Research Project: Bilişsel Yaşlanma Fare Modeli Olarak Karar Verme Ve Aralık Zamanlama : Davranışsal, Nörobiyolojik Ve Hesaplamalı Yaklaşımlar
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Contributors
Funders
ID
TB.00224
Authors
Balcı, Fuat
Faculty Member
Publications
Aging impairs perceptual decision-making in mice: integrating computational and neurobiological approaches
(Springer, 2020) Balcı, Fuat; Duyan, Yalçın Akın; Gür, Ezgi; Türkakın, Esin; Arkan, Sertan; Karson, Ayşe; Department of Psychology; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; KUTTAM (Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine); Yes; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES; KUTTAM (Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine)
Decision-making is one of the cognitive domains which has been under-investigated in animal models of cognitive aging along with its neurobiological correlates. This study investigated the latent variables of the decision process using the hierarchical drift-diffusion model (HDDM). Neurobiological correlates of these processes were examined via immunohistochemistry. Young (n = 11, 4 months old), adult (n = 10, 10 months old), and old (n = 10, 18 months old) mice were tested in a perceptual decision-making task (i.e. two-alternative forced-choice; 2AFC). Observed data showed that there was an age-dependent decrease in the accuracy rate of old mice while response times were comparable between age groups. HDDM results revealed that age-dependent accuracy difference was a result of a decrease in the quality of evidence integration during decision-making. Significant positive correlations observed between evidence integration rate and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and axon terminals in dorsomedial striatum (DMS) suggest that decrease in the quality of evidence integration in aging is related to decreased function of mesocortical and nigrostriatal dopamine.
Interval timing deficits and their neurobiological correlates in aging mice
(Elsevier, 2020) Balcı, Fuat; Duyan, Yalçın Akın; Gür, Ezgi; Arkan, Sertan; Arkan, Sertan; Karson, Ayşe; Department of Psychology; KUTTAM (Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine); Yes; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Research Center
Age-related neurobiological and cognitive alterations suggest that interval timing (as a related function) is also altered in aging, which can, in turn, disrupt timing-dependent functions. We investigated alterations in interval timing with aging and accompanying neurobiological changes. We tested 4-6, 10-12, and 18-20 month-old mice on the dual peak interval procedure. Results revealed a specific deficit in the termination of timed responses (stop-times). The decision processes contributed more to timing variability (vs. clock/memory process) in the aged mice. We observed age-dependent reductions in the number of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA and SNc, cholinergic neurons in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DB) complex, and density of dopaminergic axon terminals in the DLS/DMS. Negative correlations were found between the number of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA and stop times, and the number of cholinergic neurons in MS/DB complex and the acquisition of stop times. Our results point at age-dependent changes in the decisional components of interval timing and the role of dopaminergic and cholinergic functions in these behavioral alterations.
