Parietal stimulation reverses age-related decline in exploration, learning, and decision-making
Aging can compromise decision-making and learning, potentially due to reduced exploratory behaviors crucial for novel problem-solving. We posit that invigorating exploration could mitigate these declines. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that older mice mirrored human aging, displaying less exploration and learning during decision-making, but optogenetic stimulation of their posterior parietal cortex boosted initial exploration, subsequently improving learning. Thus, enhancing exploration-driven learning could be a key to countering cognitive aging.
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