Tammy L. English, Ph.D. - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Older adults in the U.S. often are faced with complex and stressful health-related decisions that can have profound consequences on their health and longevity. Some of these decisions concern life and death issues. More often decisions reflect everyday choices that come to have cumulative and enduring effects on health. The overall objective of the proposed project is to illuminate the ways that older people make health- related decisions and, more importantly, shed light on ways to improve the quality of the choices they make. It is possible that drawing upon preserved emotional processes during decision-making could somewhat offset age-related weaknesses in cognitive processing. The specific aims of the proposed studies are to (1) to better understand the impact of emotion, cognition, and motivation on health-related decisions in the context of everyday life, (2) to test whether previously documented age differences in decision-making extend to health- related decisions in relatively unhealthy adults. Study 1 will employ a daily diary design to examine how emotion-related goals impact health-related decisions in the context of daily life. Study 2 will employ an experimental design to examine the decisions of relatively unhealthy older adults. Ultimately, the proposed research may help older adults make more informed decisions with desirable outcomes, guide thinking about advanced directives, and have implications for promoting healthy behavioral choices in day-to-day life.

Project Summary Effective emotion regulation is not only central to maintaining psychological well-being, it also contributes to better physical health and social functioning. Given that cognitive control naturally declines with age, certain types of emotion regulation may be more challenging later in life. Older adults may be able to compensate for reduced cognitive control by choosing less cognitively demanding strategies or drawing on their existing social resources (e.g., using interpersonal tactics). These adjustments in emotion regulation may allow older adults to preserve their emotional well-being and even improve. However, those who experience greater than average cognitive declines and do not adjust their tactics may be at heightened risk for impaired emotion regulation. Although the normative profile of change in emotion across adulthood is remarkably positive, there are many individuals who do not show these benefits. It is critical to understand the sources of systematic individual differences in emotion regulation in order to promote health at a population level. This kind of work can allow for better prediction of who is vulnerable to emotion dysregulation and developing mood disorders later in life. The overall objective of the proposed project is to advance understanding of how cognitive and social factors contribute to emotion regulation effectiveness across adulthood. The specific aims of the proposed project are to (1) characterize the links between cognitive control and emotion regulation, (2) examine age differences in emotion regulation strategy use and effectiveness, and (3) test whether social factors mitigate the costs of age-related cognitive impairment for emotion regulation success. To achieve these aims, men and women between the ages of 25 and 85 (diverse in terms of race/ethnicity and SES) will be recruited for a three-part study that incorporates both standardized lab tasks and experience sampling of daily life. Participants will complete two laboratory sessions. The first session will include self-report measures of social connection (e.g., social network, social support) and emotion regulation goals, as well as a comprehensive cognitive battery (including measures of fluid and crystallized cognition). The second session will include a standardized emotion regulation film task in which emotional outcomes (subjective experience and behavioral expressions) will be assessed after instructing participants to increase amusement or contentment and decrease sadness or disgust. Between these two laboratory sessions, participants will complete 9 days of experience sampling that will assess their daily emotional experience and emotion regulation. Ultimately, the proposed research could aid in improving quality of life in aging populations by isolating specific cognitive skills or social resources that could be targeted for intervention to facilitate more effective emotion regulation efforts.

Project Summary Emotion regulation is a central determinant of psychological and physical well-being. As individuals age, they show decline in various aspects of cognition thought to be central to effective emotion regulation. Nonetheless, older adults are typically able to maintain their emotional well-being, such that they experience more stable and positive emotions in daily life. It is unclear, however, whether those with more accelerated cognitive decline also retain this ability to effectively regulate their emotions. It is conceivable that those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, can compensate for declines in cognitive control by harnessing existing personal and social resources to meet their emotional goals. This ability may break down, however, when resources are taxed or if cognitive impairment becomes more severe. The proposed project will address critical questions about the role of cognitive control in emotion regulation and delineate sources of vulnerability for emotion dysregulation in later adulthood. In doing so, it will test whether relying on less cognitively demanding strategies and drawing on social ties in daily life can buffer older adults from the potential negative impact of MCI on emotional well-being outcomes. The overall objective of the proposed project is to advance understanding of the effectiveness of emotion regulation in later adulthood among those with MCI and healthy cognitive aging. The specific aims of the project are to (1) identify whether emotion regulation effectiveness differs in older adults with MCI (versus older adults with healthy cognitive aging and younger adults), (2) characterize patterns of emotion regulation strategy use among older adults with MCI, and (3) isolate contexts in which older adults with MCI are buffered from emotion regulation difficulties. To achieve these aims, a representative sample of older adults (ages 70 to 84) with MCI or normal cognitive aging and younger adults (ages 20 to 34) will be recruited for a three-part study that incorporates both standardized lab tasks and experience sampling of daily life. Participants will complete two laboratory sessions. The first session will include a comprehensive cognitive battery (including measures of fluid and crystallized cognition) and self-report measures of physical health and personality. The second session will include a standardized emotion regulation film task in which emotional outcomes (subjective experience and behavioral expressions) will be assessed after instructing participants to decrease sadness or disgust using an assigned strategy (reappraisal or distraction) and self-selected strategies. Between these two laboratory sessions, participants will complete 14 days of experience sampling that will assess their daily emotional experience and emotion regulation, tracking emotion dynamics and flexibility of strategy use. Ultimately, this work could aid in improving quality of life in MCI and as well as healthy aging populations by illuminating ways to optimize emotion regulation efforts based on one's existing resources.

PROJECT SUMMARY In the progression from middle to older-age, healthy adults typically experience improvements in their emotional functioning, such as increases in positive emotion and greater expertise in managing emotions. However, not everyone shows these age-related improvements, and the mechanisms that give rise to emotional functioning changes across adulthood are still poorly understood. The primary goal of this project is to examine the critical factors that promote positive emotional development in normative aging, and to test whether depression history might moderate this process as a key trait individual difference marker. To this end, we test our proposed Value- Based Cognitive Control Model of Emotion Regulation in ADulthood (VBCC-MERiAD). The VBCC-MERiAD framework suggests a novel insight: that interactions between reward motivation and cognitive control play a central role in understanding both the normative trajectory of emotional functioning in older adults, and conversely, why and how individuals with depression histories may get ?off track?. We focus on effectively upregulating positive emotion, given that older adults prioritize positive emotion goals, and because depression is characterized by blunted reward processing. Our primary hypothesis is that positive emotion regulation (ER) abilities will rely upon the integrity of fronto-striatal circuitry (i.e., activity and connectivity between the lateral prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens / ventral striatum). Engagement of this circuit is predicted to reflect the utilization of reward motivation as a means of engaging cognitive control (i.e., to update and maintain ER goals). Across three Specific Aims, we propose to characterize the mechanisms of ER in middle-aged and older adults (35-74), focusing on neural and behavioral indicators of motivation and cognitive control that predict daily emotional functioning, and potential dysregulation in individuals with depression history. To achieve these aims, we will employ a multi-method design involving functional neuroimaging measures, laboratory behavioral assessments, and experience sampling methods. The sample (N=220) will include an ethnically/racially diverse set of adults (66% women) of ages 35-74, equally subdivided into two groups: healthy controls and people with depression histories. A state-of-the art neuroimaging protocol will assess brain activity associated with different ER strategies, and test for linkages with reward-motivated cognitive control. The comprehensive laboratory assessments will include diagnostic interviewing, self-report measures, cognitive functioning batteries, and a standardized ER task with measures of autonomic reactivity and behavioral coding of emotion. The experience sampling protocol will provide a naturalistic, ecologically valid assessment of participants? emotional experiences, goals and regulatory strategies. The proposed research will dramatically extend our understanding of both normative and dysfunctional age-related change in emotional function, by identifying mechanisms that promote positive ER in late adulthood. In so doing, we will lay the foundation for new interventions to improve quality of life for healthy older adults and preventative therapeutic targets for individuals with depression history.