Healthy older people demonstrate greater mental well-being but poorer cognition than younger adults

Healthy older people demonstrate greater mental well-being but poorer cognition than younger adults

Young and old could learn from each other, at least when it comes to mental health and cognition.

In a new study published September 12, 2022, in Psychology and Aging, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that healthy older adults have greater mental well-being but poorer cognitive performance than younger adults. The underlying neural mechanisms may inspire new interventions to promote healthy brain function.

We wanted to better understand the interplay between cognition and mental health as we age and whether they rely on the activation of similar or different brain areas.”

Jyoti Mishra, PhD, senior author, director of NEATLabs and associate professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine

The study involved 62 healthy younger adults in their 20s and 54 healthy older adults over 60 years old. Researchers assessed participants' mental health by examining symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness and general mental well-being. Participants also performed several cognitively demanding tasks while their brain activity was measured using electroencephalography (EEG).

The results showed significantly worse symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness in adolescents and greater psychological well-being in older adults. However, when it comes to cognition, task performance was significantly lower in older adults.

EEG recordings showed that older adults showed greater activity in the frontal parts of the brain's default mode network during the tasks. This group of brain areas is typically active when a person ruminates, daydreams, or mind wanders, and is usually suppressed during goal-oriented tasks.

"The default mode network is useful in other contexts because it helps us process the past and imagine the future, but it's distracting when you're trying to focus on the present to complete a demanding task quickly and accurately," Mishra said.

While the default mode network appeared to disrupt cognition, several other brain areas appeared to improve it. Better task performance in younger adults was associated with greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, part of the brain's executive control system. Among older adults, however, those with better cognitive performance instead showed greater activity in the inferior frontal cortex, an area that helps direct attention and avoid distractions.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is known to decline with age, so the researchers suggest that the increased activity of the inferior frontal cortex may be a way for older adults to compensate for these tasks.

The team is now investigating therapeutic interventions to strengthen these frontal networks, such as: B. brain stimulation methods, while suppressing the default mode network through mindfulness meditation or other practices that orient the individual to the present.

“These results could provide new neurological markers to monitor and mitigate cognitive decline in old age while maintaining well-being,” Mishra said.

The study may also inspire new ways to address mental health in younger adults. "We tend to think of people in their 20s as being at their peak of cognitive performance, but it's also a very stressful time in their lives. So when it comes to mental well-being, older adults may have some learning to do and their brains," Mishra said.

Source:

University of California, San Diego

Reference:

Grennan, G., et al. (2022) Dissociable neural mechanisms of cognition and well-being in youth versus healthy aging. Psychology and aging. doi.org/10.1037/pag0000710.

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