Changes in the self-control circuitry across the life-cycle

整个生命周期中自控电路的变化

基本信息

批准号：
8290318
负责人：
Antonio Rangel
金额：
$ 15.7万
依托单位：
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2011
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2011-07-01 至 2014-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims to contribute to our understanding of how the ability to exercise self-control changes across the life-cycle. It uses tools from neuroeconomics to investigate how the performance of a key self-control network in the brain changes with aging in healthy individuals. The overarching hypothesis is that the functional performance of this critical regulatory network improves with age, so that later in life it gets better at assigning values to the 'tempting options' that are consistent with their overall impact on well-being, as opposed to values that over-weight immediate rewards at the expense of other consequences. This hypothesis is based on prior neuroimaging studies that have shown that this network plays a critical role in dietary self- control, as well as related neuroimaging studies that have shown that the relevant circuitry changes with age. Ninety healthy individuals (30 young adults with ages 13-16, 30 middle-aged with ages 30-40, and 30 elderly adults with ages 65-70), who will be matched on gender and IQ, will participate in the study. In study 1 they will perform a self-control task in an fMRI experiment in which they have to make choices between smaller immediate monetary payments and larger but delayed payments. In study 2 we will collect structural and connectivity anatomical data to relate differences in behavioral and functional performance of the self-control circuitry to underlying anatomical differences. Preliminary behavioral data suggests the feasibility of the approaches for both planned studies, and all necessary infrastructure is available to rapidly implement the planned studies. The results will provide a detailed and quantitative picture of how the brain's ability to exercise self-control changes with the life-cycle. This will help us to understand why there are systematic improvements in self-control across the life-cycle for many individuals, and what neural impairments are present in those that do not exhibit such improvements.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目旨在为我们理解行使自我控制能力如何变化在整个生命周期中的能力做出贡献。它使用来自神经经济学的工具来研究大脑中关键的自我控制网络的性能如何随着健康个体的衰老而变化。总体假设是，这个关键的监管网络的功能性能随着年龄的增长而改善，因此，在生活中，它可以更好地为“诱人的选项”分配价值，这与它们对幸福感的总体影响一致，而不是重比立即奖励其他后果的费用。该假设基于先前的神经影像学研究，该研究表明该网络在饮食自我控制中起着至关重要的作用，以及相关的神经影像学研究，这些研究表明相关电路随着年龄的增长而变化。 90个健康个体（30岁的年轻人13-16岁，中年30岁，年龄30-40岁，65-70岁的年龄较大的年轻人）将与性别和智商相匹配，将参加该研究。在研究1中，他们将在功能磁共振成像实验中执行自我控制任务，在该实验中，他们必须在较小的即时货币支付和较大但延迟的付款之间做出选择。在研究2中，我们将收集结构和连通性解剖学数据，以将自我控制电路的行为和功能性能差异与基本的解剖学差异联系起来。初步行为数据表明，两项计划的方法的可行性，所有必要的基础设施都可以快速实施计划的研究。结果将为大脑行使自我控制的能力如何随着生命周期的变化而提供详细的定量图片。这将有助于我们了解为什么许多人在生命周期中自我控制有系统的改进，以及在没有表现出这种改善的人中存在哪些神经障碍。