Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

New insight about how optimism may promote good health as people age

Don't worry, be happy," is more than just song lyrics. A growing body of evidence supports an association between optimism and healthy aging, but it is unclear how optimism impacts health.

7 Mar 2022

Communication and interaction between two key brain regions is important to forming memory

A research team led by faculty members at Wayne State University has discovered that communication between two key memory regions in the brain determines how what we experience becomes part of what we remember, and as these regions mature, the precise ways by which they interact make us better at forming lasting memories.

15 Feb 2022

Progression of Alzheimer's disease is linked to oxidative brain damage, research confirms

Increased oxidative damage is linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Even though the pathophysiology of AD has been widely investigated, the likely relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and the disease remains largely unknown.

14 Feb 2022

Economic hardships and reliance on outside hep associated with high COVID-19 rates in older Latinos

Older Latinos are among the groups hardest hit by COVID-19 infection and death, yet research on the factors behind these disparities has been limited.

9 Feb 2022

Study reveals perceived physical fatigability as an indicator of earlier mortality

How fatigued certain activities make an older person feel can predict the likelihood death is less than three years away, according to research published today in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences by University of Pittsburgh epidemiologists.

24 Jan 2022

Civic engagement does not substantially influence well-being, studies find

Whether somebody engages civically or not, does not substantially influence their well-being. This is the central finding from two recent studies from Germany and the UK, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Vechta and Bochum.

22 Jan 2022

Research highlights unmet care needs among older parents in biological and stepfamilies

As people age and require more care, their partners or adult children are often their front line of caretakers.

19 Jan 2022

Intervention combining education and workflow improves screenings for geriatric conditions

Falls and dementia are some of the most common syndromes affecting the health of older adults, but many primary care physicians are not specifically trained to screen for them.

13 Jan 2022

Study finds an exponential increase in older adult opioid overdose death rates

A common stereotype for an "older adult" might include early-bird specials, dentures and tickets to the matinee show.

11 Jan 2022

Study reveals how the brain’s blue spot shapes selective attention

How can we shift from a state of inattentiveness to one of highest attention? The locus coeruleus, literally the "blue spot," is a tiny cluster of cells at the base of the brain.

7 Jan 2022

Simple, inexpensive method to predict the risk of functional disability in older people

Researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in partnership with colleagues at University College London in the UK have discovered an efficient, simple and inexpensive method of predicting the risk of functional disability in older people.

21 Dec 2021

Rare population of toxic senescent cells in the brain could be a target for Alzheimer's treatment

For the first time, scientists have identified a rare population of potentially toxic senescent cells in human brains that can serve as a target for a new Alzheimer's disease treatment.

11 Dec 2021

Study measures arterial stiffness in women from wide age range

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä in the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences measured arterial stiffness in women from wide age range.

10 Dec 2021

New genetic technology for gene expression analysis of cancer cells

In this interview, News-Medical speaks to Dr. Rong Lu about her recent research into the development of a new genetic technology for gene expression analysis of cancer cells.

3 Dec 2021

Cytomegalovirus herpesvirus can accelerate the decline of the immune system, study finds

A research team at the University of Córdoba is studying the alterations that occur in the immune system's T lymphocytes with respect to age and in relation to the cytomegalovirus herpesvirus.

29 Nov 2021

Physical activity may prevent accumulation of metabolic risk factors in menopausal women

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä in the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences shows that menopausal transition is associated with unfavourable changes in metabolic health that may be mitigated with a physically active lifestyle. Especially, physical activity alleviated the increase in systolic blood pressure.

25 Nov 2021

Weekly exposure to deep red light in the morning can improve declining vision

Just three minutes of exposure to deep red light once a week, when delivered in the morning, can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a pioneering new study by UCL researchers.

24 Nov 2021

Researchers identify gene expression involved in cancer progression and chemotherapy resistance

Even within a single patient with cancer, there is a vast diversity of individual tumor cells, which display distinct behaviors related to growth, metastasis, and responses to chemotherapy.

11 Nov 2021

Johns Hopkins receives $20 million grant to develop technologies for healthy aging

Johns Hopkins has received a $20 million grant from the National Institute on Aging that will spur the development of artificial intelligence devices (AI) to improve the health of older adults and help them live independently for longer — a relatively untapped use of this technology.