Research into Ageing: Categorical Decisions in the Ageing Human Brain.

Our everyday decisions are determined by knowledge about our environments and abstract rules that allow us to interpret novel experiences in different contexts. We will examine changes in brain structure and function that underlie our ability to learn decision rules across the life span. We will combine mathematical, behavioural and non-invasive imaging methods that allow us to study the human brain in vivo. Our findings will provide novel insights in understanding the mechanisms that mediate rapid cognitive decline in some adults while graceful ageing in others and have potential implications for diagnosis and intervention in neurodegenerative disorders common in ageing.