BIOLOGY OF HUMAN AGING

Introduction
Psychological Aging:
 age-related changes that affect how elderly think + behave

Biological Age-related

Cognitive functions:

 Memory loss
 Slowed thinking/slowed response times
 Speed of learning + retaining information

Behavior: (personality traits)

 Attitudes, emotions, motivational responses as one

gets older
 Even the awareness that one is aging!
Social Aging:

 age changes in the interactions people have with others

 birth of grandchildren
 death of a spouse  appetite
 retirement  stress
 political and economical
 religious  depression
 immune system
 illness, disease
Example: Biological, Psychological and Social Aging

Loss of hearing with age

(normal biological change)

leads to

anger, withdrawal, depression, apathy

(psychological)

leads to
more

changes in family relationships,isolation,

exclusion, change in job position
(social)
 Biogerontology : Biology of Aging

 field which reflects on the biological aspects

of the aging process anatomical
Normal age-related changes
• looks at physical changes in body structure Tissues
that occurs with increased age Organs
Systems

• these normal physical changes could lead to cellular

changes in DNA,
Wrinkles
1) appearance Proteins
2) functional capacity gray hair Lipids
 height Carbohydrates
Cells, Organelles
Leads to...
• also includes any functional restrictions and impairments
often associated with advanced age
Abnormal age-related changes
 Aging: New answers
to old questions

What are our limits?

Defying his 85 years as

well as gravity, Carl
Johnston held the world
record -7’6” !
CHRONOLOGICAL VERSUS BIOLOGICAL AGING
 Variability in structures
between people
Heart vs lungs
Different ages different people Different rates
i.e. bone strength
WHY?
Biological aging is influenced
by many other factors
 greatly by extrinsic factors
lesser extent by intrinsic factors.

Sam Gadless
Some factors which effect the time of onset, rate and
extent of biological : aging
Extrinsic Intrinsic
Lifestyles/Nutrition
 Genetics (DNA)

Control over: No control

Education
 Longevity genes
Diet/Nutrition
 Death genes
Exercise
 Race

Alcohol/Drugs Gender
Stress Predisposition to

Smoking Individual
Occupation Physiological Age
Rate
Onset
Extent

Extrinsic
Environment
Pollution, smog, toxins, sunlight
Infections, viruses, pneumonia
Trauma, accidents
Medical advancements
Organ replacements
Heart surgery
 Overview of Normal Aging Process
Extrinsic Factors
Lifestyle: diet, stress, exercise

Intrinsic Factors
Extrinsic Factors
Genetics: Fixed
positive or negative Environmental Factors:
temp, drugs, trauma,
toxins, radiation

Aging of Organism
•decline of functional properties
• loss of homeostasis

• decreased ability to adapt to

internal/external stimuli
• increased vulnerability to disease

and mortality
 Definition of Normal Biological Aging
:

• Aging is defined as the decline and deterioration of

functional properties at the cellular, tissue and organ level

Leads To:

• Loss of functional capacity leads to loss of homeostasis

with age

• Aging also results in a decreased ability of the body to adapt

both internal and exteral stress

• This loss of functional properties and decrease in ability

to adapt to stress results in increased vulnerability to
disease and mortality
 Step 1:
Loss of Functional
Capacity of Cells,
Tissues and Organs
Brain weight  by about 15% by the age of 80
Basal metabolic rate by about 20%
Cardiac output (ability of the heart to work) is about 30-35% less functional by 80
Respiratory capacity (lung functioning) is about 45%
Liver weight declines by about 35%, while liver blood flow about 50% by age 80

 F.C. with age due to deterioration of structural elements

 HORMONAL CHANGES IN AGING

Association studies have linked all of these age-related changes in hormone

levels to some of the phenotypic changes of aging — increased
fat mass with visceral adiposity, reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and an
increased risk of fracture, sarcopenia and frailty, a decreased quality
of life, cognitive impairment, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Menurunnya kadar GH dan steroid seiring
penambahan usia  somatopause,
menopause dan andropause
• Terjadi perubahan amplitudo dan pulsasi
pelepasan hormone : GH, LH,
testosterone, ACTH, cortisol, dan insulin
• Perubahan pada nukleus suprachiasmatik
(SCN) yang berperan sebagai circadian
pacemaker
FERTILITY IN AGING
ENERGY AND AGING
NEURON IN AGING
• Neurotrophic factor, neurotransmitter dan steroid
 neurogenesis dan gliagenesis
• Neurotrophic factor : BDNF, NGF, neurotensin
NT-3 dan NT-4, FGF, GDNF, CNTF
• Neurotransmitter : glutamat, acetylcolin, dan
dopamine  mengatur sirkuit neuronal
• Steroid (estrogen dan testosteron) dan
glukokortikoid yang mempunyai peran langsung
pada struktur dan fungsi otak
CARDIOVASCULAR AND AGING
 Pernapasan
• Paru-paru yang tua (senile)  pelebaran yang homogen
dan berlebihan dari ruang udara (airspace). Jaringan ikat
(connective tissue) paru mengalami perubahan berupa
menurunnya elastic recoil pressure
• berkurangnya traksi radial paru  menyebabkan
hilangnya jaringan supporting yang menjaga
pengembangan saluran napas
• menurunnya maximal expiratory flow rate (MEFR) yang
mengakibatnya bertambahnya residual volume (RV) 
(air trapping) meningkatnya ratio RV/TLC pada orang
tua
 Sistim Immune
• Kemampuan mematikan sel (microbicidal)
dari PMN menurun secara bermakna pada
penambahan usia  Candida albicans
menurun 10-50% dan Eschericia coli
menurun 44%
• Kemampuan bakterisidal sel PMN 
menurunnya kemampuan sel PMN
menghasilkan reacive oxygen species
(ROS)