Age-related Effects on Word Recognition: Reliance on Cognitive Control Systems with Structural Declines in Speech-responsive Cortex

Speech recognition can be difficult and effortful for older adults, even for those with normal hearing. Declining frontal lobe cognitive control has been hypothesized to cause age-related speech recognition problems. This study examined age-related changes in frontal lobe function for 15 clinically...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology 2008-06, Vol.9 (2), p.252-259
Main Authors: Eckert, Mark A., Walczak, Adam, Ahlstrom, Jayne, Denslow, Stewart, Horwitz, Amy, Dubno, Judy R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aging - physiology
Attention - physiology
Auditory Cortex - physiology
Female
Gyrus Cinguli - physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Neurobiology
Neurosciences
Otorhinolaryngology
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology
Speech Perception - physiology
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Summary:Speech recognition can be difficult and effortful for older adults, even for those with normal hearing. Declining frontal lobe cognitive control has been hypothesized to cause age-related speech recognition problems. This study examined age-related changes in frontal lobe function for 15 clinically normal hearing adults (21–75 years) when they performed a word recognition task that was made challenging by decreasing word intelligibility. Although there were no age-related changes in word recognition, there were age-related changes in the degree of activity within left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and anterior cingulate (ACC) regions during word recognition. Older adults engaged left MFG and ACC regions when words were most intelligible compared to younger adults who engaged these regions when words were least intelligible. Declining gray matter volume within temporal lobe regions responsive to word intelligibility significantly predicted left MFG activity, even after controlling for total gray matter volume, suggesting that declining structural integrity of brain regions responsive to speech leads to the recruitment of frontal regions when words are easily understood.
ISSN:1525-3961
1438-7573
DOI:10.1007/s10162-008-0113-3