title: Effects of age and awareness on eyeblink conditional discrimination learning.
abstract: The present study aimed to assess the effects of aging and awareness on conditional discrimination learning within an eyeblink conditioning procedure by using a consecutive age-groups design (20-35 years, 36-50 years, 51-65 years, 66-80 years). Increasing age was associated with a decline in overall eyeblink conditioned response (CR) frequency and a deficit in conditional discrimination learning in the 2 older groups. Awareness of stimulus contingencies affected discrimination performance but not overall CR rates in younger subjects. Older subjects did not achieve eyeblink conditional discrimination learning, regardless of awareness. Discrimination performance correlated with measures of declarative memory. The pattern of results is discussed with respect to the involvement of hippocampal-cerebellar interactions and awareness in the mediation of age-related conditioning changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellebaum
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Daum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology