Frontopolar Cortex and Motivation in Healthy Older Adults
Condition: Motivation in Healthy Older Adults
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      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.
    

Detailed description: 
      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.
    

Intervention name(s): transcranial direct current stimulation
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Participants receive anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation while performing effort-based decision tasks.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: 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.
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Basic Science