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!

www.InsightNeuropsychology.com805-988-6197