Significant Main Effect Of Age Research Articles

Key Dimensions and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Individualism-Collectivism Scale

A Chinese version of the Individualism-Collectivism Scale (ICS) to assess cultural dimensions was developed and its psychometric properties were evaluated. The English version of the ICS was translated and back translated prior to its administration to 1760 participants who were divided into 5 age groups. Results indicated that the ICS-C exhibited moderate to high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.64 to 0.83. The ICS-C also exhibited strong test-retest reliability with ICCs from 0.45 to 0.80. Confirmatory factor Analyses found the four-factor model was the best fit of the data across gender and age, thus supporting the multi-dimensional perspective of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Furthermore, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant main effect of age and gender. A gradual increase is present in subjective perception of societal emphasis on the cultural dimensions across five age groups, except age groups of 14 - 15 and 16 - 17 in vertical individualism. With respect to gender effect, female students showed a higher perception of the vertical collectivism than male students (p

Perceived Well-Being and Metacognitive Efficiency in Life Course

The main purpose of current research was to investigate the impact of self-rated metacognitive measures and depressive symptoms in predicting psychological well-being in different aged healthy adults. A further goal was to explore the effect of genre and age on metacognition and depression scores. Ninety-six healthy adults were, respectively, assigned to young (i.e., 20–30 years), old (i.e., 65–74 years), very old (i.e., 75–84 years), and oldest old (i.e., >85 years) groups. Participants were administered self-referent social desirability, cognitive efficiency, subjective wellness, and psychological distress questionnaires. It was found that social desirability, depression, cognitive functioning, and metamnestic scores represent the best predictors of well-being. Moreover, a significant main effect of age and genre was found on measures of depression and metamemory. Finally, personal satisfaction, coping strategies, emotional control, and general well-being levels of the very old group did not reach critical cutoff for the Italian octogenarian population.

Effects of chemesthetic stimuli mixtures with barium on swallowing apnea duration

This study tested the hypotheses that swallowing apnea duration (SAD) will increase given barium versus water, chemesthetic stimuli (i.e., water < ethanol, acid, and carbonation) mixed with barium, age (older > younger), and genetic taste differences (supertasters > nontasters). Prospective group design. University Medical Center. Eighty healthy women were identified as nontasters and supertasters, equally comprising two age groups: 18 to 35 years and 60+ years. The KayPentax Swallowing Signals Lab was used to acquire SAD via nasal cannula during individually randomized swallows of 5 mL barium, 2.7% w/v citric acid with barium, carbonation with barium, and 50:50 diluted ethanol with barium. Data were analyzed using path analysis, with the mediator of chemesthetic perception, adjusted for repeated measures. Significant main effects of age (P = .012) and chemesthetic stimuli (P = .014) were found, as well as a significant interaction between chemesthetic stimuli and age (P = .028). Older women had a significantly longer SAD than younger women. Post hoc analyses revealed that barium mixed with ethanol elicited a significantly longer SAD than other bolus conditions, regardless of age group. There were no significant differences in SAD between barium and water conditions, and no significant effect of chemesthetic perception (P > .05). Ethanol added to barium elicited longer SAD compared to plain barium, but not the other chemesthetic conditions. Older women had a longer SAD than younger women in all conditions. These findings may influence design of future studies examining effects of various stimuli on SAD.

The effects of pre-habilitative conditioning on unloading-induced adaptations in young and aged neuromuscular systems

The capacity of pre-habilitative conditioning – exercise performed a priori – to mitigate neuromuscular maladaptations to disuse is unclear. This study evaluated pre-habilitation by examining neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and the myofibers they innervate in young adult and aged muscles. Within each age category, 40 rats were divided into four treatment groups: 1) control, 2) hindlimb suspended (unloaded), 3) prehabilitative conditioning preceding hindlimb suspension, and 4) pre-habilitative conditioning alone. Cytofluorescent staining was used to visualize NMJs, and histochemical staining to assess myofiber profiles (size and type). Statistical analysis featured 2-way ANOVA with main effects for age and treatment, along with interaction. NMJs consistently revealed significant (P≤0.05) main effects for age, but not treatment, or interaction. Typically, aged NMJs showed elongated nerve terminal branching, and more dispersed post-synaptic clusters of ACh receptors, resulting in reduced post-synaptic area per given length of pre-synaptic branching. Analysis of myofiber profiles showed significant main effects for age, treatment, and their interaction. Aged myofibers were smaller than the young ones and a higher percentage of them were Type I. Aged fibers experienced significantly greater unloading-induced atrophy than the young ones. Pre-habilitative conditioning significantly attenuated unloading-induced atrophy among aged, but not young myofibers. It was also observed that pre-habilitative conditioning alone increased myofiber size among aged, but not young adult muscles. In summary, myofibers were more sensitive than NMJs to the treatment interventions implemented. Although more sensitive to the negative effects of muscle unloading, aged myofibers were also more responsive to the hypertrophic effects of pre-habilitative conditioning.

Main Taste Effects on Swallowing Apnea Duration in Healthy Adults

This study examined swallowing apnea duration (SAD) and respiratory phase patterns as a function of taste, tastes combined with barium, age, and genetic taste group. Prospective group design. University medical center. Eighty healthy adult women were identified as nontasters and supertasters and equally comprised 2 age groups: 18 to 35 years (n = 40) and 60+ years (n = 40). The KayPentax Swallowing Signals Lab was used to acquire SAD and respiratory phase patterns via nasal cannula during randomized 5-mL swallows of water, 1.0 M sucrose (sweet), 1.0 M sodium chloride (salty), and 0.032 M caffeine (bitter) alone and mixed with barium. The SAD and respiratory patterns were analyzed in a linear mixed model and a binary logistic regression generalized estimating equation model, respectively. A significant main effect of age was found (P = .007). Older women demonstrated longer SAD than younger women. There were no significant effects of taste or genetic taste group on SAD. There was a significant interaction between barium and supertaster status; SAD was shorter in supertasters when barium was included. There were no significant differences in respiratory patterns between age groups, genetic taste groups, or among taste stimuli. Advanced age elicited longer SAD, a robust finding in repeated investigations from multiple laboratories. Main tastes did not affect SAD or respiratory phase patterns. Genetic taste group altered SAD when barium was combined with the taste. That is, taste + barium shortened SAD in supertasters. This finding may affect clinical management of dysphagia patients and warrants further investigation.

Interactive effects of age, sex, and strain on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility of soybean meal and an animal by-product blend in broilers

The objectives of this study were to determine if age, sex, and strain of broilers affect the apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AID) of soybean meal and an animal by-product blend. Chicks from 2 broiler strains, 1 commercially available and the other in the test phase, were obtained from a common hatchery, feather-sexed, and placed into floor pens. The birds received common diets while on floor pens. Birds were transferred to metabolism crates for 2 ileal digestibility trials conducted at 3 and 6 wk of age. Two semipurified diets were formulated with each of the feed ingredients providing all of the amino acids (AA) in the diets. Diets were formulated to contain 20% CP, with chromic oxide added to the diet at 0.30% as the indigestible marker. The experimental diets were fed for a 72-h period after an overnight fast to 8 replicate cages of 5 birds per cage. Upon completion of the experimental periods (i.e., d 22 and 43), birds were euthanized and ileal digesta samples were collected and pooled by pen, frozen, lyophilized, and analyzed for AA and chromium concentrations. For soybean meal, no main effects were observed for age, sex, or strain; however, significant (P ≤ 0.05) 3-way interactions were observed for several dispensable and indispensable AA. Statistical analyses of these interactions indicate the AID of soybean meal may be different for 42-d males of the test strain. For the animal by-product blend, only main effects were significant for each AA, with the exception of Ile and Tyr. Main effect of strain was observed for most of the AA, showing that the commercially available strain had higher AID than the test strain. Also, significant main effect of age indicated that the AID for animal by-product blend was higher at 42 d than at 21 d. Evaluation of these 2 ingredients showed that age, sex, and strain may affect digestibility of feedstuffs and should be considered independently or interactively, for some cases, in future investigations as sources of variation in AA digestibility.

Abstract 201: Changes In Inflammatory Response To Ischemic Stroke Across The Life Span

Background/Purpose- Inflammation plays a critical role in the response to stroke, and post-ischemic inflammatory responses strongly contribute to the extent of ischemic brain injury. Although much is known about the post stroke inflammatory cascade in brain; the contribution of age to post ischemic inflammation has been understudied. Aging is a non-modifiable risk factor for stroke and is a critical determinant to stroke outcome. Since 75-89% of strokes occur in the elderly, it is important to characterize the differential effects of aging on the inflammatory response to stroke before translation of immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies into the clinic. Therefore, the objective of this study was to study the impact of aging on post s troke inflammatory milieu of the brain . Methods- Young(6 months), aging(15 months) and aged(22 months) male and female mice were subjected to 60 minutes of MCAO (n=5-6/ group). The ischemic hemisphere was subjected to mechanical and enzymatic digestion and then brain mononuclear cells were harvested at the 30%-60% interphase of percoll gradient. Cells were stained with fluorophore conjugated antibodies for CD45,CD3,CD11b and Gr1 and counted on LSRII cytometer(BD Biosciences). Results- Blood derived leukocytes(CD45high) increased in the brain in stroke(7133+−4514) vs. sham(1081+−279.9). We found a significant main effect of age, F(2,38)=5,p&lt;0.05 and stroke, F(2,38)=19.5,p&lt;0.01 in the percentage of T cells(CD45highCD3+). There was also a significant age by stroke interaction in the percentage of T cells, F(2,38)=0.58,p&lt;0.05. In the CD45intermediateCD11b+ microglia population, we saw a significant main effect of stroke, F(1,38)=18.6,p&lt;0.01 (sham 19199.2+−3439 vs. stroke 38365.4+−1111 ). Similarly, there was a significant main effect of stroke on CD45intermediate/CD11b+/Gr1+ microglia numbers, F(1,38)=12.6,p&lt;0.01 . Conclusions- T cells, microglia and Gr1+ microglia numbers increase in the brain after an ischemic stroke. However, only the CD45hiCD3+T cells significantly increased in the aging brain after an ischemic insult in the two sexes. Microglia and Gr1+microglia did increase after stroke in both sexes, but there was no significant effect of age. Our study suggests that aging creates a differential inflammatory milieu in the brain after an ischemic event and that elderly mount a profound T cell response to stroke. Since most of our stroke patients are old, bench to clinic translation of stroke therapies needs to account for this heterogeneity in inflammatory response across different ages.

Correlations among Brain Gray Matter Volumes, Age, Gender, and Hemisphere in Healthy Individuals

To determine the relationship between age and gray matter structure and how interactions between gender and hemisphere impact this relationship, we examined correlations between global or regional gray matter volume and age, including interactions of gender and hemisphere, using a general linear model with voxel-based and region-of-interest analyses. Brain magnetic resonance images were collected from 1460 healthy individuals aged 20–69 years; the images were linearly normalized and segmented and restored to native space for analysis of global gray matter volume. Linearly normalized images were then non-linearly normalized and smoothed for analysis of regional gray matter volume. Analysis of global gray matter volume revealed a significant negative correlation between gray matter ratio (gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume) and age in both genders, and a significant interaction effect of age × gender on the gray matter ratio. In analyzing regional gray matter volume, the gray matter volume of all regions showed significant main effects of age, and most regions, with the exception of several including the inferior parietal lobule, showed a significant age × gender interaction. Additionally, the inferior temporal gyrus showed a significant age × gender × hemisphere interaction. No regional volumes showed significant age × hemisphere interactions. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism(s) of normal brain aging in each brain region.

Adult Normative Data for the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System Model 6600

The primary purpose of the present study was to establish a preliminary adult normative database for 41 phonatory aerodynamic measures obtained with the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System (PAS) Model 6600 (KayPENTAX Corp, Lincoln Park, NJ). A second purpose was to examine the effect of age and gender on these measures. Prospective data collection across groups. A sample of 157 normal speakers (68 males and 89 females) were divided into three age groups (18-39, 40-59, and 60+ years). The PAS protocols of vital capacity, maximum sustained phonation, comfortable sustained phonation, variation in sound pressure level, and voicing efficiency were used to collect 41 phonatory aerodynamic measures. Comfortable pitch and loudness levels were used with each protocol requiring phonation. A statistically significant main effect of age was found for seven measures, and a statistically significant main effect of gender was found for five measures. The remaining 29 measures did not reach statistical significance; however, 13 of these had high observed power. The remaining 16 measures did not reach significance and had low observed power. Because age- and gender-related changes were found for some measures, one must account for these two variables when assessing phonatory aerodynamics using the PAS Model 6600. The clinical implications of the findings for the assessment and treatment of individuals with voice disorders using the PAS Model 6600 are discussed.

Impact of parents' marital conflicts on parental attachment and social competence of adolescents

The present research was designed to provide an integrated understanding of perceptions of parents' marital conflicts, parental attachment and social competence of adolescents. Perceived parents' marital conflicts were measured in order to find out their relationship with perceived parental attachment (i.e., affective quality of relationship, parental fostering of autonomy, and parental role in providing emotional support) and social competence. The sample was comprised of 325 adolescents, age range 13–19 years (males = 146, females = 179) selected from government schools and colleges of Islamabad (Pakistan). The results revealed that the perceived marital conflicts have negative correlation with parental attachment and social competence of adolescents. The significant negative correlation was also found between parents' marital conflicts and subscales of parental attachment, i.e., affective quality of relationship, parental fostering of autonomy, and parental role in providing emotional support. Regression analysis revealed that perceived high marital conflict of parents leads to low parental attachment and social competence among adolescents. No significant main effects of age and gender were found in the perceived parents' marital conflicts, parental attachment and social competence. There were also non-significant effects of the interaction of gender and age on all three variables.

P02-77 - Self-reported depression in an older population: Effects on cognitive functioning

IntroductionThe cognitive profile of the older depressed person includes impairments in executive functioning, episodic memory and processing speed. When in remission, executive functioning impairment may still remain. It is not known whether these impairments also exist in self-reported depression and if so, whether there are any performance differences between currently and remitted depression.ObjectivesTo examine differences in cognitive functioning between self-reported nondepressed, depressed, and remitted persons in young and older old.MethodsData were collected using interviews and cognitive testing (executive functioning, episodic memory, and processing speed) in the Swedish National study of Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). All non-demented participants (n = 2727) were categorized according to age (60–77 years, n = 1626, and +78 years, n = 1101), and depression status, 1) never depressed (n = 2200), 2) current depression (n = 214), and 3) remitted depression (n = 313).ResultsA 2 (age) × 3 (depression) MANOVA showed significant main effects of age, depression and a significant interaction effect. Younger outperformed older on all tests. Depression showed an effect on Trail Making Test B, where nondepressed outperformed currently depressed, and the remitted outperformed the currently depressed on free recall. Furthermore, an interaction effect was found for recognition, suggesting that decline in episodic memory is more pronounced in persons with self-reported depression when aging.ConclusionsSelf-reported depression in an older population affects executive functioning and episodic memory, but not processing speed. For persons in remission, we found remaining deficits in episodic memory, rather than executive functioning.

Exploring temperament and character traits in nurses and nursing students in a large regional area of Australia

To describe individual temperament and character trait profiles associated with nurses and nursing students in a large regional health district and university in Australia. Identification of personality characteristics have been undertaken in most professions; however there is little extant literature on nurses which looks at specific aspects of temperament and character. A cross-sectional quantitative study of nurses and nursing students in a large regional health service district and university in South East Queensland, Australia. An online survey to nurses and nursing students included a demographic questionnaire and the temperament and character inventory (TCI) to identify levels of the seven basic dimensions of temperament and character. Univariate analysis made multiple and covariate comparisons between TCI scores, nurses, students, working status and age. The target number of responses was exceeded and totalled 451. Results are reported for females who comprised 90% of respondents; 53.5% students and 46.5% nurses. Significant main effects for age and student status were detected in several temperament and character inventory dimensions. Working students had significantly different temperament and character profiles compared to non-working students. Overall, this sample displays levels of temperament and character traits congruent with a profession requiring high levels of persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness and reward dependence. Our findings prompt further investigation of whether individuals with the requisite temperament traits are attracted to nursing, or do individuals develop certain character traits as a product of their professional experiences/training. The identification of distinct profiles of temperament and character traits among different nursing roles may provide insight into what traits are conducive to retention of nurses in these roles. The predictive potential of the temperament traits plus the modifiable component of character traits may provide scope for nursing educators and policy-makers to assist in recruitment and retention of nurses in the workforce.

Clinical Implications for Muscle Strength Differences in Women of Different Age and Racial Groups

BACKGROUND: Reduction in muscle strength is strongly associated with functional decline in women, and women with lower quadriceps strength adjusted for body weight are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: To compare body weight--adjusted strength among women of different age/racial groups. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of muscle strength in 918 women aged 20--83 (M ± SD = 52 ± 13). METHODS: An orthopedic examination was conducted including measurement of handgrip and lower extremity strength (hip abductors/external rotators, knee flexors/extensors). Data were grouped into young (20--39 years, n = 139), middle (40--54 years, n = 300), and older (55+ years, n = 424) ages for white (n = 699) and African American (AA) (n = 164) women. Means and standard deviations for strength adjusted for body weight were calculated for each age and racial group and compared using 2-way multivariate analysis of variance and post hoc tests. RESULTS: No significant age-by-race interaction (P = .092) but significant main effects for age and race (P < .001). Pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences in knee extensor and flexor strength between all age groups. For grip and hip external rotator strength, significant differences were found between the middle and older groups. Differences in hip abductor strength were found between the young and middle-aged groups. AA women had lower strength than white women in all muscle groups (P < .05) except hip external rotators. CONCLUSIONS: Strength decreased with age in all muscle groups but magnitude of decrease varied by muscle. Strengthening programs should target different muscles, depending on a woman's age and race.

Impact of age and gender on adherence to infection control guidelines and medical regimens in cystic fibrosis

The goal of the present research was to examine the impact of age and gender on adherence to both infection control (IC) guidelines and traditional medical treatments in a cystic fibrosis (CF) population. Adherence behaviors are consistently suboptimal in chronic illness populations, particularly pulmonary diseases; understanding the factors related to adherence behaviors in CF can aid in the development of interventions to promote adherence. Participants consisted of 74 individuals with CF ages 9 years and above. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires designed to assess demographic data, treatment adherence, and health beliefs. With respect to IC guidelines, chi-square analyses revealed significant age differences in adherence behaviors such that the young adult subsample was least adherent to IC (χ2 = 15.10, df = 6, P = 0.020). Next, a 4 (age: child, adolescent, young adult, adult) × 2 (gender) completely between subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on medical treatment adherence. There was a significant main effect for age [F(3, 65) = 2.940, P = 0.040, ηP2 = 0.119] indicating that the adolescent subsample had the most adherence challenges. Gender was nonsignificant across both adherence types. Study findings are suggestive of age-related differences in adherence behaviors across both IC and medical regimens and support the use of developmentally sensitive approaches to assessment and interventions addressing adherence.

Effects of reverberation on acceptable noise level measurements in younger and older adults

Acceptable noise level (ANL) test materials were digitally modified to create five reverberant conditions by applying different values of reverberation time (RT) to a non-reverberant condition (RT = 0, 0.4, 0.7, 1.2, and 2 s). Two groups of 12 subjects participated: younger individuals (22–29 years, M = 24.3) and older adults (50–69 years, M = 57.5). Mean hearing threshold levels (250 to 8000 Hz) for both groups were 30 dB HL or better. Most comfortable listening level (MCL) and background noise level (BNL) measurements were completed in each reverberant condition, and from these measurements, ANLs were calculated. Significant main effects for age and reverberation were not found for ANL or MCL. These results suggest that reverberation does not affect the amount of background noise individuals are willing to accept, or the level of speech individuals choose as the MCL. These results can be used by clinical audiologists to counsel patients regarding the use of communication strategies. Additionally, these results can be used to support previous findings that ANL is not related to the intelligibility of the speech signal.SumarioSe modificaron digitalmente materiales de prueba de niveles aceptables de ruido (ANL) para crear cinco condiciones de reverberación, aplicando diferentes valores de tiempo de reverberación (RT) a una condición no reverberante (RT = 0, 0.4, 0.7, 1.2, y 2 s). Participaron dos grupos de 12 sujetos: jóvenes (22–29 años, M = 24.3) y adultos mayores (50–69 años, M = 57.5). La media de los umbrales auditivos (250 a 8000 Hz) en ambos grupos fue de 30 dB HL o mejor. El mejor nivel confortable de audición (MCL) y las mediciones del nivel de ruido de fondo (BNL) se completaron en cada condición de reverberación y de estas mediciones, se calcularon los ANL. No se encontraron efectos significativos por edad y reverberación para el ANL o el MCL. Estos resultados sugieren que la reverberación no afecta la cantidad de ruido de fondo que los individuos stán dispuestos a aceptar ni el nivel de lenguaje que seleccionan como el MCL. Estos resultados pueden ser usados por los audiólogos clínicos para aconsejar a los pacientes en relación con el uso de estrategias comunicativas. Adicionalmente, pueden usarse para apoyar hallazgos previos en cuanto a que los ANL no se relacionan con la inteligibilidad de las señales del habla.

Undernutrition during the gestation and suckling periods does not cause any loss of pyramidal neurons in the CA2–CA3 region of the rat hippocampus

The total number of hippocampal pyramidal cells in the CA2–CA3 region are reported to be unaffected by undernutrition during the gestation period. We hypothesised that this may not be the case in animals subjected to a lengthier period of undernutrition. Wistar rats were undernourished from conception until 21 post-natal days-of-age and killed for examination at 21 and 62 days-of-age. There were between 180–212 thousand pyramidal cells in control animals at both 21 and 62 days of age. Twenty-one-day-old undernourished rats had about 152 thousand such cells and this increased to about 206 thousand by 62 days-of-age. Analysis of variance tests on these data revealed a significant main effect of age but no group or interaction effects. Our experiments, therefore, confirm that these hippocampal pyramidal neurons are relatively spared the adverse effects of undernutrition during early life, even when this is extended to include both the gestation and suckling periods.

The impact of brain size on pilot performance varies with aviation training and years of education

Previous studies have consistently reported age-related changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure. Previous studies also suggest compensatory roles for specialized training, skill, and years of education in the age-related decline of cognitive function. The Stanford/VA Aviation Study examines the influence of specialized training and skill level (expertise) on age-related changes in cognition and brain structure. This preliminary report examines the effect of aviation expertise, years of education, age, and brain size on flight simulator performance in pilots aged 45-68 years. Fifty-one pilots were studied with structural magnetic resonance imaging, flight simulator, and processing speed tasks. There were significant main effects of age (p < .01) and expertise (p < .01), but not of whole brain size (p > .1) or education (p > .1), on flight simulator performance. However, even though age and brain size were correlated (r = -0.41), age differences in flight simulator performance were not explained by brain size. Both aviation expertise and education were involved in an interaction with brain size in predicting flight simulator performance (p < .05). These results point to the importance of examining measures of expertise and their interactions to assess age-related cognitive changes.

Tobacco industry manipulation messages in anti-smoking public service announcements: The effect of explicitly versus implicitly delivering messages

Message content in anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) can be delivered explicitly (directly with concrete statements) or implicitly (indirectly via metaphor), and the method of delivery may affect the efficacy of those PSAs. The purpose of this study was to conduct an initial test of this idea using tobacco industry manipulation PSAs in adolescents. A 2 (age: 11–14 years old; 15–17 years old) × 2 (message delivery: implicit, explicit) mixed model design was used. There was a significant main effect of message delivery: Tobacco industry manipulation PSAs that delivered their messages explicitly were associated with stronger levels of smoking resistance self-efficacy compared to tobacco industry manipulation PSAs that delivered their messages implicitly. No significant main effects of age were found nor were any interactions between age and message delivery. These results suggest that message delivery factors should be taken into account when designing anti-smoking PSAs.

Age-related changes in the functional neuroanatomy of overt speech production

Alterations of existing neural networks during healthy aging, resulting in behavioral deficits and changes in brain activity, have been described for cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. To investigate age-related changes in the neural circuitry underlying overt non-lexical speech production, functional MRI was performed in 14 healthy younger (21-32 years) and 14 healthy older individuals (62-84 years). The experimental task involved the acoustically cued overt production of the vowel /a/ and the polysyllabic utterance /pataka/. In younger and older individuals, overt speech production was associated with the activation of a widespread articulo-phonological network, including the primary motor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the cingulate motor areas, and the posterior superior temporal cortex, similar in the /a/ and /pataka/ condition. An analysis of variance with the factors age and condition revealed a significant main effect of age. Irrespective of the experimental condition, significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral posterior superior temporal cortex, the posterior temporal plane, and the transverse temporal gyri in younger compared to older individuals. Significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral middle temporal gyri, medial frontal gyri, middle frontal gyri, and inferior frontal gyri in older vs. younger individuals. The analysis of variance did not reveal a significant main effect of condition and no significant interaction of age and condition. These results suggest a complex reorganization of neural networks dedicated to the production of speech during healthy aging.

Deafness, Teacher-of-the-deaf Support and Self-concept in Australian Deaf Students

This study examines whether self-concept scores of deaf students vary according to age at diagnosis of deafness, the degree of deafness and the number of visits students receive from a teacher of the deaf. Thirty-seven deaf students between the ages of 12 and 18 attending inclusive educational settings in Western Australia participated in the study. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2) was used as a measure of self-concept. Overall, group mean self-concept scores on the Piers-Harris 2 were within the average range, with some differences between groups in relation to these. There were no significant main effects of age at diagnosis of deafness or the degree of deafness on Piers-Harris 2 domain scale and total self-concept scores. There was also no significant main effect of the number of visits by a teacher of the deaf on the Piers-Harris 2 total self-concept score. However, a significant main effect of the number of visits from a teacher of the deaf found on Piers-Harris 2 domain-scale scores was attributable to differences between the groups on the Physical Attributes and Happiness and Satisfaction scales. Specifically, students receiving one visit per week scored higher on these self-concept scales than students who received two or more visits per week. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.