Effects of Aging on Episodic Memory-Dependent Decision Making

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Effects of aging on episodic memory-dependent decision making Most studies of human decision making use tasks in which information relevant to the decision is either completely available or never available. Yet, in many real-life scenarios decision making requires retrieving in- formation from specific past events, or episodic memory. Clarifying the role of episodic memory in decision making is critical for understanding decision making deficits in healthy older adults, who show significant epi- sodic memory decline. Our overarching goal is to clarify how episodic memory impairments in older age con- tribute to decision making. In particular, we focus on the neural mechanisms of age differences in decision making using functional MRI measures of brain activity and connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging measures of white-matter integrity. We investigate two decision-making tasks, the multi-attribute choice task and the time discounting task, and have 3 specific aims. Our first aim is to investigate age differences in mul- ti-attribute decision making as function of episodic memory demands and decision making demands. In Study 1, we manipulate episodic memory demands by varying whether or not the decision amount requires retrieving previously learned information, and decision making demands by instructing participants to using a simple or a more elaborate decision strategy. Study 1 focuses on remembering the past but episodic memory is also nec- essary for for thinking about the future. Our second aim is to examine age differences in the time discounting task as a function of episodic future thinking, which is known to be impaired in older adults Study 2 investi- gates the effects of episodic tags on monetary intertemporal decision making. Finally, our third aim is to spec- ify how individual differences in brain integrity modulate age differences in episodic memory-dependent deci- sion making. Individual differences in episodic memory in older age have been linked to an executive factor as- sociated with the frontal lobes, and a memory factor associated with the medial temporal lobes. We examine how these two factors account for individual differences in white-matter integrity among older adults and how these individual differences modulate the results of Studies 1 and 2. In sum, the proposed studies investigate the neural mechanisms of age differences in episodic memory-dependent decisions, which are common in eve- ryday life. The research will link two previously disconnected areas of research, the cognitive neuroscience of aging and neuroeconomics of aging. The studies will contribute to a more comprehensive scientific under- standing of brain aging that is more easily translatable to critical behavior in everyday life. The work has the potential to identify mechanisms to improve episodic memory-dependent choice across all stages of adulthood, which will contribute to improving health and well-being in old age.