Braver Todd S, Barch Deanna M
Department of Psychology, Washington University, Campus Box 1125, One Brookings Drive, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2002 Nov;26(7):809-17. doi: 10.1016/s0149-7634(02)00067-2.
A theory is described which links cognitive changes observed in normal aging to an underlying decline in the function of the dopamine (DA) system projection to prefrontal cortex (PFC). The theory postulates that this neural mechanism is integral to the representation, maintenance and updating of context information, and as such impacts cognitive control across a wide range of cognitive domains, including working memory, attention, and inhibition. Behavioral and brain imaging data in support of the theory are discussed, which demonstrate selective impairments in context processing among healthy older adults associated with abnormal PFC activation. These findings highlight the utility of a computational approach to cognitive aging. Current directions for further refinement and validation of the model are outlined.
本文描述了一种理论，该理论将正常衰老过程中观察到的认知变化与多巴胺（DA）系统向前额叶皮层（PFC）投射功能的潜在衰退联系起来。该理论假定，这种神经机制对于情境信息的表征、维持和更新至关重要，因此会影响广泛认知领域的认知控制，包括工作记忆、注意力和抑制。文中讨论了支持该理论的行为和脑成像数据，这些数据表明，健康老年人在情境处理方面存在选择性损伤，且与PFC异常激活有关。这些发现凸显了计算方法在认知衰老研究中的实用性。本文还概述了该模型进一步完善和验证的当前方向。
