title: Mental aging and its medico-psycho-social background in the very old Japanese.
abstract: By clinical observations of 115 centenarians and 742 nonagenarians, the actual state of mental aging of the very old Japanese and some factors relating to it are shown in this paper. A great difference in psychophysical functions was found between the centenarians and the nonagenarians. Most centenarians manifested a distinct decline in these functions, while a decline was less prominent in the 90-year-olds. There was a significant relationship between mental and physical functions. Those manifesting a prominent decline in intellectual ability showed more frequent reduction in physical ability as well, and vice versa. The degree of their intellectual ability was also related to the following factors: their sex, academic and occupational careers, some types of personality traits and personality changes. The mental decline was less prominent in males, in the educated and in those with a syntonic personality than in others.
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality