Early Age-Related Functional Connectivity Decline in High-Order Cognitive Networks

As the world ages, it becomes urgent to unravel the mechanisms underlying brain aging and find ways of intervening with them. While for decades cognitive aging has been related to localized brain changes, growing attention is now being paid to alterations in distributed brain networks. Functional co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in aging neuroscience 2017-01, Vol.8, p.330-330
Main Authors: Siman-Tov, Tali, Bosak, Noam, Sprecher, Elliot, Paz, Rotem, Eran, Ayelet, Aharon-Peretz, Judith, Kahn, Itamar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aging
Animal cognition
Attention
Cognitive ability
Dopamine
Life span
Magnetic resonance imaging
Memory
Middle age
Motor task performance
Neural networks
Neurogenesis
Neuroimaging
Neuroscience
Sensorimotor integration
Sensory integration
Visual perception
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Summary:As the world ages, it becomes urgent to unravel the mechanisms underlying brain aging and find ways of intervening with them. While for decades cognitive aging has been related to localized brain changes, growing attention is now being paid to alterations in distributed brain networks. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) has become a particularly useful tool to explore large-scale brain networks; yet, the temporal course of connectivity lifetime changes has not been established. Here, an extensive cross-sectional sample (21-85 years old, = 887) from a public fcMRI database was used to characterize adult lifespan connectivity dynamics within and between seven brain networks: the default mode, salience, dorsal attention, fronto-parietal control, auditory, visual and motor networks. The entire cohort was divided into young (21-40 years, mean ± SD: 25.5 ± 4.8, = 543); middle-aged (41-60 years, 50.6 ± 5.4, = 238); and old (61 years and above, 69.0 ± 6.3, = 106) subgroups. Correlation matrices as well as a mixed model analysis of covariance indicated that within high-order cognitive networks a considerable connectivity decline is already evident by middle adulthood. In contrast, a motor network shows increased connectivity in middle adulthood and a subsequent decline. Additionally, alterations in inter-network interactions are noticeable primarily in the transition between young and middle adulthood. These results provide evidence that aging-related neural changes start early in adult life.
ISSN:1663-4365
1663-4365
DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00330