Social Threat and Aging: Neural Mechanisms of Emotion Regulation

描述(由申请人提供)：情绪调节对社交行为至关重要，因为社交互动可能是相当大的压力来源。特别是，情绪调节对于应对社会威胁是至关重要的，社会威胁被定义为对自尊或社会地位的威胁。这种威胁在以后的生活中可能特别突出，因为个人要应对地位的丧失和与老年有关的负面陈规定型观念。我们将使用行为方法结合功能磁共振成像(FMRI)和扩散张量成像(DTI)来研究老年人的情绪调节系统如何应对社会威胁。此外，我们将调查对这一制度的运作构成挑战或促进的因素。综上所述，拟议的5项神经成像研究将实现3个具体目标。首先，他们将调查老年人的情绪调节系统如何应对社会威胁。情绪调节系统依赖于参与产生情绪的大脑区域(如杏仁核)和控制情绪表达和体验的区域(如前额叶皮质)之间的相互作用。我们将考察情绪调节系统在个人层面对个人的威胁(个人威胁)和作为群体记忆的对个人的威胁(刻板印象威胁)条件下是如何运作的。其次，拟议的研究还将调查执行控制资源如何调节老年人调节由社会威胁引发的情绪的能力。虽然健康的老年人通常在情绪层面上得到很好的调整，但有证据表明，他们通过积极下调负面情绪来维持自己的情绪健康。这种持续的情绪调节策略对执行控制资源来说是一种负担，这些资源依赖于额顶网络，而众所周知，额顶网络会随着年龄的增长而下降。我们将调查执行资源的个体差异如何调节老年人情绪调节系统的运行。最后，拟议的研究将调查老年人对社会威胁的情绪调节反应是如何通过社会支持来增强的。理论观点表明，随着年龄的增长，亲密的人际关系变得越来越重要。在其他方法中，我们将研究社会支持的作用，让配偶或伴侣在刻板印象威胁的情况下提供鼓励和身体接触。综上所述，这些研究将阐明老年人情绪调节的神经机制，以及他们如何应对社会威胁。鉴于情绪调节依赖于已知的因衰老而受损的执行控制网络，这项研究对于理解健康老龄化以及阿尔茨海默病风险人群认知和情绪处理之间的相互作用具有直接意义。 公共卫生相关性：综上所述，这些研究将阐明老年人情绪调节的神经机制，以及他们如何应对社会威胁。鉴于情绪调节依赖于已知的因衰老而受损的执行控制网络，这项研究对于理解健康老龄化以及阿尔茨海默病(AD)风险人群认知和情绪处理之间的相互作用具有直接意义。这一结果也将有助于理解社会因素是如何导致老年抑郁症的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Emotion regulation is critical for social behavior because social interactions can be the source of considerable stress. In particular, emotion regulation is essential for responding to social threat, which is defined as threats to self-esteem or social status. Such threats may be particularly salient in later life as individuals deal with loss of status and the negative stereotypes associated with old age. We will use behavioral methods in combination with functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate how older adults' emotion regulation system cope with social threat. Additionally, we will investigate factors that either challenge or facilitate the operation of this system. Taken together, the proposed 5 neuroimaging studies will achieve 3 specific aims. First, they will investigate how older adults' emotion regulation system responds to social threat. The emotion regulation system depends on the interplay between brain regions involved in generating emotions, such as the amygdala, and regions that exert control over emotional expression and experience, such as the prefrontal cortex. We will examine how the emotional regulation system operates in condition of threat to the individual at personal level (personal threat) and threat to the individual as a memory of a group (stereotype threat). Second, the proposed studies will also investigate how executive control resources modulate older adults' ability to regulate emotions elicited by social threat. Although healthy elderly are normally well adjusted at the emotional level, there is evidence that they maintain their emotional well-being by actively down-regulating negative emotions. This continuous emotion regulation strategy is taxing for executive control resources, which depend on frontoparietal networks that are known to decline with age. We will investigate how individual differences in executive resources modulate the operation of the emotional regulation system in older adults. Finally, the proposed studies will investigate how older adults' emotion regulation responses to social threat are enhanced by social support. Theoretical views suggest that close interpersonal relationships become increasingly important with age. Among other methods, we will study the role of social support by having a spouse or partner provide encouragement and physical contact under conditions of stereotype threat. Taken together, the studies proposed will clarify neural mechanisms of emotional regulation in older adults and how they respond to social threat. Given that emotion regulation depends on executive control networks that are known to be impaired by aging, this research has direct implications for understanding the interaction between cognitive and emotional processing in healthy aging, as well as in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Taken together, the studies proposed will clarify neural mechanisms of emotion regulation in older adults and how they respond to social threat. Given that emotion regulation depends on executive control networks that are known to be impaired by aging, this research has direct implications for understanding the interaction between cognitive and emotional processing in healthy aging, as well as in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results will also contribute to the understanding of how social factors may contribute to geriatric depression.