Age-related differences in ERP correlates of value-based decision making

Poyu Chen; Hsin-Yi Hung; Joshua Oon Soo Goh

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.11.008

Age-related differences in ERP correlates of value-based decision making

Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Mar:123:10-22. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.11.008. Epub 2022 Dec 9.

Authors

Poyu Chen¹, Hsin-Yi Hung², Joshua Oon Soo Goh³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Taoyuan Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: joshuagoh@ntu.edu.tw.

PMID: 36610199
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.11.008

Abstract

This study evaluates age-related differences in the temporal dynamics underlying neural processing of value for decision-making in younger and older adults. We applied a lottery-choice task with event-related potentials to determine how and when brain activity during choice and outcome processing diverge between younger and older adults. Behaviorally, older adults accepted more losing stakes than younger adults. During choice, younger adults evinced higher P2 ERP-response positivity with a later P3 positivity that monotonically increased with low to middle to high win probability. Older adults evinced lower P2 responses and P3 amplitudes with more positivity for high and low relative to middle win probability. Both age groups showed similar feedback-related negativity and late parietal positivity, indicating intact reward prediction error representations and salience integration. Feedback-P3 showed more complex sensitivity to expectancy violations in older than younger adults, suggesting subjective uncertainty about reward expectations. Reduced early general neural processing of objective stimulus value with greater contribution of downstream subjective processes might underlie older adult risk-taking behaviors.

Keywords: Aging; ERPs; Temporal processing; Value-based decision-making.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Decision Making / physiology
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials* / physiology
Reward*