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SCAMS:Influencing the Aging
Brain
Erik Lande, Ph.D.Ventura County APS Rapid Response Team
UCSB, Psychology Assessment Center, Hosford Clinic
drlande@insightneuropsychology.com
Scams
ruses
rackets
SWINDLES
tricks
Confidence games
Why Do Scams Work?
Techniques of Persuasion
• Visceral rewards
• Emphasize urgency
• Demonstrate authority
• Use a personal touch
Techniques of Persuasion
• Visceral rewards
• Emphasize urgency
• Demonstrate authority
• Use a personal touch
The Aging Brain
Anatomical Changes
•Brain volume peaks around the 20’s
•Atrophy begins around the 40’s
Anatomical Changes
• Cerebral blood flow and metabolism decline
Aging Effects on Thinking
• Speed of information processing slows
• Complex attention declines
• Problem-solving unfamiliar tasks becomes harder
What Remains Strong As We Age
• Vocabulary, verbal reasoning,
comprehension, and arithmetic skills
• Well practiced/familiar skills and knowledge
• Wisdom
• Basic attention
Frontal Lobe Hypothesis of Aging
West RL (1996) An application of prefrontal cortex function theory to cognitive aging. Psychological Bulletin 120:272-292.
Frontal Lobe Hypothesis of Aging
West RL (1996) An application of prefrontal cortex function theory to cognitive aging. Psychological Bulletin 120:272-292.
• PFC atrophies more and quicker than other brain regions
• PFC has vast connections with other brain regions, so deficits here affect many other brain functions
• PFC atrophies more and quicker than other brain regions
• PFC has vast connections with other brain regions, so deficits here affect many other brain functions
Iowa Gambling Test
IGT and the PFC
• PFC damage results in difficulty learning from one’s mistakes and decreased self-awareness
• Similar to those with disinhibition conditions
IGT and Seniors
• Those over 55 generally do worse than those under 55
• Similar performance to those with disinhibition
• 35% do much worse than peers
Denburg NL, Tranel D, Bechara A. The ability to decide advantageously declines prematurely in somenormal older persons. Neuropsychologia 2005;43(7):1099–1106.
Denburg, N. L., Cole, C. A., Hernandez, M., Yamada, T. H., Tranel, D., Bechara, A., & Wallace, R. B. (2007). The orbitofrontal cortex, real-world decision-making, and normal aging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1121, 480–498.
Fein, G., McGillivray, S., & Finn, P. (2007). Older adults make less advantageous decisions than younger adults: Cognitive and psychological correlates. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 13, 480–489.
IGT in Alzheimer’s and MCI
• Looks different than that seen in healthy seniors
• More random responses and poor strategy stability
Zamarian, L., Weiss, E.M., & Delazer, M. (2010). The impact of mild cognitive impairment on decision making in two gambling tasks. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B(1), 23–31,
Conclusions
• Aging disproportionately affects the frontal lobe
• Results in decreased ability to process information in a rapid and complex manner
• Results in generally increased susceptibility to scams involving urgency and visceral/emotional information
Conclusions
• About 30% of otherwise healthy seniors have even greater PFC atrophy
• Causes impulsivity, obsessiveness, and poor judgment
• Regular abstract reasoning may be fine, but reasoning involving emotional/visceral ideas is poor and an easy target for scammers
What Can We Do?
• Recognize Warning Signs and Make Families Aware of these
– Changes in financial behavior– Memory lapses– Decreased checkbook management skills– Disorganization– Arithmetic mistakes– Financial concepts confusion– Generally impaired judgment
What Can We Do?
• Educate about scams, but realize education is often not the problem, it is lack of insight into their deficits
• Educate by helping them learn about their own impaired reasoning and impulsivity
• Once insight present, compensatory strategies such as phone hang-up devices or financial assistance or supervision may help
• Management of finances may become necessary
• REMEMBER, we want to help while respecting their autonomy!
Consider a Professional Evaluation
• Use a neutral expert who understands capacity assessment
• Disciplines include geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, geropsychologists and neuropsychologists
• Clearly identify the specific question you want addressed!
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