To date five different theories compete in explaining the biological mechanisms of senescence or ageing in invertebrates. Physiological, genetical, and environmental mechanisms form the image of ageing in individuals and groups. Social insects, especially the honeybee Apis mellifera, present exceptional model systems to study developmentally related ageing. The extremely high phenotypic plastic...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to develop and pilot the Alzheimer's Disease and Ageing Perception Scale (ADAPS), examine theory-consistent differences and convergent validity, and identify misconceptions of the cognitive effects of ageing and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHOD After piloting a large pool of items with a panel of ageing and dementia experts (n = 6), an item analysis yielded a ...

Given the duration of ageing in humans, cell culture studies are a promising approach to the study of human ageing. It is reasonable to assume that human ageing has, at least partly, a cellular origin. The question is how we can replicate in vitro the age-related changes that occur in human cells in vivo. In this review, widely used models for studying ageing in cell culture, such as Hayflick's...

The aim of this work was to provide an overview of the genetics of human ageing to gain novel insights about the mechanisms involved. By incorporating findings from model organisms to humans, such as mutations that either delay or accelerate ageing in mice, we constructed the gene networks previously related to ageing: namely, the network related to DNA metabolism and the network involving the ...

1. Classic evolutionary models interpret ageing as a cost of reproduction, but evolutionary research has thus far largely neglected the conceptual links between the evolution of ageing and a key mode of selection on male and female reproductive strategies – sexual selection and sexual conflict. 2. We synthesize ideas and evidence linking sex and ageing, and make the case that a focus on this fa...

OBJECTIVE Chronic musculoskeletal pain is common in older adults but the nature of its relationship with ageing is unclear. The objective for this study was to test the hypothesis that the onset of widespread pain would be associated with a decrease in healthy ageing. METHODS Population-based prospective cohort study. A "healthy ageing" index was constructed across biomedical, physical, psych...

This paper reports on in-depth research, using a grounded theory approach, to examine the ways in which very old people perceive healthy ageing in the context of living alone at home within urban settings in five European countries. This qualitative study was part of a cross-national project entitled ENABLE-AGE which examined the relationship between home and healthy ageing. Interviews explored...