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Artículos Destacados

Petersen, S., Houston, S., Qin, H., Tague, C., & Studley, J. (2017). The Utilization of Robotic Pets in
Dementia Care. Journal of Alzheimer´s Disease, 55, 569-574.

Disponible en: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1027/3ada40afdaac5cc5486befe3f303cb108b07.pdf

Resumen
Background: Behavioral problems may affect individuals with dementia, increasing the cost and burden of care. Pet
therapy has been known to be emotionally beneficial for many years. Robotic pets have been shown to have similar
positive effects without the negative aspects of traditional pets. Robotic pet therapy offers an alternative to traditional pet
therapy.

Objective: The study rigorously assesses the effectiveness of the PARO robotic pet, an FDA approved biofeedback device,
in treating dementia-related symptoms.
Methods: A randomized block design with repeated measurements guided the study. Before and after measures included
reliable, valid tools such as: RAID, CSDD, GDS, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, and GSR. Participants interacted with the PARO
robotic pet, and the control group received standard activity programs. Five urban secure dementia units comprised the
setting.
Results: 61 patients, with 77% females, average 83.4 years in age, were randomized into control and treatment groups.
Compared to the control group, RAID, CSDD, GSR, and pulse oximetry were increased in the treatment group, while pulse
rate, pain medication, and psychoactive medication use were decreased. The changes in GSR, pulse oximetry, and pulse
rate over time were plotted for both groups. The difference between groups was consistent throughout the 12-week study
for pulse oximetry and pulse rate, while GSR had several weeks when changes were similar between groups.
Conclusions: Treatment with the PARO robot decreased stress and anxiety in the treatment group and resulted in
reductions in the use of psychoactive medications and pain medications in elderly clients with dementia.

Palabras clave: Animal assisted therapy, Biofeedback, Dementia, Psychology, Robotics.

Mander, B. A., Winer, J. R., & Walker, M. P. (2017). Sleep and Human Aging. Neuron, 94(1), 19-36.

Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315791226_Sleep_and_Human_Aging

Resumen
Older adults do not sleep as well as younger adults. Why? What alterations in sleep quantity and quality occur as we age,
and are there functional consequences? What are the underlying neural mechanisms that explain age-related sleep
disruption? This review tackles these questions. First, we describe canonical changes in human sleep quantity and quality
in cognitively normal older adults. Second, we explore the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that may account for
these human sleep alterations. Third, we consider the functional consequences of age-related sleep disruption, focusing
on memory impairment as an exemplar. We conclude with a discussion of a still-debated question: do older adults simply
need less sleep, or rather, are they unable to generate the sleep that they still need?

Palabras clave: Sueño, Alteraciones del sueño.