Term
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Definition
| Gradual, inevitable changes that will happen to most of us through adulthood |
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Term
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Definition
| Changes that happen suddenly as a result of disease, poor health habits, and environmental influences |
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Term
Free Radicals (cause oxidative damage)
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| Molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron and are by-products of normal body metabolism as well as response to diet, sunlight, x-rays, pollution. Resistance and repair decreases as we age, oxidative damage increases |
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Term
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Definition
| Substances with properties that protect against oxidative damage. Berries, some fruits, dark greens |
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Term
Replicative Senescence
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| When human cells stop dividing |
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Term
Hayflick limit
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| The number of divisions a cell will undergo before reaching replicative senescence . (about 50 times for humans). Theory of genetic limits |
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Term
Telomeres
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| lengths of DNA at tips of chromosomes. They appear to serve as timekeepers for cells, and shorten as we age. Shorter telomeres also appear in secondary aging (disease etc) |
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Term
Caloric Restriction
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| Possible that aging is connected to diets - how many calories we metabolize/day. Reducing calories could reduce some signs of aging, but also reduce quality of life |
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Term
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Definition
| Relationship of height to weight |
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Term
Visual acuity
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability to perceive detail in a visual pattern |
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Term
Accommodate (for vision)
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability of the lens of the eye to change shape to focus on near objects or small print. Diminishes as we age |
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Term
Presbyopia
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Term
Dark adaptation (visual)
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability of the pupil to adjust to changes in the amount of available light. starts to decrease at 30, more noticeable at 60 |
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Term
Cataracts
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Gradual clouding of the lens of the eye. most common eye disorder |
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Term
Glaucoma
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| a buildup of pressure inside the eye that can ultimately destroy the optic nerve leading to blindness |
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Term
Macular Degeneration
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| a disorder that affects the retina, causing central vision loss |
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Term
Sensorineural hearing loss
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| damage to hairs inside cochlea that results in shortening of the loudness scale - loud tones not heard as clearly, but softer still accurate. By 65 most adults have some hearing loss |
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Term
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Definition
| inner ear structure responsible for picking up sound vibrations and converting them to nerve impulses |
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Term
Olfactory membrane
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| part of nasal membrane - where sense of smell takes place |
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Term
Taste buds
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| receptor cells on tongue, mouth and throat respond to sweet,salty, sour and bitter |
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Term
Osteoporosis
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
severe loss of bone mass
accelerates markedly between 50 and 65 especially in women
can measure the Bone Mass Density (BMD) |
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Term
Osteoarthritis
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
condition that occurs when soft cartilage at ends of bones wears away
happens frequently after 65 |
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Term
Neurons
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
brain cells.
Loss of neurons shown to be less severe in primary aging than once thought |
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Term
Redundancy (in neurons)
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| some neurons in the brian appear in duplicate, so that neuron loss may not always result in loss of function |
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Term
Pruning
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Example of plasticity in the brain - the ability to shut down neurons that are not needed in order to "fine tune" the nervous system |
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Term
Neurogenesis
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| growth of new neurons even in adulthood. takes place in olfactory bulb and hippocampus (important for forming memories) |
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Term
corticosteroids
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Hormones the body produces in response to stress which challenge the immune system, and interferes with neurogenesis |
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Term
B cells
Immune system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| One part of immune system to protect body: they are produced in bone marrow, they produce antibodies which react to foreign organisms (viruses, infectious agents). |
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Term
T Cells
Immune system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The other part of the immune system. cells produced in thymus gland - reject and consume harmful or foreign cells such as bacteria and transplanted organs |
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Term
Climacteric
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| time of life signified by loss of reproductive ability |
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Term
Testosterone
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Term
Menopause
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| 12 months after final menstrual period |
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Term
Estrogen
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Term
Progesterone
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| important factor in menstrual period |
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Term
| Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) |
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Definition
| most used is combo of estrogen and progestin prescribed for women at menopause |
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