The burgeoning field of neuroeconomics, representing the interface between economics, psychology, and neuroscience, offers the opportunity to understand the neural mechanisms underlying a wide variety of human social behaviors. The proposed study, submitted in response to RFA-AG-06-011 Neuroeconomics of Aging (R21), will incorporate economic behaviors, including temporal discounting, risk tolerance, trust, and financial literacy into an ongoing longitudinal epidemiologic clinical-pathologic study of aging, the Rush Memory and Aging Project. We will test the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease pathology accounts for individual differences in economic behaviors in older persons without dementia. Preliminary data is provided demonstrating that the majority of older persons without dementia accumulate Alzheimer's disease pathology (neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid) in neural systems that sub serve economic behaviors. These include regions that support analytic decision making including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex, and regions that support affective decision making including nucleus accumbens, orbital frontal cortex, amygdala, anterior caudate nucleus, and anterior insular cortex. We introduce the term degraded rationality to refer to the consequences of pathological changes in the brain on both economic behaviors. The results have important implications for economic modeling of the economic decisions of older persons. The proposed study offers the possibility of identifying the pathologic basis individual differences in economic behaviors in older persons without clinical dementia. As the U.S. population ages, a greater understanding of economic decision making in old age as it applies to savings behavior, inter-generational transfers, retirement planning, advanced directives, and insurance decisions are needed. The results of the proposed study could lay the foundation for a series of studies that address these and other aspects of economic decision making in older persons without dementia.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21AG030765-03
Application #
7633323
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-1 (M1))
Program Officer
Nielsen, Lisbeth
Project Start
2007-09-01
Project End
2010-06-30
Budget Start
2009-07-01
Budget End
2010-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$58,016
Indirect Cost
Name
Rush University Medical Center
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
068610245
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
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Boyle, Patricia A; Yu, Lei; Segawa, Eisuke et al. (2012) Association of cognition with temporal discounting in community based older persons. BMC Geriatr 12:48
Bennett, Jarred S; Boyle, Patricia A; James, Bryan D et al. (2012) Correlates of health and financial literacy in older adults without dementia. BMC Geriatr 12:30
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Boyle, Patricia A; Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S et al. (2012) Poor decision making is a consequence of cognitive decline among older persons without Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment. PLoS One 7:e43647
Bennett, David A; Schneider, Julie A; Buchman, Aron S et al. (2012) Overview and findings from the rush Memory and Aging Project. Curr Alzheimer Res 9:646-63
Boyle, Patricia A; Yu, Lei; Buchman, Aron S et al. (2011) Cognitive function is associated with risk aversion in community-based older persons. BMC Geriatr 11:53