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Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Samanez-Larkin, GR; Levens, SM; Perry, LM; Dougherty, RF; Knutson, B
Published in: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
April 2012

Frontostriatal circuits have been implicated in reward learning, and emerging findings suggest that frontal white matter structural integrity and probabilistic reward learning are reduced in older age. This cross-sectional study examined whether age differences in frontostriatal white matter integrity could account for age differences in reward learning in a community life span sample of human adults. By combining diffusion tensor imaging with a probabilistic reward learning task, we found that older age was associated with decreased reward learning and decreased white matter integrity in specific pathways running from the thalamus to the medial prefrontal cortex and from the medial prefrontal cortex to the ventral striatum. Further, white matter integrity in these thalamocorticostriatal paths could statistically account for age differences in learning. These findings suggest that the integrity of frontostriatal white matter pathways critically supports reward learning. The findings also raise the possibility that interventions that bolster frontostriatal integrity might improve reward learning and decision making.

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Published In

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

ISSN

0270-6474

Publication Date

April 2012

Volume

32

Issue

15

Start / End Page

5333 / 5337

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Thalamus
  • Reward
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Neural Pathways
  • Nerve Fibers
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Learning
  • Individuality
 

Citation

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Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Samanez-Larkin, G. R., Levens, S. M., Perry, L. M., Dougherty, R. F., & Knutson, B. (2012). Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning. The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 32(15), 5333–5337. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.5756-11.2012
Samanez-Larkin, Gregory R., Sara M. Levens, Lee M. Perry, Robert F. Dougherty, and Brian Knutson. “Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning.The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 32, no. 15 (April 2012): 5333–37. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.5756-11.2012.
Samanez-Larkin GR, Levens SM, Perry LM, Dougherty RF, Knutson B. Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2012 Apr;32(15):5333–7.
Samanez-Larkin, Gregory R., et al. “Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning.The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, vol. 32, no. 15, Apr. 2012, pp. 5333–37. Epmc, doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5756-11.2012.
Samanez-Larkin GR, Levens SM, Perry LM, Dougherty RF, Knutson B. Frontostriatal white matter integrity mediates adult age differences in probabilistic reward learning. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2012 Apr;32(15):5333–5337.

Published In

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

ISSN

0270-6474

Publication Date

April 2012

Volume

32

Issue

15

Start / End Page

5333 / 5337

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Thalamus
  • Reward
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Neural Pathways
  • Nerve Fibers
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Learning
  • Individuality