Age-related impairments in the flexible allocation of control during learning and decision-making

人类老龄化与在不断变化的环境中灵活调整行为方面的问题有关（例如在新城市航行或必须使用新技术时）。在年轻人中的发现表明，这些损伤可能是由于学习策略的适应性控制缺陷造成的（Lee等人，2014）。然而，计算和神经生物学机制的基础上灵活控制的学习过程，以及它们如何随着年龄的变化还没有（尚未）理解。此外，目前还不清楚如何灵活调节学习策略的年龄差异与老年人认知控制能力的下降有关，以及这两种损害是否来自共同的潜在缺陷。 我的研究有两个长期目标：1）我想揭示不同认知领域中与年龄相关的适应性行为控制缺陷的计算和神经生物学机制。2)我想测试的假设，年龄相关的障碍，灵活的行为控制跨域的基础缺陷，在学习和更新的任务结构的表征在前额叶皮层的结果。 当前的研究提案涉及三个工作包：第一个工作包（WP 1）的目的是使用行为评估和计算建模来确定学习策略灵活控制中与年龄相关的变化，以及它们如何与认知控制中的年龄差异相关。此外，在这个工作包中，我将操纵的代表性和更新的任务结构的要求，以探讨如何代表性的要求影响灵活的行为控制与年龄有关的障碍。在第二个工作包（WP 2）中，我将研究神经动力学的基础上，在控制分配的年龄相关的缺陷，在学习过程中使用脑电图（EEG）。具体来说，我将使用基于模型的脑电图分析，以调查在学习过程中的控制需求的年龄差异是如何反映在事件相关电位（ERP的），以及它们如何与年龄相关的变化，主动和反应的认知控制能力。第二个工作包的目的是调查是否年龄差异，跨认知领域的灵活行为控制共享潜在的计算和神经生理机制。在最后的工作包（WP 3）中，我将使用功能磁共振成像来研究学习过程中控制的灵活参与所涉及的神经系统，以及这些系统的招募如何随着年龄和表征需求的变化而变化。第三个工作包将集中在前额叶活动的年龄差异参与灵活控制的学习策略，它将使我能够确定是否控制策略在不同的领域依赖于共享的底层神经系统。

Human ageing is associated with problems in the flexible adjustment of behaviour in changing environments (such as when navigating in a new city or when having to use new technology). Findings in younger adults indicate that these impairments may be due to deficits in the adaptive control of learning strategies (Lee et al., 2014). However, the computational and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the flexible control of learning processes and how they change with age are not (yet) understood. Moreover, it is unclear how age differences in flexible regulation of learning strategies relate to the well-established decline in cognitive control abilities in older age and whether both impairments result from a shared underlying deficit. My research has two long-term goals: 1) I would like to uncover the computational and neurobiological mechanisms underlying age-related deficits in adaptive behavioural control across different cognitive domains. 2) I would like to test the hypothesis that age-related impairments in flexible behavioural control across domains result from underlying deficits in the learning and updating of representations of task structures in the prefrontal cortex. The current research proposal involves three work packages: The aim of the first work package (WP1) is to use behavioural assessments and computational modelling to establish age-related changes in the flexible control of learning strategies and how they relate to age differences in cognitive control. Furthermore, in this work package, I will manipulate the demands on the representation and updating of task structures to probe how representational demands affect age-related impairments in flexible behavioural control. In the second work package (WP2), I will study the neural dynamics underlying age-related deficits in control allocation during learning using electroencephalography (EEG). Specifically, I will use model-based EEG analyses to investigate how age differences in control demands during learning are reflected in event-related potentials (ERP's) and how they relate to age-related changes in pro-active and reactive cognitive control abilities. The objective of the second work package is to investigate whether age differences the flexible behavioural control across cognitive domains share underlying computational and neurophysiological mechanisms. In the final work package (WP3), I will use fMRI to investigate the neural systems involved in the flexible engagement of control during learning and how the recruitment of these systems changes as a function of age and representational demands. The third work package will focus on age differences in prefrontal activity involved in the flexible control of learning strategies and it will allow me establish whether control strategies in different domains rely on shared underlying neural systems.