete the same task using unilateral resources
Summary
Older adults frequently show a variety of changes in thinking, including increased distractibility, selfreported memory problems, and an inability to inhibit task-irrelevant thoughts. There is evidence of reduced hemispheric asymmetry in cognitive processing in older adults Summarizing this literature, Cabeza (2002) developed his Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) model, which proposed that older adults show less lateralization during certain cognitive tasks because they recruit resources from both hemispheres in order to compensate for age-related decrements of functioning. In support of this model, Stebbins et al (2002) utilized fMRI to demonstrate that both younger and older adults experienced significant activation of the frontal-lobes during a semantic decision task compared to a control task requiring non-semantic decisions. Virginia Zuverza-Chavarria is a clinical neuropsychologist at the Lac/Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, e, specializing in head injury and chronic neurological diseases, in Downey, CA
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