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Fit to speak
 — physical fitness is associated with reduced language decline in healthy ageing
Author(s)K Segaert, S J E Lucas, C V Burley
Journal titlearXiv:1801.01441v1 [stat.AP], 4 January 2018
Pages19 pp
Sourcehttps://arxiv.org/abs/1801.01441 Or contact: Dr Katrien Segaert, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT. k.segaert@bham.ac.uk
KeywordsGood Health ; Cognitive processes ; Memory and Reminiscence ; Mental clarity ; Correlation.
AnnotationHealthy ageing is associated with decline in cognitive abilities such as language. Aerobic fitness has been shown to ameliorate decline in some cognitive domains, but the potential benefits for language have not been examined. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham, Leuven (Belgium) and Agder (Norway), and King's College London investigated the relationship between aerobic fitness and tip-of-the-tongue states. These are among the most frequent cognitive failures in healthy older adults and occur when a speaker knows a word but is unable to produce it. Segaert et al found that healthy older adults indeed experience more tip-of-the-tongue states, and that when they do, they have access to less information about the word's sound structure, compared to young controls. Importantly, higher aerobic fitness levels decrease the probability of experiencing tip-of-the-tongue states in healthy older adults, over and above the effect of age. This is the first demonstration of a link between aerobic fitness and language functioning in healthy older adults. The research was funded by a Wellcome Trust ISSF Award. (RH) (OFFPRINT).
Accession NumberCPA-180227001 A
ClassmarkCD: DA: DB: DF: 49 *

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