Genotypic/phenotypic mediators of synaptic plasticity in aging

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Considerable research efforts are invested to shed some light on the mechanisms underlying cognitive function changes associated with age, particularly those pertaining to premature memory and learning decline. Impaired synaptic plasticity in age-susceptible brain regions was found to best predict cognitive decline in aging. Until recently, inferences about neuronal plasticity in humans could only be drawn from indirect measures of plasticity, such as cognitive function changes. The recent development of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, however, provides a variety of research tools allowing the direct assessment of synaptic plasticity mechanisms in human cortical areas. Work from our group has shown that synaptic plasticity, as assessed with these brain stimulation techniques, are significantly linked with changes in functionally related brain functions. One of the major interests in using these innovative brain stimulation techniques resides in their proven capacity to generate durable brain plasticity improvements. Perhaps most importantly, these long-term after-effects were shown to be associated with lasting behavioural benefits. The work that will be conducted in the proposed research program will take advantage of the latest and most advanced brain stimulation techniques to noninvasively probe plasticity mechanisms underlying functional decline as people age. In addition to its significant contribution to knowledge advancement, intervention protocols aiming to restore brain plasticity in the aging population may also prove to be protective in people at risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.