Age-related differences in cognition and socioemotional functions, and in associated brain regions, may reduce sensitivity to cues of untrustworthiness, with effects on trust-related decision making and trusting behavior. This study examined age-group differences in brain activity and behavior during a trust game. In this game, participants received "breach-of-trust" feedback after half of the trials. The feedback indicated that only 50% of the monetary investment into their fellow players had resulted in returns. The study also explored the effects of intranasal oxytocin on trust-related decisions in aging, based on suggestions of a modulatory role of oxytocin in response to negative social stimuli and perceptions of trust. Forty-seven younger and 46 older participants selfadministered intranasal oxytocin or placebo, in a randomized, double-blind, between-subjects procedure, before they engaged in the trust game while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Younger participants invested less into their game partners after breach-of-trust feedback, while older participants showed no significant difference in their investment after breach-of-trust feedback. Oxytocin did not modulate the behavioral effects. However, after breachof-trust feedback, older participants in the oxytocin group showed less activity in the left superior temporal gyrus. In contrast, older participants in the placebo group showed more activity in left superior temporal gyrus after breach of trust. The findings may reflect reduced responsiveness to cues of untrustworthiness in older adults. Furthermore, the modulatory effect of oxytocin on left superior temporal gyrus activity among older adults supports the neuropeptide's age-differential role in neural processes in aging, including in the context of trust-related decision making.
The aging of our population has been accompanied by increasing concerns about older adults' vulnerability to violations of trust and a growing interest in normative age-related changes to decision making involving social partners. This intersection has spurred research on age-related neurocognitive and affective changes underlying social decision making. Based on our review and synthesis of this literature, we propose a specification that targets social decision making in aging to the recently proposed Affect-Integration-Motivation (AIM) framework. Our framework specification, Changes in Integration for Social Decisions in Aging (CISDA), emphasizes three key components of value integration with particular relevance for social decisions in aging: theory of mind, emotion regulation, and memory for past experience. CISDA builds on converging research from economic decision making, cognitive neuroscience, and lifespan development to outline how age-related changes to neurocognition and behavior impact social decision making. We conclude with recommendations for future research based on CISDA's predictions, including implications for the development of interventions to enhance social decision outcomes in older adults.
Background: Treatment-seeking men with alcohol use disorder (AUD) classically exhibit a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to pharmacologic and behavioral provocations during the early phases of abstinence from alcohol. Independent of alcohol, a significant muting of HPA axis reactivity is also observed among racial minority (e.g. Black) individuals. The effect of AUD upon the altered HPA axis response of racial minority individuals has not been explored. The current work represents a secondary analysis of race and AUD status among a sample of men.Methods: Healthy male controls (17 White, 7 Black) and four-to six-week abstinent men with AUD (49 White, 13 Black) were administered a psychosocial stressor and two pharmacologic probes [ovine corticotropin releasing hormone (oCRH) and cosyntropin] to assess HPA axis reactivity. Plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) were assessed at 10-20 minute intervals prior to and following behavioral and pharmacological stimulation. Basal and netintegrated responses following provocations were analyzed to identify potential group differences. A measure of childhood adversity was also obtained to consider the implications of prior stressors upon HPA axis function.Results: A three-fold increase in oCRH-induced ACTH was seen in Black men relative to White men regardless of AUD status. Adversity exerted a dampening effect on this pituitary sensitivity within Black controls only. Adjusted for adversity, a significant blunting effect of AUD status on ACTH reactivity was identified within White participants following oCRH. No group differences
BACKGROUND Driver age and blood alcohol concentration are both important factors in predicting driving risk, however little is known regarding the joint import of these factors on neural activity following socially-relevant alcohol doses. We examined age and alcohol effects on brain oscillations during simulated driving, focusing on two region-specific frequency bands implicated in task performance and attention: posterior alpha power (PAP; 8–12 Hz) and frontal theta power (FTP; 4–7 Hz). METHODS Participants included 80 younger (25–35 years) and 40 older (55–70 years) community-dwelling, moderate drinkers. Participants consumed placebo, low, or moderate doses of alcohol designed to achieve target peak BrACs of 0, .04 or .065 g/dL, respectively. Electrophysiology was collected during engagement in a simulated driving task involving four scenarios of varied environmental complexity. RESULTS A main effect of age was detected in FTP, but neither an alcohol effect nor interactions were observed. For PAP, an age by alcohol interaction was detected. Relative to placebo controls, older and younger participants receiving low dose (.04 g/dL) alcohol evinced divergent PAP alterations, with a pattern of higher power among older participants and lower power among younger. This interaction was noted across the varied environmental contexts. DISCUSSION These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that compared to younger individuals, older drivers may be differentially susceptible to alcohol effects. While these age by alcohol interactions in neural activity are provocative, further investigation exploring the mechanisms and behavioral correlates of these effects will be crucial in determining their behavioral impact.
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