Clinical Research Centre, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, BC, Canada.
Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
Clin Interv Aging. 2021 Feb 24;16:345-361. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S287619. eCollection 2021.
Contextual processing (or context processing; CP) is an integral component of cognition. CP allows people to manage their thoughts and actions by adjusting to surroundings. CP involves the formation of an internal representation of context in relation to the environment, maintenance of this information over a period of time, and the updating of mental representations to reflect changes in the environment. Each of these functions can be affected by aging and associated conditions. Here, we introduced contextual processing research and summarized the literature studying the impact of normal aging and neurodegeneration-related cognitive decline on CP. Through searching the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases, 23 studies were retrieved that focused on the impact of aging, mild cogniitve impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD) on CP. Results indicated that CP is particularly vulnerable to aging and neurodegeneration. Older adults had a delayed onset and reduced amplitude of electrophysiological response to information detection, comparison, and execution. MCI patients demonstrated clear signs of impaired CP compared to normal aging. The only study on AD suggested a decreased proactive control in AD participants in maintaining contextual information, but seemingly intact reactive control. Studies on PD restricted to non-demented older participants, who showed limited ability to use contextual information in cognitive and motor processes, exhibiting impaired reactive control but more or less intact proactive control. These data suggest that the decline in CP with age is further impacted by accelerated aging and neurodegeneration, providing insights for improving intervention strategies. This review highlights the need for increased attention to research this important but understudied field.
语境处理（或语境加工；CP）是认知的一个组成部分。CP 允许人们通过适应周围环境来管理自己的思想和行为。CP 涉及到在与环境相关的情况下形成对语境的内部表示，在一段时间内保持这些信息，以及更新心理表示以反映环境的变化。这些功能中的每一个都可能受到衰老和相关疾病的影响。在这里，我们介绍了语境处理研究，并总结了研究正常衰老和与神经退行性相关的认知能力下降对 CP 的影响的文献。通过搜索 PubMed、PsycINFO 和 Google Scholar 数据库，检索到 23 项研究，重点关注衰老、轻度认知障碍（MCI）、阿尔茨海默病（AD）和帕金森病（PD）对 CP 的影响。结果表明，CP 特别容易受到衰老和神经退行性变的影响。老年人在信息检测、比较和执行方面的电生理反应开始时间延迟，幅度降低。与正常衰老相比，MCI 患者的 CP 明显受损。唯一一项关于 AD 的研究表明，AD 参与者在保持语境信息方面的主动控制能力下降，但反应控制能力似乎完好无损。对仅限于非痴呆老年参与者的 PD 研究表明，他们在认知和运动过程中使用语境信息的能力有限，表现出反应控制受损，但主动控制或多或少完好无损。这些数据表明，随着年龄的增长，CP 的下降进一步受到加速衰老和神经退行性变的影响，为改善干预策略提供了思路。这篇综述强调了需要更多地关注这一重要但研究不足的领域的研究。
