Age effects in storage and extinction of a naturally acquired conditioned eyeblink response.
Neurobiol Learn Mem
; 109: 104-12, 2014 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24365777
ABSTRACT
Acquisition of conditioned eyeblink responses is known to decline with age, and age-related decline has been related to a reduction of cerebellar size and function. The aim of the present study was to investigate age-related effects on storage-related processes and extinction of visual threat eyeblink responses (VTERs), conditioned responses which are naturally acquired in early childhood. Storage and extinction of VTERs were tested in 34 healthy participants with an age range from 21 to 74 years (mean age 41.6±16.3 years). High-resolution structural magnetic resonance images (MRI) were acquired in all subjects. Conventional volumetric measures and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) were performed at the level of the cerebellum. Storage and extinction of VTERs showed a significant age-dependent decline. Likewise, cerebellar volume decreased with age. Storage, but not extinction showed a significant positive correlation with age-dependent reduction of total cerebellar volume. VBM analysis showed that gray matter volume in circumscribed areas of intermediate lobules VI, and Crus I and II bilaterally were positively correlated with VTER storage (p<0.05, FWE corrected). Considering extinction, no significant correlations with gray matter cerebellar volume were observed. The present findings show that reduction of storage of learned eyeblink responses with age is explained at least in part by age-dependent decline of cerebellar function. Future studies need to be performed to better understand which brain areas contribute to age-dependent reduction of extinction.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cerebelo
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Condicionamento Palpebral
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Extinção Psicológica
Limite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Neurobiol Learn Mem
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
NEUROLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Alemanha