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Behavior Model for Assessing Decline in Executive Function During Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Psychiatric Disorders

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2011))

Abstract

Executive dysfunction is a characteristic of several psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Interestingly, executive function, which is mediated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), commonly declines during aging. The attentional set-shifting task (AST) is commonly and extensively used to assess executive function in rodents, primates, and humans. When properly employed, this task can behaviorally assess attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. The following section uses research on age-related decline in executive function to demonstrate the methods employed and highlight areas that can confound a study if not employed properly.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by National Institute of Aging grants R37AG036800, R01049711, R01052258, and R01037984 and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Brittney Yegla, Thomas C. Foster & Ashok Kumar

  2. Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Ashok Kumar

Authors
  1. Brittney Yegla
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  2. Thomas C. Foster
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  3. Ashok Kumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ashok Kumar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Firas H. Kobeissy

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Yegla, B., Foster, T.C., Kumar, A. (2019). Behavior Model for Assessing Decline in Executive Function During Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases. In: Kobeissy, F. (eds) Psychiatric Disorders. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2011. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9554-7_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9554-7_26

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9553-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9554-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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