Rieck JR, Baracchini G, Nichol D, Abdi H, Grady CL. Reconfiguration and dedifferentiation of functional networks during cognitive control across the adult lifespan.
Neurobiol Aging 2021;
106:80-94. [PMID:
34256190 DOI:
10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.03.019]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Healthy aging is accompanied by reduced cognitive control and widespread alterations in the underlying brain networks; but the extent to which large-scale functional networks in older age show reduced specificity across different domains of cognitive control is unclear. Here we use cov-STATIS (a multi-table multivariate technique) to examine similarity of functional connectivity during different domains of cognitive control-inhibition, initiation, shifting, and working memory-across the adult lifespan. We report two major findings: (1) Functional connectivity patterns during initiation, inhibition, and shifting were more similar in older ages, particularly for control and default networks, a pattern consistent with dedifferentiation of the neural correlates associated with cognitive control; and (2) Networks exhibited age-related reconfiguration such that frontal, default, and dorsal attention networks were more integrated whereas sub-networks of somato-motor system were more segregated in older age. Together these findings offer new evidence for dedifferentiation and reconfiguration of functional connectivity underlying different aspects of cognitive control in normal aging.
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