Two experiments tested the effect of temporal interference on order memory for fixed and random sequences in young adults and nondemented older adults. The results demonstrate that temporal order memory for fixed and random sequences is impaired in nondemented older adults, particularly when temporal interference is high. However, temporal order memory for fixed sequences is comparable between older adults and young adults when temporal interference is minimized. The results suggest that temporal order memory is less efficient and more susceptible to interference in older adults, possibly due to impaired temporal pattern separation.

The current study investigated memory for sequentially presented objects in young rats 6 months of age (n=12) and aged rats 24 months of age (n=12). Rats were tested on a task involving three exploratory trials and one probe test. During the exploratory trials, the rat explored a set of three sequentially presented object pairs (A-A, B-B, and C-C) for 5 min per pair with a 3 min delay between each pair. Following the exploratory trials, a probe test was conducted where the rat was presented simultaneously with one object from the first exploratory trial (A) and one object from the third exploratory trial (C). Results from the three exploratory trials showed no significant age-related differences in exploration, indicating that 24 month old rats explored the object pairs as much as 6 month old rats. Results from the probe test demonstrated that 6 month old rats spent significantly more time exploring object A compared to object C, indicating that young rats show intact memory for the temporal order of the exploratory trial objects. In contrast, 24 month old rats showed no preference for object A and spent a relatively equal amount of time exploring objects A and C. The results suggest that temporal order memory may decline as a result of age-related changes in the rodent brain. In addition, the findings may reflect differences in attraction to objects with different memory strengths. Since no significant age-related differences were detected during the exploratory trials, age-related differences on the probe trial were not due solely to decreased exploration, motivation, or locomotion in aged rats.

Age-related changes in temporal order memory have been well documented in older adults; however, little is known about this ability during middle age. We tested healthy young, middle-aged, and older adults on a previously published visuospatial temporal order memory test involving high and low interference conditions. When interference was low, young and middle-aged adults did not differ, but both groups significantly outperformed older adults. However, when interference was high, significant differences were found among all three age groups. The data provide evidence that temporal order memory may begin to decline in middle age, particularly when temporal interference is high.

Purpose To describe an intervention among overweight and obese hypertensive patients, encouraging Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and lifestyle changes, designed and led by a primary care nurse practitioner (NP). Data sources A pre‐ and postintervention quasi‐experimental time‐series design was implemented over 2 months. Intervention included three group classes and two individual counseling telephone calls. Forty‐five hypertensive patients enrolled, with a mean age of 55 years and mean initial BMI of 32. Twenty‐six (58%) completed the program. Standard instruments (Rapid Eating Assessment for Patients [REAP] and Partners in Health [PIH] questionnaires) were used to evaluate diet and lifestyle factors before and after the program. Conclusions Participants had statistically significant improvements in diet and lifestyle scores on both REAP and PIH questionnaires, as well as statistically significant weight loss (average 3.6 pounds lost) over the 2‐month intervention period. Implications for practice This NP‐led primary care intervention on diet and lifestyle showed early success in improving the health of overweight and obese hypertensive patients. Investment in NP‐led diet and lifestyle counseling should be considered among high‐risk patients in the primary care setting.

Age-related changes have been documented in regions of the brain shown to process reward information. However, few studies have examined the effects of aging on associative memory for reward. The present study tested 7- and 24-month-old rats on a conditioned flavor preference task. Half of the rats in each age group received an unsweetened grape-flavored solution (CS-) on odd-numbered days and a sweetened cherry-flavored solution (CS+) on even-numbered days. The remaining rats in each age group received a sweetened grape-flavored solution (CS+) on odd-numbered days and an unsweetened cherry-flavored solution (CS-) on even-numbered days. During the acquisition phase of testing, the designated solution (CS+ or CS-) was presented to each rat for 15 min daily across six consecutive days. On the preference phase, each rat received unsweetened cherry and unsweetened grape-flavored solutions simultaneously for 15 min daily across four consecutive days. The 7-month-old rats showed a significant preference for the flavor that was previously sweetened during the acquisition phase (CS+) compared to the previously unsweetened solution (CS-) when the two unsweetened solutions were presented simultaneously during the preference phase of testing. In contrast, the 24-month-old rats did not show a preference and consumed roughly equal amounts of the previously sweetened (CS+) and unsweetened (CS-) solutions. Thus, the data suggest that the ability to form flavor-reward associations declines with increasing age, resulting in impaired conditioned flavor preference.