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Encyclopedia > Gerontology

Gerontology (from Greek: γερο, gero, "old age"; and λόγος, logos, "speech" lit. "to talk about old age") is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging. It is distinguished from geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that studies the disease of the elderly. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1968x2469, 1310 KB) photograph by Chalmers Butterfield File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1968x2469, 1310 KB) photograph by Chalmers Butterfield File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article is about logos (logoi) in ancient Greek philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric, Theophilosophy, and Christianity. ... Social refers to human society or its organization. ... Psychological science redirects here. ... For the song by Girls Aloud see Biology (song) Biology studies the variety of life (clockwise from top-left) E. coli, tree fern, gazelle, Goliath beetle Biology (from Greek: βίος, bio, life; and λόγος, logos, speech lit. ... The effects of ageing on a human face Elderly woman Ageing or aging is the process of systems deterioration with time. ... Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability in later life. ... This article is about the medical term. ...


Gerontology includes these and other endeavors:

  • studying physical, mental, and social changes in people as they age;
  • investigating the aging process itself (biogerontology);
  • investigating the effects of our aging population on society, including the fiscal effects of pensions, entitlements, life and health insurance, and retirement planning;
  • applying this knowledge to policies and programs, including a macroscopic (i.e. government planning) and microscopic (i.e. running a nursing home) perspective.

The multidisciplinary focus of gerontology means that there are a number of sub-fields, as well as associated fields such as psychology and sociology that also cross over into gerontology. However, that there is an overlap should not be taken as to construe that they are the same. For example, a psychologist may specialize in early adults (and not be a gerontologist) or specialize in older adults (and be a gerontologist). With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. ... For other uses, see Mind (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ... Population ageing or population aging (see English spelling differences) occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. ...


The field of gerontology was developed relatively late, and as such often lacks the structural and institutional support needed (for example, relatively few universities offer a Ph.D. in gerontology). Yet the huge increase in the elderly population in the post-industrial Western nations has led to this becoming one of the most rapidly growing fields. As such, gerontology is currently a well-paying field for many in the West.

Contents

Biogerontology

Main article: Life extension

Biogerontology, is the subfield of gerontology dedicated to studying the biological processes involved in aging. Some have looked to develop theories of the aging process, such as telomere shortening, the free radical theory, and the like. Some skeptics have worked to show that aging is a biological process that we are far from being able to control. Conservative biogerontologists who have only an intellectual interest in the aging process, like Leonard Hayflick, have predicted that the human life expectancy numbers will top out at about 85 (88 for females, 82 for males). Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. ... In biology, senescence is the combination of processes of deterioration which follow the period of development of an organism. ... Leonard Hayflick (born in 1928), Ph. ...


Biomedical gerontology also known as experimental gerontology and life extension, is a sub discipline of biogerontology, that endeavors to slow, prevent, and even reverse aging in both humans and animals. Curing age-related diseases is one approach, and slowing down the underlying processes of aging is another. Most 'life extensionists' believe the human life span can be altered within the next century, if not sooner. 'Optimists' have predicted a changing human life span, though this has not yet been demonstrated. Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. ...


Many biogerontologists take an intermediate position, emphasizing the study of the aging process as a means of mitigating aging-associated diseases, while denying that maximum life span can be altered (or denying that it is desirable to try). An aging-associated disease is a disease that is seen with increasing frequency with increasing senescence. ... Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group has been observed to survive. ...


Notable biogerontologists

Notable biomedical gerontologists

Gerovital H3 is a controversial preparation, developed during the 1950s in Romania by Dr. Ana Aslan (1896?–May 20, 1988) It was and is promoted by its advocates as an effective anti_aging treatment. ... A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is someone who has reached the age of 110 years or more, something achieved by only one in a thousand centenarians (based on European data). ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ... Engineered negligible senescence refers to an engineered prevention or reversal of cellular aging (referred to as senescence in biology). ... Steven A. Garan is the director of the Aging Research Centre, and is a leading scientist in the field of aging research. ... Reliability Theory of Aging and Longevity is a scientific approach aimed to gain theoretical insights into mechanisms of biological aging and species survival patterns by applying a general theory of systems failure, known as reliability theory. ... Leonard P. Guarente is an American biologist best known for his research on Life Span extension in Yeast. ... Caloric restriction or Calorie restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake to improve health and retard aging. ... This article is about biological mutants. ... Binomial name Maupas, 1900 Caenorhabditis elegans (IPA: ) is a free-living nematode (roundworm), about 1 mm in length, which lives in temperate soil environments. ... Matt Kaeberlein fermented a breakthrough in the genetics of yeast aging. ... The mammalian target of rapamycin is commonly known as mTOR. It is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates translation and cell division. ... Caloric restriction or Calorie restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake to improve health and retard aging. ... Caloric restriction or Calorie restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake to improve health and retard aging. ... The mammalian target of rapamycin is commonly known as mTOR. It is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates translation and cell division. ... Caloric restriction or Calorie restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake to improve health and retard aging. ... Cynthia Kenyon (c. ... Binomial name Caenorhabditis elegans Wild-type C. elegans hermaphrodite stained to highlight the nuclei of all cells Caenorhabditis elegans () is a free-living nematode (a roundworm), about 1 mm in length, which lives in a temperate soil environment. ... Co-author of Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach (ISBN 044651229X, Warner Books, 1982), The Life Extension Companion (Warner Books), and The Life Extension Weight Loss Manual. ... Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. ... Suresh I. S. Rattan, Professor at the University of Aarhuss Department of Molecular Biology. ... Michael R. Rose is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. ... Type species Drosophila funebris (Fabricius, 1787) Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called fruit flies, or more appropriately vinegar flies, wine flies, pomace flies, grape flies, and picked fruit-flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger... Enquiry into the evolution of ageing aims to explain why almost all living things weaken and die with age. ... David Sinclair, better known as Dave Sinclair (born November 24, 1947 in Herne Bay, Kent, England), is a keyboardist (organ, pianos, synthesizer) who has been part of the progressive rock Canterbury Scene. ... Caloric restriction or Calorie restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake to improve health and retard aging. ... Roy Lee Walford (June 29, 1924 - April 27, 2004) was an advocate of caloric restriction. ...

Notable biogerotechnologists (business/applied)

Dr Robert Lanza is Vice President of Research and Scientific Development Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) and Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine [1]. Lanza received both BA and MD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. ... Dr. Thomas Okarma is the current CEO of Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company. ... Dr. Michael D. West is the P.T. Barnum of biotechnology. ...

Notable demographic gerontologists

  • Jay Olshansky - a noted skeptic of life-extension claims
  • Jean-Marie Robine - validated the Jeanne Calment case
  • James Vaupel - lead the push for the internationalization of demographic data on the human life span

Dr. S. Jay Olshansky, professor at the University of Illinois at Chicagos School of Public Health. ... Jeanne Louise Calment (February 21, 1875 – August 4, 1997) reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at 122 years and 164 days. ...

Notable non-biomedical biogerontologists

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Leonard Hayflick (born in 1928), Ph. ... Denham Harman (February 14, 1916 - ), MD, PhD, FACP, FAAA biogerontologist is Professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. ... Raymond Pearl (3 June 1879 - 17 November 1940) was an American biologist, who spent most of his career at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. ...

Social gerontology

Social gerontology is a multi-disciplinary sub-field that specializes in studying or working with older adults.


Social gerontologists may have degrees or training in social work, nursing, psychology, sociology, demography, gerontology, or other social science professions. Gerontologists are responsible for educating, researching, and advancing the broader causes of older people by giving informative presentations, publishing books and articles that pertain to the aging population, producing relevant films and television programs, and producing new graduates of these various disciplines in college and university settings. Social Workers are concerned with social problems, their causes, their solutions and their human impacts. ... This article is about the practice in general. ... Psychological science redirects here. ... Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge [1]) is the systematic and scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social action, and culture[2]. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous... Map of countries by population Population growth showing projections for later this century Demography is the statistical study of all populations. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ...


Because issues of life span and life extension need numbers to quantify them, there is an overlap with demography. Those that study the demography of the human life span are different than those that study the social demographics of aging. Map of countries by population Population growth showing projections for later this century Demography is the statistical study of all populations. ...


Notable social gerontologists

Notable social gerontologists include:

It was not until the 1940s, however, that pioneers like James Birren began organizing 'gerontology' into its own field. Recognizing that there were experts in many fields all dealing with the elderly, it became apparent that a group like the Gerontological Society of America was needed (founded 1945). Dr. James E. Birren, Ph. ... Eileen Crimmins, Ph. ... Jon Pynoos is the UPS Professor in Gerontology at the University of Southern California. ... Dr. James E. Birren, Ph. ... The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology: medical, biological, psychological and social. ...


In the 1950s to the 1970s, the field was mainly social and concerned with issues such as nursing homes and health care. However, research by Leonard Hayflick in the 1960s (showing that a cell line culture will only divide about 50 times) helped lead to a separate branch, biogerontology. It became apparent that simply 'treating' aging wasn't enough. Finding out about the aging process, and what could be done about it, became an issue. Leonard Hayflick (born in 1928), Ph. ... Gerontology is the study of the elderly, and of the aging process itself. ...


The biogerontological field was also bolstered when research by Cynthia Kenyon and others demonstrated that life extension was possible in lower life forms such as fruit flies, worms, and yeast. So far, however, nothing more than incremental (marginal) increases in life span have been seen in any mammalian species. Cynthia Kenyon (c. ... Species Drosophila melanogaster Drosophila subobscura Drosophila is a genus of small flies whose members are often called fruit flies or more appropriately vinegar flies, wine flies, pomace flies, grape flies, and picked fruit-flies. ... Worms may refer to: The plural form of worm Worms (computer game), a series of turn-based computer games Worms, Germany, a city in the southwest of Germany René Worms, founder of the Institut International de Sociologie in 1893 Worms (family) The common term for an animals condition of... Typical divisions Ascomycota (sac fungi) Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic micro organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species described;[1] they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. ...


Today, social gerontology remains the largest sector of the field, but the biogerontological side is seen as being the 'hot' side.[9] Indeed, some have said that social gerontologists look to the past; biogerontologists look to the future.


Academic resources

  • Journal of Applied Gerontology, ISSN: 1552-4523 (electronic) ISSN: 0733-4648 (paper), SAGE Publications
  • Age and Aging, an international journal publishing refereed original articles on geriatric medicine and gerontology. Oxford University Press. 6 issues / 12 months. ASIN: B00006LAGZ ISSN:

See also

Ageing or aging is the process of getting older. ... One of the key concerns of older adults is experiencing memory loss, especially as it is one of the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimers Disease. ... The Aging Research Centre (ARC) is an independent non-profit educational research centre with facilities in Berkeley, California and in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ... The American Aging Association (AGE) is a non-profit, tax-exempt biogerontology organization of scientists and laypeople dedicated to biomedical aging studies intended to slow the aging process. ... Biological immortality can be defined as the absence of a sustained increase in rate of mortality as a function of chronological age. ... Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability in later life. ... The Gerontology Research Group is a gerontology group headquartered at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. ... The Fountain of Eternal Life in Cleveland, Ohio Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an infinite length of time, or in a state of timelessness. ... Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. ... Medical Mobile is an operator of mobile telesecurity. ... See Columba (disambiguation) and St Columb for other uses. ... The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3. ... The National Institute on Aging is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda,_Maryland. ... The Nurses Health Study, established in 1976 by Dr. Frank Speizer, and the Nurses Health Study II, established in 1989 by Dr. Walter Willett, are the most definitive long-term epidemiological studies conducted to date on older womens health. ... The following tables list only the oldest verified people in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. ... Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ... Reliability Theory of Aging and Longevity is a scientific approach aimed to gain theoretical insights into mechanisms of biological aging and species survival patterns by applying a general theory of systems failure, known as reliability theory. ... Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. ... In biology, senescence is the combination of processes of deterioration which follow the period of development of an organism. ... Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as complex as using satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to conduct a real-time consultation between medical specialists in two different countries. ... The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology: medical, biological, psychological and social. ...

External links

References

  1. ^ Guarente, L. and F. Picard, Calorie restriction--the SIR2 connection. Cell, 2005. 120(4): p. 473-82.
  2. ^ 1. Kaeberlein, M., M. McVey, and L. Guarente, The SIR2/3/4 complex and SIR2 alone promote longevity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by two different mechanisms. Genes Dev, 1999. 13(19): p. 2570-80.
  3. ^ Kaeberlein, M., et al., Regulation of yeast replicative life span by TOR and Sch9 in response to nutrients. Science, 2005. 310(5751): p. 1193-6.
  4. ^ Kaeberlein, M., et al., Sir2-independent life span extension by calorie restriction in yeast. PLoS Biol, 2004. 2(9): p. E296.
  5. ^ Kaeberlein, M., et al., Regulation of yeast replicative life span by TOR and Sch9 in response to nutrients. Science, 2005. 310(5751): p. 1193-6.
  6. ^ Howitz, K.T., et al., Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature, 2003. 425(6954): p. 191-6.
  7. ^ SpringerLink - Journal Article
  8. ^ [1]

    History of Gerontology

    It may be said that the history of gerontology begins with agriculture; prior to this the hunter-gatherer societies that existed could only support a marginal existence: food supply was short; frequent movement a necessity. These and other reasons meant that extremely few reached 'old age'. However, it could be argued that in a society with a life expectancy of 14 (such as 10,000 BC), being '40' was 'old'. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...


    Things changed with the coming of agriculture. A more stable food supply and the lack of frequent movement meant that humans could now survive longer, and beginning perhaps around 4000 BC, a regular segment of the population began to attain 'old age' in places such as Mesopotamia and the Indus river valleys. Agriculture didn't simply bring a steady food supply; it also suddenly made older persons an economic benefit instead of a burden. Older persons could stay and watch the farm (or children); make pottery or jewelry, and perform social functions, such as story-telling (oral tradition, religion, etc). and teaching the younger generation techniques for farming, tool-making, etc.


    After this change, the views of elder persons in societies waxed and waned, but generally the proportion of the population over 50 or 60 remained small. Note that in ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Pepi II was said to have lived to 100 years old. Certainly Ramses II lived to about 90; modern scientific testing of his mummy supports the written record. Ancient Greeks valued old persons for their wisdom (some reaching 80, 90, or 100 years old), while old age was devalued in Roman times. nomen or birth name Pepi II was a ruler of the Sixth dynasty in Egypts Old Kingdom. ... Usermaatre-setepenre The Justice of Re is Powerful, Chosen of Re Nomen Ramesses (meryamun) Born of Re, (Beloved of Amun) Horus name Kanakht Merymaa Nebty name Mekkemetwafkhasut Golden Horus Userrenput-aanehktu Consort(s) Isetnofret, Nefertari Maathorneferure Issues Bintanath, Khaemweset, Merneptah, Amun-her-khepsef Meritamen Father Seti I Mother Queen Tuya...


    During the Dark Ages, negative opinions of the elderly prevailed; old women were often burned at the stake as witches. However, with the coming of the Renaissance old age returned to favor in Europe, as persons such as Michelangelo and Andrea Doria exemplified the ideals of living long, active, productive lives. Petrarch, who conceived the idea of a European Dark Age. From Cycle of Famous Men and Women, Andrea di Bartolo di Bargillac, c. ... This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ... For other uses, see Michelangelo (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Andrea Doria (disambiguation). ...


    While the number of aged humans, and the maximum ages lived to, tended to increase in every century since the 1300s, society tended to consider caring for an elderly relative as a family issue. It was not until the coming of the Industrial Revolution with its techniques of mass production that ideas shifted in favor of a societal care-system. Care homes for the aged emerged in the 1800s. Note that some early pioneers, such as Michel-Eugene Chevreul, who himself lived to be 102 in the 1880s, believed that aging itself should be a science to be studied. The word itself was coined circa 1903.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gerontology Online Etymology Dictionary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-8">'''[[#cite_ref-8|^]]''' [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1131916 Roy Walford and the immunologic theory of aging<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li></ol></ref> A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... Michel Eug ne Chevreul (August 31, 1786 - April 9, 1889) was an important French chemist whose work with fatty acids led to early applications in the fields of art and science. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Gerontology (218 words)
Gerontology is the study of aging in the context of the entire life span.
As the oldest and largest school of gerontology in the world, the Davis School has a long tradition of forging new pathways in the field of aging.
A multidisciplinary institution from its inception in 1975, the Davis School was built on the bedrock of excellence in aging research.
Gerontology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (387 words)
Gerontology is the study of the elderly, and of the aging process itself.
It is to be distinguished from geriatrics, which is the study of the diseases of the elderly.
Gerontology covers the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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