Age-related changes in the functional integrity of the phasic alerting system: a pupillometric investigation

Enhanced processing following a warning cue is thought to be mediated by a phasic alerting response involving the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. We examined the effect of aging on phasic alerting using pupil dilation as a marker of LC-NA activity in conjunction with a novel assessment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurobiology of aging 2020-07, Vol.91, p.136-147
Main Authors: He, Mingjian, Heindel, William C., Nassar, Matthew R., Siefert, Elizabeth M., Festa, Elena K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Arousal
Attention
Locus coeruleus
Noradrenergic system
Pupil dilation
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Summary:Enhanced processing following a warning cue is thought to be mediated by a phasic alerting response involving the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. We examined the effect of aging on phasic alerting using pupil dilation as a marker of LC-NA activity in conjunction with a novel assessment of task-evoked pupil dilation. While both young and older adults displayed behavioral and pupillary alerting effects, reflected in decreased RT and increased pupillary response under high (tone) versus low (no tone) alerting conditions, older adults displayed a weaker pupillary response that benefited more from the alerting tone. The strong association between dilation and speed displayed by older adults in both alerting conditions was reduced in young adults in the high alerting condition, suggesting that in young (but not older) adults the tone conferred relatively little behavioral benefit beyond that provided by the alerting effect elicited by the target. These findings suggest a functioning but deficient LC-NA alerting system in older adults, and help reconcile previous results concerning the effects of aging on phasic alerting. •Young and older adults both displayed behavioral and pupillary phasic alerting effects.•Older adults had a weaker pupillary response that benefited more from the alerting tone.•Older adults showed delayed pupillary response that normalized with the alerting tone.•In older adults, pupil dilation was strongly associated with speed of response.•In young adults, the association between pupil dilation and speed was reduced under high alerting.
ISSN:0197-4580
1558-1497
DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.02.025