Motivation to Learn Decreases as People Grow Older, Study Finds

By Madelaine D. Oct 31 2020, 04:32 AM EDT

People's motivation to learn and engage in daily activities decreases as people grow older, according to a new study.

The Psychology Benefits Society said the phenomenon, which psychologists refer to as anhedonia, could appear when an individual no longer wants to pursue old hobbies, or if they continue a pursuit, they will not maintain it.

Motivation to Learn Decreases as People Grow Older, Study Finds — People's motivation to learn and engage in daily activities decreases as people grow older, according to a study. Claudia Wolff/ Unsplash

According to AJC, a recent study of mice from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered a brain circuit crucial for maintaining motivation, so things like anhedonia will not occur.

The study was published on Tuesday in the journal "Cell," wherein neuroscientists examined striosomes. Striosomes play an essential role in a variety of human behaviors. Besides, they are parts of basal ganglia, a forebrain component that is responsible for reinforcement learning.

As mice learned how to make emotional decisions, researchers decided to study striosomes through those animals. The study measured and analyzed the activity of striosomes while they learned to pick between positive or negative results.

The experiment revealed that mice hear two different tones. Sugar water serves as a reward with one technique. Meanwhile, the other manner is represented by a bright light that serves as a mildly aversive stimulus.

The mice learned that if they licked the spout, more sugar water. This choice relied upon hearing the first tone. On the other hand, they found the light would shine less brightly if they lick less, which means they hear the second tone.

Daily Mail reported that researchers are now working towards a potential drug that could help to stimulate activity in the striosome of humans as the initial study was completed.

The treatments could help give people back some of their motivation to learn. Similarly, it may be possible to train patients to enhance striosome activities through biofeedback.

Alexander Friedman, a paper author and physiologist of the University of Texas at El Paso, said: "If you could pinpoint a mechanism which is underlying the subjective evaluation of reward and cost, and use a modern technique that could manipulate it, patients may be able to activate their circuits correctly."

Because of many mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, such treatments would be relevant outside fighting the regular effects of aging.

It can also serve to skew the ability to evaluate the costs and rewards of the actions. For instance, people with depression often underestimate potentially rewarding experiences, and those struggling with addiction could end up overvaluing drugs.