The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging: A Comprehensive Review

The second edition of the popular Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging provides up-to-date coverage of the most fundamental topics in this discipline. This volume accessibly and comprehensively reviews the neural mechanisms of cognitive aging appropriate to both professionals and students in a variety of domains, including psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, neurology, and psychiatry.

Methodological Approaches and Experimental Design

The first section focuses on major questions regarding methodological approaches and experimental design. It includes chapters on:

• Structural imaging (MRI, DTI): This chapter covers the latest advances in structural imaging techniques and their applications in cognitive aging research.
• Functional imaging (fMRI): This chapter discusses the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging in understanding cognitive processes and their changes with age.
• Molecular imaging (dopamine PET, etc): This chapter reviews the role of molecular imaging in identifying age-related changes in neurotransmitter systems.
• Multimodal imaging: This chapter explores the benefits and challenges of combining different imaging modalities to understand cognitive aging.
• Longitudinal studies: This chapter highlights the importance of longitudinal designs in tracking cognitive changes over time.
• Interpretation of imaging findings: This chapter provides guidelines for interpreting imaging data in the context of cognitive aging.

Cognitive Abilities and Their Changes with Age

The second section concentrates on specific cognitive abilities, including:

• Attention and inhibitory control: This chapter discusses age-related changes in attentional processes and inhibitory control.
• Executive functions: This chapter reviews the impact of aging on executive functions, such as planning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
• Memory: This chapter covers the effects of aging on different types of memory, including episodic, semantic, and working memory.
• Emotion: This chapter explores how aging influences emotional processing and regulation.

Health and Clinical Implications of Cognitive Aging

The third section turns to domains with health and clinical implications, such as:

• The emergence of cognitive deficits in middle age: This chapter examines the early signs of cognitive decline and their implications for health.
• The role of genetics: This chapter discusses the genetic factors that contribute to cognitive aging.
• Modulatory variables (hypertension, exercise, cognitive engagement): This chapter reviews how lifestyle factors and health conditions can influence cognitive aging.
• Distinction between healthy aging and the effects of dementia and depression: This chapter clarifies the differences between normal cognitive aging and age-related diseases.

Taken together, the chapters in this volume, written by many of the most eminent scientists as well as young stars in this discipline, provide a unified and comprehensive overview of cognitive neuroscience of aging.