5 research outputs found
Differences in Metacognitive Regulation in Introductory Biology Students: When Prompts Are Not Enough
Direct and indirect effects of age on interoceptive accuracy and awareness across the adult lifespan
Various aspects of physical and mental health have been linked to an individual’s ability to
perceive the physical condition of their body (‘interoception’). In addition, numerous studies
have demonstrated a role for interoception in higher-order cognitive abilities such as
decision-making and emotion processing. The importance of interoception for health and
typical cognitive functioning has prompted interest in how interoception varies over the
lifespan. However, few studies have investigated interoception into older adulthood, and no
studies account for the set of physiological changes that may influence task performance. The
present study examined interoception from young to very late adulthood (until 90 years of
age) utilising a self-report measure of interoception (Study One) and an objective measure of
cardiac interoception (Study Two). Across both studies interoception decreased with age, and
changes in interoceptive accuracy were observed which were not explained by accompanying
physiological changes. In addition to a direct effect of age on interoception, an indirect effect
of ageing on cardiac interoceptive accuracy mediated by body mass index (BMI) was found,
such that ageing was associated with increased BMI which was, in turn, associated with
reduced interoceptive accuracy. Such findings support and extend previous research
demonstrating interoceptive decline with advancing age, and highlight the importance of
assessing whether decreasing interoceptive ability is responsible for some aspects of agerelated
ill-health and cognitive impairment
The relationships among executive functions, metacognitive skills and educational achievement in 5 and 7 year-old children
IgE and mast cells in host defense against parasites and venoms.
IgE-dependent mast cell activation is a major effector mechanism underlying the pathology associated with allergic disorders. The most dramatic of these IgE-associated disorders is the fatal anaphylaxis which can occur in some people who have developed IgE antibodies to otherwise innocuous antigens, such as those contained in certain foods and medicines. Why would such a highly "maladaptive" immune response develop in evolution and be retained to the present day? Host defense against parasites has long been considered the only beneficial function that might be conferred by IgE and mast cells. However, recent studies have provided evidence that, in addition to participating in host resistance to certain parasites, mast cells and IgE are critical components of innate (mast cells) and adaptive (mast cells and IgE) immune responses that can enhance host defense against the toxicity of certain arthropod and animal venoms, including enhancing the survival of mice injected with such venoms. Yet, in some people, developing IgE antibodies to insect or snake venoms puts them at risk for having a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction upon subsequent exposure to such venoms. Delineating the mechanisms underlying beneficial versus detrimental innate and adaptive immune responses associated with mast cell activation and IgE is likely to enhance our ability to identify potential therapeutic targets in such settings, not only for reducing the pathology associated with allergic disorders but perhaps also for enhancing immune protection against pathogens and animal venoms