# Dopaminergic mechanisms of reward memory in aging

> **NIH NIH F31** · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $35,703

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Aging is accompanied by reductions in multiple components of the dopamine system and concomitant declines
in cognition. Alterations in dopamine signaling have been posited to be major drivers of age-related changes in
multiple cognitive domains including reward processing, memory encoding and memory consolidation. Salient
events, such as those associated with rewards, are more likely to be remembered later. Evidence from animal
models has demonstrated that reactivation of neural activity contributes to prioritization of rewarding events. In
recent human fMRI studies, activation patterns produced during specific task conditions persisted into periods
of rest following the task, and the strength of this persistence is related to better memory performance.
However, the exact mechanisms driving reinstatement of fMRI patterns remain unknown. The current project
will test, for the first time in humans, whether greater dopamine release is related to reinstatement of fMRI
activation patterns, and whether dopamine function impacts the relationship between reinstatement and reward
memory. Endogenous dopamine release will be quantified in vivo in cognitively normal older adults using the
positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [11C]raclopride and a within-subjects pharmacological protocol
using the dopamine reuptake-inhibitor methylphenidate. fMRI pattern reinstatement will be measured using
multi-voxel pattern analysis and a classifier algorithm to distinguish between fMRI patterns associated with
high and low reward task conditions. Reinstatement of these patterns into periods of rest following the task will
determine persistence of reward-related activation. This project will use a healthy aging sample where there is
substantial inter-individual variability in all measures of interest and where defining the impact of suboptimal
dopamine function is most clinically relevant. Analyses will include Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related pathology
(tau and β-amyloid) as covariates. Dopamine is rarely studied in the context of AD and accounting for
pathology will allow for assessment of cognitive and neural effects that are specifically related to dopamine.
Aim 1 will establish relationships between dopamine function and reward-related fMRI patterns during
encoding. Aim 2 will link fMRI reinstatement, dopamine, and cognitive performance. We predict that individuals
with the highest dopamine release will demonstrate distinct fMRI patterns for high versus low reward task
conditions, suggesting that dopamine contributes to tuning and sharpening neural activity for reward-related
events. The proposed project will allow the PI to train in (1) advanced neuroimaging, (2) reward processing in
aging, (3) statistics, (4) scientific communication, and (5) mentorship. Dr. Anne Berry (sponsor) and Dr. Jacob
Hooker (co-sponsor) have expertise in PET, fMRI, and aging. Brandeis University and the Massachusetts
General Hospital provide exceptional faculty...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10824534
- **Project number:** 1F31AG085963-01
- **Recipient organization:** BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Claire Ciampa
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $35,703
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-16 → 2027-07-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10824534

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10824534, Dopaminergic mechanisms of reward memory in aging (1F31AG085963-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10824534. Licensed CC0.

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