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Motivation represents a core aspect of goal-directed behavior as it determines how much effort individuals are willing to invest to reach their goals. While research on effort-based decision-making focuses mainly on effort preferences in younger adults, loss of motivation might be a key component of the apathetic tendencies frequently seen in older adults. However, an open question refers to which brain mechanisms underlie motivational processes in older adults. The investigators have recently shown that the frontopolar cortex plays a crucial in motivating the exertion of rewarded effort in younger adults. The goal of the current study is to determine whether frontopolar cortex plays a crucial role for motivation also in older adults and may thus be a promising target for improving the motivation deficits in healthy aging. Participants perform computer-based experimental tasks measuring the propensity to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards. During task performance, participants receive anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over their frontopolar cortex. The study tests whether tDCS over frontopolar cortex allows modulating participants' motivation to engage in rewarded effort.
Motivation represents a core aspect of goal-directed behavior as it determines how much effort individuals are willing to invest to reach their goals. While research on effort-based decision-making focuses mainly on effort preferences in younger adults, loss of motivation might be a key component of the apathetic tendencies frequently seen in older adults. However, an open question refers to which brain mechanisms underlie motivational processes in older adults. The investigators have recently shown that the frontopolar cortex plays a crucial in motivating the exertion of rewarded effort in younger adults (Soutschek et al., 2018, Biological Psychiatry). The goal of the current study is to determine whether frontopolar cortex plays a crucial role for motivation also in older adults and may thus be a promising target for improving the motivation deficits in healthy aging. 30 older participants (65-80 years) perform computer-based experimental tasks measuring the propensity to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards. During task performance, participants receive 1 mA anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over their frontopolar cortex. The study tests whether tDCS over frontopolar cortex allows modulating participants' motivation to engage in rewarded effort.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| anodal transcranial direct current stimulation | Experimental | anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (current strength: 1 mA, duration: 20 min) over the frontopolar cortex |
|
| sham transcranial direct current stimulation | Sham Comparator | sham transcranial direct current stimulation (current strength: 1 mA, duration: 0.5 min) over the frontopolar cortex |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| transcranial direct current stimulation | Device | Participants receive anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation while performing effort-based decision tasks. |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| participants' decisions to exert cognitive or physical effort for monetary rewards | The project seeks to test the causal role of FPC in discounting of cognitive and physical effort in healthy older adults. For that purpose, participants perform a task on a computer which requires the participants to decide whether the participants are willing to exert cognitive or physical effort for a monetary reward. Participants perform this task both under anodal and under sham stimulation. It is tested whether anodal, relative to sham, stimulation increases participants' willingness to engage in rewarded cognitive or physical effort. | All participants perform this decision-making task in both experimental sessions (i.e., both the anodal and the sham stimulation session) for 20 min while receiving anodal or sham stimulation. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Philippe N Tobler, Prof. | University of Zurich | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Zurich | Zurich | 8006 | Switzerland |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D065908 | Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D004599 | Electric Stimulation Therapy |
| D013812 | Therapeutics |
| D003295 | Convulsive Therapy |
| D013000 | Psychiatric Somatic Therapies |
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In two separate sessions, participants receive either anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation while the participants are performing a decision-making task on the computer.
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The participants are blind to whether the participants receive anodal or sham stimulation in a session.
| D004191 | Behavioral Disciplines and Activities |
| D004597 | Electroshock |
| D011580 | Psychological Techniques |