Resting-State Functional Connectivity Within Medial Prefrontal Cortex Mediates Age Differences in Risk Taking

ABSTRACT

To investigate the association between age-related changes in risk taking and resting-state functional activity, we recorded resting-state scans from both young (n = 26) and older adults (n = 27). In addition, all participants completed two decision-making tasks: the Cambridge Gambling Task and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. We found that older adults showed decreased functional connectivity within the medial prefrontal cortex, particularly between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, these changes in resting-state functional connectivity were associated with the individuals’ risk-taking behavior, and mediated the influence of age on risk taking.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31300856 to J.Y. and 31571111 to X.L.), the Doctoral Fund of the Ministry of Education of China (20130182120013 to J.Y.), and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KLMH2015G05 to J.Y.).

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31300856 to J.Y. and 31571111 to X.L.), the Doctoral Fund of the Ministry of Education of China (20130182120013 to J.Y.), and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KLMH2015G05 to J.Y.).