ERP Investigations of Novelty Processing in Different Patterns of Cognitive Aging

随着越来越多的美国人活到高龄，了解什么让个人保持有意义的智力功能和独立水平已成为一个主要的公共卫生问题。拟议的研究的主要目标是调查的方式，认知“成功”的老年人的信息处理不同于认知不太成功的。将测量感觉-知觉编码、选择性注意和容量受限控制处理的事件相关电位（ERP）指数。这将提供一个机会，以评估有关认知老化的竞争理论，不同的信息处理操作方面的假设是最重要的年龄相关的认知变化。我们的建议强调新奇的处理，因为增加对新奇的反应可能不仅是一个成功的认知老化的反映，但也有助于促进it. In拟议中的研究，从18岁到90岁以上的人将被分为认知高和认知平均性能的基础上，年龄适当的神经心理测试规范。一组精心策划的ERP实验将检查在何种程度上不同的认知状态的群体在新奇处理的年龄相关的变化的条件下，操纵要求1）能力有限的控制处理（目标1），2）上下文适当的资源分配（目标2），和3）选择性注意任务相关的事件（目标3）。目标1将通过比较单任务与双任务条件下对新刺激的反应来解决。目标2将通过比较在不同条件下对新奇事物的反应来解决，这些条件是新奇刺激作为干扰物还是潜在的有意义的事件。目标3将通过比较注意与忽略条件下对突出刺激的反应来解决。我们的工作将为以下方面提供重要的见解：（1）认知水平高的成年人和表现一般的成年人之间与年龄相关的差异在多大程度上是由于表现一般的成年人在生命早期开始的信息处理能力下降;（2）认知水平高的成年人和表现一般的成年人之间与年龄相关的差异在多大程度上在信息处理的各个阶段有所不同; 3）不同年龄和认知群体的成员能够根据事件发生的背景而改变他们对新事件的反应的程度; 4）感觉知觉编码、选择性注意和容量限制控制处理的ERP指数在多大程度上可以不同地解释神经心理学表现中与年龄相关的变化。总之，拟议的研究将提供一个机会来阐明成功认知老化的基本因素，这一奋进对这一重要的研究领域至关重要。公共卫生相关性：这项拟议中的研究将调查有助于成功认知衰老的因素，这是一个对公共卫生至关重要的话题，因为越来越多的美国人活到了高龄。我们将研究18岁至90岁以上的个体中与年龄相关的脑波活动变化，这些个体的智力功能水平各不相同。我们的目标是确定潜在的机制，使人们在整个成年期保持活跃和高功能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As increasing numbers of Americans are living to advanced ages, understanding what allows individuals to maintain meaningful levels of intellectual functioning and independence has become a major public health concern. The primary goal of the proposed research is to investigate the ways in which information processing of cognitively `successful' older adults differs from that of cognitively less successful ones. Event-related potential (ERP) indices of sensory-perceptual encoding, selective attention, and capacity- limited controlled processing will be measured. This will provide an opportunity to evaluate competing theories about cognitive aging that differ in terms of which information processing operations are hypothesized to be most important to age-related changes in cognition. Our proposal emphasizes novelty processing because increased responsiveness to novelty may not only be a reflection of successful cognitive aging, but also help to promote it. In the proposed study, individuals from 18 to over 90 years old will be divided into cognitively high and cognitively average performers based on age-appropriate neuropsychological test norms. A carefully planned set of ERP experiments will examine the extent to which groups varying in cognitive status differ in age-related changes in novelty processing under conditions that manipulate demands on 1) capacity-limited controlled processing (Aim 1), 2) context-appropriate resource allocation (Aim 2), and 3) selective attention to task-relevant events (Aim 3). Aim 1 will be addressed by comparing responses to novel stimuli under single vs. dual-task conditions. Aim 2 will be addressed by comparing responses to novelty under conditions that vary whether novel stimuli serve as distracters or potentially meaningful events. Aim 3 will be addressed by comparing responses to salient stimuli under attend vs. ignore conditions. Our work will provide important insights into 1) the extent to which age-related differences between cognitively high and average performing adults are due to a decline in information processing capacity that begins earlier in the lifespan for average performers; 2) the extent to which the magnitude of age-related differences between cognitively high and average performing adults differ across various stages of information processing; 3) the extent to which members of different age and cognitive groups are able to vary their response to novel events depending on the context in which they occur; and 4) the extent to which ERP indices of sensory-perceptual encoding, selective attention, and capacity-limited controlled processing can differentially account for the variance in age-related changes in neuropsychological performance. In summary, the proposed research will provide an opportunity to elucidate factors that are fundamental to successful cognitive aging, an endeavor that is critical to this important field of study. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will investigate factors that contribute to successful cognitive aging, a topic of major importance to public health as an increasing number of Americans are living to advanced ages. We will study age-related changes in brain wave activity in individuals from 18 to over 90 years old who vary in their level of intellectual functioning. We aim to identify underlying mechanisms that allow people to remain active and high functioning throughout adulthood.