Age-Related Modulation of Decision-Making Strategies And Functional Connectivity

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Abstract
Decision-making involves coordinated activity across distributed neural circuits, including the motor cortex, basal ganglia, and prefrontal cortex. The secondary motor cortex (M2/MOs) flexibly encodes multiple decision strategies, enabling adaptive behavior. Aging disrupts neural coordination and may impair this flexibility. Using Neuropixels data from mice performing a visual discrimination task, we analyzed functional connectivity between MOs, prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia across age groups. Young mice showed stronger MOs connectivity indicating robust network engagement. Older mice exhibited reduced linear correlation strength, though nonlinear mutual information remained relatively preserved. Behaviorally, logistic regression and contrast sensitivity analyses revealed mice reach peak performance in early adulthood, while younger and older mice displayed weaker sensory-driven strategies. These results suggest that aging selectively impairs neural synchrony and flexibility in strategy use, highlighting MOs–PFC–BG network as key substrates for adaptive decision-making across the lifespan.