La part réversible des déficits cognitifs chez les seniors. (French)

Cognitive performance of older adults is very often inferior to that of younger adults on a variety of laboratory tests assessing basic functions such as memory, inhibition, or attention. Classic hypotheses and theories share the idea that these cognitive deficits are irreversible, due to profound cerebral changes. In this review article, we develop a more positive conception of aging, according to which cognitive deficits are not all irreversible, and can even be partially if not completely reversible. To this end, we present some of the most illustrative research on the reversibility of the effects of aging on cognition. We show how subtle contextual manipulations can change older adults' motivation and strategy, which improve their cognitive performance. We also show that guidance toward the selection of the most appropriate strategy, whether explicit as in selectivity paradigms or implicit as in dual-task procedures, can increase older adults' cognitive performance. We finally describe the hypotheses and theories that both account for low cognitive performance in old age and ways to reverse the effects of cognitive aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: Les performances cognitives des seniors sont très souvent inférieures à celles des adultes plus jeunes sur une variété de tests de laboratoire mesurant des fonctions essentielles comme la mémoire, l'inhibition ou l'attention. Les hypothèses et les théories classiques partagent l'idée que ces déficits cognitifs sont irréversibles, en raison de profondes modifications cérébrales. Dans cet article, nous développons une conception plus positive du vieillissement, selon laquelle les déficits cognitifs ne sont pas tous irréversibles et peuvent même être réversibles en partie si ce n'est intégralement. Pour cela, nous présentons quelques-unes des recherches les plus illustratives de la réversibilité des effets du vieillissement sur la cognition. Nous décrivons également les hypothèses et théories de cette réversibilité du vieillissement cognitif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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