A generic brain connectome map linked to different types of everyday decision-making in old age.

A generic brain connectome map linked to different types of everyday decision-making in old age. Brain Struct Funct. 2019 Dec 19;: Authors: Rooks B, Anthony M, Chen Q, Lin Y, Baran T, Zhang Z, Lichtenberg PA, Lin F Abstract Making reasonable decisions related to financial and health scenarios is a crucial capacity that can be difficult for older adults to maintain as they age, yet few studies examine neurocognitive factors that are generalizable to different types of everyday decision-making capacity. Here we propose an innovative approach, based on individual risk-taking preference, to identify neural profiles that may help predict older adults' everyday decision-making capacity. Using performance and cognitive arousal information from two gambling tasks, we identified three decision-making preference groups: ambiguity problem-solvers (A), risk-seekers (R), and a control group without strong risk-taking preferences (C). Comparisons of the number of connections within white matter tracts between A vs. C and R vs. C groups resulted in features consistent with the theory of dual neural functional systems involved in decision-making. Unique tracts from the A vs. C contrast were primarily centered in dorsal frontal regions/reflective system; unique tracts from the R vs. C contrast were centered in the ventral frontal regions/impulsive system; and shared tracts from both contrasts were centered in the basal ganglia, coordinating the switc...
Source: Brain Structure and Function - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Brain Struct Funct Source Type: research