The ability to process multiple sources of information concurrently is particularly impaired as individuals age and such age-related increases in multitasking costs have been linked to impairments in response selection. Previous neuroimaging studies with young adults have implicated the left hemisphere prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a key neural substrate of response selection. In addition, several transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) studies have provided causal evidence implicating this region in response selection and multitasking operations. For example, Filmer et al. (2013b) demonstrated that typically observed response selection learning/training gains in young adults were disrupted via offline tDCS of left, but not right, PFC. Here, considering evidence of age-related structural and functional changes in the brains of older adults, we assessed if this pattern of response selection learning disruption via tDCS to the left PFC is observed in older adults, testing if this region remains a key response selection node as individuals age. In a pre-registered study with 58 older adults, we applied anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation to left and right PFC, and measured performance as participants trained on low- and high-response selection load tasks. Active stimulation did not disrupt training in older adults as compared to younger adults from our previous study. The results highlight age-related differences in the casual neural substrates that subserve response selection and learning.

随着个人年龄的增长，同时处理多个信息源的能力尤其受到损害，并且这种与年龄相关的多任务处理成本的增加与反应选择的损害有关。以前对年轻人进行的神经影像学研究表明，左半球前额叶皮层 (PFC) 是反应选择的关键神经基质。此外，几项经颅直流电刺激 (tDCS) 研究提供了因果证据，表明该区域与响应选择和多任务操作有关。例如，菲尔默等人。(2013b) 表明，在年轻人中通常观察到的反应选择学习/培训收益被左侧而非右侧 PFC 的离线 tDCS 中断。在这里，考虑到老年人大脑中与年龄相关的结构和功能变化的证据，我们评估了在老年人中是否观察到这种通过 tDCS 到左侧 PFC 的反应选择学习中断模式，测试该区域是否仍然是随着个体年龄增长的关键反应选择节点。在对 58 名老年人进行的一项预先注册的研究中，我们对左右 PFC 应用阳极、阴极和假刺激，并测量参与者在接受低响应和高响应选择负荷任务训练时的表现。与我们之前研究中的年轻人相比，主动刺激不会干扰老年人的训练。结果突出了促进反应选择和学习的偶然神经基质中与年龄相关的差异。测试该区域是否随着个体年龄的增长而仍然是关键的反应选择节点。在对 58 名老年人进行的一项预先注册的研究中，我们对左右 PFC 应用阳极、阴极和假刺激，并测量参与者在接受低响应和高响应选择负荷任务训练时的表现。与我们之前研究中的年轻人相比，主动刺激不会干扰老年人的训练。结果突出了促进反应选择和学习的偶然神经基质中与年龄相关的差异。测试该区域是否随着个体年龄的增长而仍然是关键的响应选择节点。在对 58 名老年人进行的一项预先注册的研究中，我们对左右 PFC 应用阳极、阴极和假刺激，并测量参与者在接受低响应和高响应选择负荷任务训练时的表现。与我们之前研究中的年轻人相比，主动刺激不会干扰老年人的训练。结果突出了促进反应选择和学习的偶然神经基质中与年龄相关的差异。与我们之前研究中的年轻人相比，主动刺激不会干扰老年人的训练。结果突出了促进反应选择和学习的偶然神经基质中与年龄相关的差异。与我们之前研究中的年轻人相比，主动刺激不会干扰老年人的训练。结果突出了促进反应选择和学习的偶然神经基质中与年龄相关的差异。