scholarly journals Age-related differences in decision-making process in the context of healthy aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 01022
Author(s):  
Felix Zakirov ◽  
Arsenty Krasilnikov

During aging cognitive functions change differently from others. Unlike most of the body systems, there is no clear decline pattern in cognitive processes. One of the most significant cognitive processes is decision-making, which defines social interactions, economical relationships, and risky behavior. Among factors influence decisionmaking process, individual lifelong experience is considered to be an important one. Obviously, older adults have more life experience, than the younger groups. However, the former often do not tend to rational choices and beneficial strategies. In this case it is important to assess how aging processes in brain contribute into searching for the most beneficial option during decision-making. On the basis of today’s studies about risky behavior, judgement of fairness, financial games, and modern neuroimaging data this review will observe and discuss age-related differences in decision-making. Thus, a correct cognitive profile of older adult in decision-making context can be determined.

Author(s):  
Hana Burianová

Determining the mechanisms that underlie neurocognitive aging, such as compensation or dedifferentiation, and facilitating the development of effective strategies for cognitive improvement is essential due to the steadily rising aging population. One approach to study the characteristics of healthy aging comprises the assessment of functional connectivity, delineating markers of age-related neurocognitive plasticity. Functional connectivity paradigms characterize complex one-to-many (or many-to-many) structure–function relations, as higher-level cognitive processes are mediated by the interaction among a number of functionally related neural areas rather than localized to discrete brain regions. Task-related or resting-state interregional correlations of brain activity have been used as reliable indices of functional connectivity, delineating age-related alterations in a number of large-scale brain networks, which subserve attention, working memory, episodic retrieval, and task-switching. Together with behavioral and regional activation studies, connectivity studies and modeling approaches have contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms of age-related reorganization of distributed functional networks; specifically, reduced neural specificity (dedifferentiation) and associated impairment in inhibitory control and compensatory neural recruitment.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdem Pulcu ◽  
Masahiko Haruno

AbstractInteracting with others to decide how finite resources should be allocated between parties which may have competing interests is an important part of social life. Considering that not all of our proposals to others are always accepted, the outcomes of such social interactions are, by their nature, probabilistic and risky. Here, we highlight cognitive processes related to value computations in human social interactions, based on mathematical modelling of the proposer behavior in the Ultimatum Game. Our results suggest that the perception of risk is an overarching process across non-social and social decision-making, whereas nonlinear weighting of others’ acceptance probabilities is unique to social interactions in which others’ valuation processes needs to be inferred. Despite the complexity of social decision-making, human participants make near-optimal decisions by dynamically adjusting their decision parameters to the changing social value orientation of their opponents through influence by multidimensional inferences they make about those opponents (e.g. how prosocial they think their opponent is relative to themselves).


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 345-363
Author(s):  
JoNell Strough ◽  
Wändi Bruine de Bruin

This review summarizes research and theory on aging and decision making. We trace the conceptual and historical origins of using behavioral decision-making tasks to identify age differences in decision-making competence. We review cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that suggest that some facets of decision-making competence remain relatively stable across adulthood. We describe how older adults’ decision-making competence may be challenged by complex decisions that tax their fluid cognitive abilities, especially when decisions are not seen as personally relevant. We discuss how relying on life experience can offset declines in fluid reasoning skills and how age-related shifts in motivation and improvements in emotion regulation provide an advantage when decisions involve losses and missed opportunities. We discuss how existing knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the aging decision maker might be applied to improve decision-making competence and outline next steps for advancing understanding of decision making across adulthood.


Author(s):  
Yu. Filippova ◽  
M. Kholodilina ◽  
A. Burmistrova

The study of the small intestine microbiota in humans is difficult due to the low availability of biomaterial. Non-invasive methods of metabolomics and bioinformatic data analysis can expand our understanding of the structure and role the small intestine microbiota in maintaining homeostasis of the body. The article presents the trajectory of age-related changes in the microbial community of the small intestine in healthy individuals in the context of interaction with the cytokine and neuroendocrine systems within the metaorganism, using the methods of gas chromatography - mass spectrometry of microbial markers (GCMS MM) and optimal scaling. 110 practically healthy individuals: children, adults and elderly, were included into the study. The number of the main types of small intestine microbiota (Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Fusobacteria) was determined in peripheral blood by the GCMS MM method. To construct the trajectories of changes in the small intestine microbiota and indicators of the cytokine and neuroendocrine systems with age, the optimal scaling technique based on the multivariate Gifi transformation (CATPCA method) was used. It was found, that the bacterial community of the small intestine of both children and the elderly and seniors has a significantly low total number of microorganisms, due to the low content of bacteria of the types Firmicutes and Actinobacteria against the background of a high number of representatives of the types Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria, in comparison with similar indicators in adults. Assessment of the trajectory of age-associated changes in the microbiota of the small intestine showed: 1) children have strong dynamic fluctuations in the number and connections within the community of microorganisms against the background of the formation of connections between the main regulatory systems of the metaorganism – immune and neuroendocrine; 2) adults present the plasticity and consistency of the functioning of the immune and nervous systems, what determine the state of dynamic balance of the small intestine microbiota; 3) healthy aging characterize by hight degree of cooperation between the main members of the bacterial community, which ensures the stability of the system at a new level, as one of the mechanisms of adaptation of the organism. Thus, the using the methods of GCMS MM and optimal scaling, allows us to expand our understanding of the age-associated trajectory of changes in the small intestine microbiota and its cooperation with the immune and neuroendocrine systems within the metaorganism, which can be used in the development of new methods of therapy of an infectious and non-infectious diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Li ◽  
Junjun Ni ◽  
Hong Qing

The current trend for the rapid growth of the global aging population poses substantial challenges for society. The human aging process has been demonstrated to be closely associated with changes in gut microbiota composition, diversity, and functional features. During the first 2 years of life, the gut microbiota undergoes dramatic changes in composition and metabolic functions as it colonizes and develops in the body. Although the gut microbiota is nearly established by the age of three, it continues to mature until adulthood, when it comprises more stable and diverse microbial species. Meanwhile, as the physiological functions of the human body deteriorated with age, which may be a result of immunosenescence and “inflammaging,” the guts of elderly people are generally characterized by an enrichment of pro-inflammatory microbes and a reduced abundance of beneficial species. The gut microbiota affects the development of the brain through a bidirectional communication system, called the brain-gut-microbiota (BGM) axis, and dysregulation of this communication is pivotal in aging-related cognitive impairment. Microbiota-targeted dietary interventions and the intake of probiotics/prebiotics can increase the abundance of beneficial species, boost host immunity, and prevent gut-related diseases. This review summarizes the age-related changes in the human gut microbiota based on recent research developments. Understanding these changes will likely facilitate the design of novel therapeutic strategies to achieve healthy aging.


2021 ◽  
pp. 234-251
Author(s):  
JoNell Strough ◽  
Kelly Smith

This chapter focuses on the role of motivation for understanding adult age differences in decision making. It begins by reviewing research on cognitive aging and decision making. It then reviews research that highlights older adults’ motivation to selectively allocate cognitive resources when making decisions and their motivation to draw upon life experience and emotion regulation strategies. Next, because age-related shifts in motivation accentuate a focus on meaningful social relationships, the chapter considers social aspects of aging and decision making. It discusses age-related differences in selection of social network members and considers factors that may motivate older adults to involve others in the decision-making process. It suggests how research on motivation and aging and decision making could be used to inform decision-making interventions. After suggesting directions for future research, it concludes by highlighting the implications of research on aging and decision making for understanding contextual and motivational influences on cognitive aging.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Matadial

The aging population is growing and life expectancy is prolonged. The elderly population is able to enjoy prolonged life with good management of their chronic conditions. Many elderly do not have medical conditions but we still see a decline in their organ function and physiologic reserve that weighs in on their daily living. As well these changes in anatomy, physiology and chemistry puts them at risk of developing medical conditions and experience adverse outcomes during surgery and anesthesia. The central nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic and renal systems all work together and are affected as a whole with aging causing physiologic changes but also compensatory mechanisms. In this review we will study the aging physiology of the body and touch on its implications in anesthesia. This review contains 5 figures, 3 tables, and  55 references. Keywords: Healthy aging, age-related changes, Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, vascular stiffening, ventricular arterial coupling, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Spirometry, Glomerular Filtration Rate, hallmarks of aging


1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 430-433
Author(s):  
Donald E. Erwin

Changes in cognitive processes, personality, and physiological functioning associated with normative aging can affect decision-making capabilities, particularly under conditions of situational urgency. Those aspects of decision environments most likely to precipitate age-related performance decrements are discussed in terms of their potential for remedial human engineering.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Marchesi ◽  
Jairo Pérez-Osorio ◽  
Davide De Tommaso ◽  
Agnieszka Wykowska

Understanding the human cognitive processes involved in the interaction with artificial agents is crucial for designing socially capable robots. During social interactions, humans tend to explain and predict others’ behavior adopting the intentional stance, that is, assuming that mental states drive behavior. However, the question of whether humans would adopt the same strategy with artificial agents remains unanswered. The present study aimed at identifying whether the type of behavior exhibited by the robot has an impact on the attribution of mentalistic explanations of behavior. We employed the Instance Questionnaire (ISQ) pre and post-observation of two types of behavior (decisive or hesitant). We found that decisive behavior, with rare and unexpected “hesitant” behaviors lead to more mentalistic attributions relative to behavior that was primarily hesitant. Findings suggest that higher expectations regarding the robots’ capabilities and the characteristics of the behavior might lead to more mentalistic descriptions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-56
Author(s):  
Colwyn Trevarthen

Abstract Human beings move coherently as individual selves, body and mind adapted to perform complex activities with imagination, knowledge, and skill; perceiving the environment by engaging it with discrimination and care. Human beings live intersubjectively in communitiesl each with the rituals, beliefs, and language of a culture, along with a history of affective relationships and agreed habits for acting in cooperation. These attachments and cultural habits depend upon an ability to sense the intentions, interests, and feelings of other human selves through sympathetic response to motives and emotions as displayed in the shapes and rhythms of body movement: an ability that infants possess from birth. No brain theory explains this ‘felt immediacy’ of others’ life experience, which philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment accepted as proof that human beings are ‘innately sympathetic’. An innate time sense, capacity to ‘attune’ to the dynamics of body movement, and ability to recognise serial ordering in ‘stories’ all appear essential. A theory of ‘communicative musicality’ employs key parameters of pulse, quality of movement, and narrative, applying them to poetry, music, dance, the prosody and rhetoric of language, and the regulation of skillful practices of all kinds. These elements - present in foetal movements and engaged in through joyful intersubjective ‘story-telling’ from birth - give direct information on how the human brain orchestrates reflex functions to move the body with sensations of grace and efficiency. Their age-related development leads to mastery of language and cultural rituals. They conduct all cognitive functions and all meaning making.


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