Physical aspects of planning for retirement.

The paper reviews evidence for the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on the cardiovascular health of elderly persons. It makes a clear distinction between these benefits and those obtained with the anaerobic routines usually used with this group. It is suggested that physiotherapists have a role now and in the future in developing programmes for the growing number of older people in the community. The results obtained by some older exercisers who took part in one innovative programme run by the WAIT (Western Australian Institute of Technology) are briefly described.

Preparation for retirement.

While the trend in Australia is towards earlier compulsory retirement, the United States Government has recently passed legislation which guarantees the rights of the elderly who wish to continue in employment to do so. This paper briefly discusses the concept of early retirement in the light of demographic trends which point to an increase in the proportion of elderly persons in the Australian population in the next few decades. Some of the needs of the elderly, as they themselves perceive them, are highlighted with special reference to a report commissioned by the Western Australian Council on the Ageing, and to a questionnaire completed by participants in the Western Australian Institute of Technology Activity Programme for the Over-60s.

Aging: what abilities are lost?

Over the last decade most of us have become familiar with the terms "sexism" and "racism".

Delayed alternation learning under electrical (blocking) stimulation of the caudate nucleus in the cat.

Of 9 cats with electrodes implanted in the dorsolateral caudate nucleus, 4 had previously reached criterion on a delayed alternation task. Tested under alternating conditions of stimulation and nonstimulation, these 4 animals showed a significant performance decline with stimulation. When a marker was placed on one response panel, performance under stimulation did not decline. Stimulation did not affect the learning of a visual discrimination. The remaining 5 cats were trained on delayed alternation with alternating stimulation and nonstimulation conditions. Under stimulation, performance remained near chance levels. These animals were tested on position learning and reversal, and under unilateral stimulation. The results support the view that the caudate nucleus and prefrontal cortex mediate separate aspects of delayed response behavior.