GERIATRICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Author: JURADO BARBA M. ROSA.
Year: 2004.
University: COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID [www.ucm.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE PSICOLOGÍA.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE PSICOLOGÍA HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARIO DOCE DE OCTUBRE.

Summary: Anxiety is an adaptive response of the body against the environment, which produces changes psychological, physiological and conducturales but these changes become pathological when the individual responds so exaggerated or inappropriate encouragement ansiógeno and the body is unable to recover homeostasis altered body after the various stages of anxiety. Thus, the pro-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder is observed different profiles affectation, specifically in the shaft hipotálamo-hipofisario-adrenal and in the noradrenergic system. The reason for this investigation and do an analysis of how different neuroendocrine alterations affect the neuropsychological abilities of the individual, and through them in their functional level, thus focusing on two of the most disabling disorders within the range of stress and anxiety : The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and panic disorder (TAP). * TARGET study whether patients with PTSD and TAP manifest neuropsychological disorders. * Characterize the profile of cognitive abilities affected and preserved in both groups of patients. * Analyzing differences in the neuropsychological profile among the group with PTSD and the group with TAP. * Consider whether the time evolution of anxiety was reflected in the cognitive abilities of patients. We used three groups of subjects: a group with PTSD, a group with TAP and a control group. We evaluated all of them in the skills of learning and memory, attention and executive functions. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS * There cognitive impairment in patients suffering from anxiety disorders, with a profile differential between them, which is more relevant in subjects with PTSD. * In the field of cognitive functions affected prevails, learning, memory and attention. * Patients with more time evolution have a cognitive impairment broader than patients with shorter development of the disorder. * The alterations detected are not explained by the educational level of the subjects.

Author: MARTIN RODRIGUEZ MARTA.
Year: 2005.
University: VALENCIA [www.uv.es].
Place of defense: F.C.DE LA ACTIVIDAD FISICA.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS DE LA ACTIVIDAD FISICA Y EL DEPORTE.

Author: DIAZ ORUETA UNAI.
Year: 2005.
University: DEUSTO [www.deusto.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN.

Summary: The increase in life expectancy in our culture and the consequent increase in the percentage of people covered in what is called senior citizens has brought an increase in the prevalence of diseases associated with the aging process. In this sense, ever become more necessary proposals for intervention in the multidisciplinary approach to integrated these diseases. This thesis is a contribution from the field of psychology, especially since the framework of the neuropsychology cognitva, which takes into consideration the cognitive impairment in older people as the common factor of major neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging, and the need for approaches or programs to prevent and / or delay their introduction and development in the elderly. To do so, the overall objective of this research was to develop and implement a program of cognitive stimulation (called "Gymnastics of Memory") to maintain and / or improve cognitive functions of men and women residencializados older than 65 years symptoms of cognitive impairment of the Residence de la Loma, Sámano, Castro Urdiales (Cantabria). The assumptions are that people with cognitive impairment treated through the stimulation program "Gymnastics of Memory", maintain and / or improve their cognitive performance, rather than those who have not been treated, both in their cognitive functioning global in several specific cognitive functions. To this end, the sample has been divided into two groups (Group Experimental and Control Group Waiting). After pretreatment evaluation in both groups, the intervention has been done through the implementation of the program "Memory gymnastics" with the Experimental Group, ending with the relevant assessment aftercare. Statistical analysis of the results shows that people Intercepted improve significantly in the area of abstract reasoning, which most people do not intervened. Also, the maintenance and improvement of cognitive performance extends for the Experimental Group, from a statistical point of view and clinical, both in its overall cognitive performance, as in the most specific guidance, Percepción-Atención, Memory, Language , Abstract Reasoning and Coordination Visomotora.