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Zhang H, Diaz MT. Task difficulty modulates age-related differences in functional connectivity during word production. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 240:105263. [PMID: 37062160 PMCID: PMC10164070 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Older adults typically report increased difficulty with language production, while its neural bases are less clear. The current study investigated the neural bases of age-related differences in language production at the word level and the modulating effect of task difficulty, focusing on task-based functional connectivity. Using an English phonological Go/No-Go picture naming task, task difficulty was manipulated by varying the proportion of naming trials (Go trials) and inhibition trials (No-Go trials) across runs. Behaviorally, compared to younger adults, older adults performed worse, and showed larger effects of task difficulty. Neurally, older adults had lower within language network connectivity compared to younger adults. Moreover, older adults' language network became less segregated as task difficulty increased. These results are consistent with the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis, suggesting that the brain becomes less specified and efficient with increased task difficulty, and that these effects are stronger among older adults (i.e., more dedifferentiated).
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyun Zhang
- University of Macau, Taipa, Macau; The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA.
| | - Michele T Diaz
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
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2
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Wang HL, Tang R, Ren RJ, Dammer EB, Guo QH, Peng GP, Cui HL, Zhang YM, Wang JT, Xie XY, Huang Q, Li JP, Yan FH, Chen SD, He NY, Wang G. Speech silence character as a diagnostic biomarker of early cognitive decline and its functional mechanism: a multicenter cross-sectional cohort study. BMC Med 2022; 20:380. [PMID: 36336678 PMCID: PMC9639269 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02584-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Language deficits frequently occur during the prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the characteristics of linguistic impairment and its underlying mechanism(s) remain to be explored for the early diagnosis of AD. METHODS The percentage of silence duration (PSD) of 324 subjects was analyzed, including patients with AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and normal controls (NC) recruited from the China multi-center cohort, and the diagnostic efficiency was replicated from the Pitt center cohort. Furthermore, the specific language network involved in the fragmented speech was analyzed using task-based functional magnetic resonance. RESULTS In the China cohort, PSD increased significantly in aMCI and AD patients. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curves is 0.74, 0.84, and 0.80 in the classification of NC/aMCI, NC/AD, and NC/aMCI+AD. In the Pitt center cohort, PSD was verified as a reliable diagnosis biomarker to differentiate mild AD patients from NC. Next, in response to fluency tasks, clusters in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule deactivated markedly in the aMCI/AD group (cluster-level P < 0.05, family-wise error (FWE) corrected). In the patient group (AD+aMCI), higher activation level of the right pars triangularis was associated with higher PSD in in both semantic and phonemic tasks. CONCLUSIONS PSD is a reliable diagnostic biomarker for the early stage of AD and aMCI. At as early as aMCI phase, the brain response to fluency tasks was inhibited markedly, partly explaining why PSD was elevated simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Long Wang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University; Brain Aging and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050031, Hebei, People's Republic of China
| | - Ran Tang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Ru-Jing Ren
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Eric B Dammer
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Qi-Hao Guo
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Guo-Ping Peng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Hai-Lun Cui
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - You-Min Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Tao Wang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin-Yi Xie
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Huang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Ping Li
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Fu-Hua Yan
- Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Di Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Na-Ying He
- Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Martin S, Saur D, Hartwigsen G. Age-Dependent Contribution of Domain-General Networks to Semantic Cognition. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:870-890. [PMID: 34464442 PMCID: PMC8841593 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is characterized by a decline of cognitive control. In semantic cognition, this leads to the paradox that older adults usually show poorer task performance than young adults despite their greater semantic knowledge. So far, the underlying neural changes of these behavioral differences are poorly understood. In the current neuroimaging study, we investigated the interaction of domain-specific and domain-general networks during verbal semantic fluency in young and older adults. Across age groups, task processing was characterized by a strong positive integration within the multiple-demand as well as between the multiple-demand and the default mode network during semantic fluency. However, the behavioral relevance of strengthened connectivity differed between groups: While within-network functional connectivity in both networks predicted greater efficiency in semantic fluency in young adults, it was associated with slower performance in older adults. Moreover, only young adults profited from connectivity between networks for their semantic memory performance. Our results suggest that the functional coupling of usually anticorrelated networks is critical for successful task processing, independent of age, when access to semantic memory is required. Furthermore, our findings lend novel support to the notion of reduced efficiency in the aging brain due to neural dedifferentiation in semantic cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Martin
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Language & Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dorothee Saur
- Language & Aphasia Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Haitas N, Amiri M, Wilson M, Joanette Y, Steffener J. Age-preserved semantic memory and the CRUNCH effect manifested as differential semantic control networks: An fMRI study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249948. [PMID: 34129605 PMCID: PMC8205163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic memory representations are overall well-maintained in aging whereas semantic control is thought to be more affected. To explain this phenomenon, this study aims to test the predictions of the Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) focusing on task demands in aging as a possible framework. The CRUNCH effect would manifest itself in semantic tasks through a compensatory increase in neural activation in semantic control network regions but only up to a certain threshold of task demands. This study will compare 40 young (20-35 years old) with 40 older participants (60-75 years old) in a triad-based semantic judgment task performed in an fMRI scanner while manipulating levels of task demands (low vs. high) through semantic distance. In line with the CRUNCH predictions, differences in neurofunctional activation and behavioral performance (accuracy and response times) are expected in young vs. old participants in the low- vs. high-demand conditions manifested in semantic control Regions of Interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niobe Haitas
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mahnoush Amiri
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maximiliano Wilson
- Centre de Recherche CERVO – CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale et Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jason Steffener
- Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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5
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Stefaniak JD, Alyahya RSW, Lambon Ralph MA. Language networks in aphasia and health: A 1000 participant activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Neuroimage 2021; 233:117960. [PMID: 33744459 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphasia recovery post-stroke is classically and most commonly hypothesised to rely on regions that were not involved in language premorbidly, through 'neurocomputational invasion' or engagement of 'quiescent homologues'. Contemporary accounts have suggested, instead, that recovery might be supported by under-utilised areas of the premorbid language network, which are downregulated in health to save neural resources ('variable neurodisplacement'). Despite the importance of understanding the neural bases of language recovery clinically and theoretically, there is no consensus as to which specific regions are more likely to be activated in post-stroke aphasia (PSA) than healthy individuals. Accordingly, we performed an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of language functional neuroimaging studies in PSA. We obtained coordinate-based functional neuroimaging data for 481 individuals with aphasia following left-hemisphere stroke and 530 linked controls from 33 studies that met predefined inclusion criteria. ALE identified regions of consistent, above-chance spatial convergence of activation, as well as regions of significantly different activation likelihood, between participant groups and language tasks. Overall, these findings dispute the prevailing theory that aphasia recovery involves recruitment of novel right hemisphere territory into the language network post-stroke. Instead, multiple regions throughout both hemispheres were consistently activated during language tasks in both PSA and controls. Regions of the right anterior insula, frontal operculum and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars opercularis were more likely to be activated across all language tasks in PSA than controls. Similar regions were more likely to be activated during higher than lower demand comprehension or production tasks, consistent with them representing enhanced utilisation of spare capacity within right hemisphere executive-control related regions. This provides novel evidence that 'variable neurodisplacement' underlies language network changes that occur post-stroke. Conversely, multiple undamaged regions were less likely to be activated across all language tasks in PSA than controls, including domain-general regions of medial superior frontal and paracingulate cortex, right IFG pars triangularis and temporal pole. These changes might represent functional diaschisis, and demonstrate that there is not global, undifferentiated upregulation of all domain-general neural resources during language in PSA. Such knowledge is essential if we are to design neurobiologically-informed therapeutic interventions to facilitate language recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Stefaniak
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Reem S W Alyahya
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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6
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Wagner D, Eslinger PJ, Sterling NW, Du G, Lee EY, Styner M, Lewis MM, Huang X. Lexical-semantic search related to side of onset and putamen volume in Parkinson's disease. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 209:104841. [PMID: 32818719 PMCID: PMC8189666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by dopaminergic cell loss and reduced striatal volume. Prior studies have demonstrated striatal involvement in access to lexical-semantic knowledge and damage to this structure may be evident in the lexical properties of responses. Semantic fluency task responses from early stage, non-demented PD participants with right (PD-R) or left (PD-L) lateralizing symptoms were compared to matched controls on lexical properties (word frequency, age of acquisition) and correlated with striatal volumes segmented from T1-weighted brain MR images. PD-R participants produced semantic fluency responses of a lower age of acquisition than PD-L and control participants (p < 0.05). PD-R age of acquisition responses correlated positively with putamen volume (p < 0.05), while age of acquisition of responses correlated negatively with caudate volume in controls (p < 0.05). Findings provide evidence for a role of the striatum in lexical-semantic access and qualitative changes in lexical access in select PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daymond Wagner
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Paul J Eslinger
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Nicholas W Sterling
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Guangwei Du
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Eun-Young Lee
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Martin Styner
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Departments of Computer Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States.
| | - Mechelle M Lewis
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
| | - Xuemei Huang
- Departments of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Neurosurgery, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Departments of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
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7
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Krishnamurthy V, Krishnamurthy LC, Drucker JH, Kundu S, Ji B, Hortman K, Roberts SR, Mammino K, Tran SM, Gopinath K, McGregor KM, Rodriguez AD, Qiu D, Crosson B, Nocera JR. Correcting Task fMRI Signals for Variability in Baseline CBF Improves BOLD-Behavior Relationships: A Feasibility Study in an Aging Model. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:336. [PMID: 32425745 PMCID: PMC7205008 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) functional MRI is a complex neurovascular signal whose magnitude depends on baseline physiological factors such as cerebral blood flow (CBF). Because baseline CBF varies across the brain and is altered with aging, the interpretation of stand-alone aging-related BOLD changes can be misleading. The primary objective of this study was to develop a methodology that combines task fMRI and arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques to sensitize task-induced BOLD activity by covarying out the baseline physiology (i.e., CBF) in an aging model. We recruited 11 younger and 13 older healthy participants who underwent ASL and an overt language fMRI task (semantic category member generation). We measured in-scanner language performance to investigate the effect of BOLD sensitization on BOLD-behavior relationships. The results demonstrate that our correction approach is effective at enhancing the specificity and sensitivity of the BOLD signal in both groups. In addition, the correction strengthens the statistical association between task BOLD activity and behavioral performance. Although CBF has inherent age dependence, our results show that retaining the age factor within CBF aides in greater sensitization of task fMRI signals. From a cognitive standpoint, compared to young adults, the older participants showed a delayed domain-general language-related task activity possibly due to compromised vessel compliance. Further, assessment of functional evolution of corrected BOLD activity revealed biphasic BOLD dynamics in both groups where BOLD deactivation may reflect greater semantic demand or increased premium on domain general executive functioning in response to task difficulty. Although it was promising to note that the predictability of behavior using the proposed methodology outperforms other methodologies (i.e., no correction and normalization by division), and provides moderate stability and adequate power, further work with a larger cohort and other task designs is necessary to improve the stability of predicting associated behavior. In summary, we recommend correction of task fMRI signals by covarying out baseline CBF especially when comparing groups with different neurovascular properties. Given that ASL and BOLD fMRI are well established and widely employed techniques, our proposed multi-modal methodology can be readily implemented into data processing pipelines to obtain more accurate BOLD activation maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatagiri Krishnamurthy
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Lisa C Krishnamurthy
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jonathan H Drucker
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Suprateek Kundu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Bing Ji
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States.,Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kyle Hortman
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Simone R Roberts
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kevin Mammino
- Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Stella M Tran
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kaundinya Gopinath
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Keith M McGregor
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Amy D Rodriguez
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States
| | - Deqiang Qiu
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Bruce Crosson
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Joe R Nocera
- Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Decatur, GA, United States.,Division of Physical Therapy, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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8
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Vaden KI, Eckert MA, Dubno JR, Harris KC. Cingulo-opercular adaptive control for younger and older adults during a challenging gap detection task. J Neurosci Res 2019; 98:680-691. [PMID: 31385349 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cingulo-opercular activity is hypothesized to reflect an adaptive control function that optimizes task performance through adjustments in attention and behavior, and outcome monitoring. While auditory perceptual task performance appears to benefit from elevated activity in cingulo-opercular regions of frontal cortex before stimuli are presented, this association appears reduced for older adults compared to younger adults. However, adaptive control function may be limited by difficult task conditions for older adults. An fMRI study was used to characterize adaptive control differences while 15 younger (average age = 24 years) and 15 older adults (average age = 68 years) performed a gap detection in noise task designed to limit age-related differences. During the fMRI study, participants listened to a noise recording and indicated with a button-press whether it contained a gap. Stimuli were presented between sparse fMRI scans (TR = 8.6 s) and BOLD measurements were collected during separate listening and behavioral response intervals. Age-related performance differences were limited by presenting gaps in noise with durations calibrated at or above each participant's detection threshold. Cingulo-opercular BOLD increased significantly throughout listening and behavioral response intervals, relative to a resting baseline. Correct behavioral responses were significantly more likely on trials with elevated pre-stimulus cingulo-opercular BOLD, consistent with an adaptive control framework. Cingulo-opercular adaptive control estimates appeared higher for participants with better gap sensitivity and lower response bias, irrespective of age, which suggests that this mechanism can benefit performance across the lifespan under conditions that limit age-related performance differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth I Vaden
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Judy R Dubno
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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9
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Ferré P, Benhajali Y, Steffener J, Stern Y, Joanette Y, Bellec P. Resting-state and Vocabulary Tasks Distinctively Inform On Age-Related Differences in the Functional Brain Connectome. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 34:949-972. [PMID: 31457069 PMCID: PMC6711486 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2019.1608072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Most of the current knowledge about age-related differences in brain neurofunctional organization stems from neuroimaging studies using either a "resting state" paradigm, or cognitive tasks for which performance decreases with age. However, it remains to be known if comparable age-related differences are found when participants engage in cognitive activities for which performance is maintained with age, such as vocabulary knowledge tasks. A functional connectivity analysis was performed on 286 adults ranging from 18 to 80 years old, based either on a resting state paradigm or when engaged in vocabulary tasks. Notable increases in connectivity of regions of the language network were observed during task completion. Conversely, only age-related decreases were observed across the whole connectome during resting-state. While vocabulary accuracy increased with age, no interaction was found between functional connectivity, age and task accuracy or proxies of cognitive reserve, suggesting that older individuals typically benefits from semantic knowledge accumulated throughout one's life trajectory, without the need for compensatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perrine Ferré
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, Qc, H3W 1W3, CANADA
| | - Yassine Benhajali
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, Qc, H3W 1W3, CANADA
| | - Jason Steffener
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, Qc, H3W 1W3, CANADA
- PERFORM Center, Concordia University
- Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees, Lees Campus, Office # E-250C, Ottawa, Ontario. K1S 5S9, CANADA
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Columbia University, 710 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Yves Joanette
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, Qc, H3W 1W3, CANADA
| | - Pierre Bellec
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545 Queen Mary Road, Montréal, Qc, H3W 1W3, CANADA
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10
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Is Listening in Noise Worth It? The Neurobiology of Speech Recognition in Challenging Listening Conditions. Ear Hear 2018; 37 Suppl 1:101S-10S. [PMID: 27355759 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This review examines findings from functional neuroimaging studies of speech recognition in noise to provide a neural systems level explanation for the effort and fatigue that can be experienced during speech recognition in challenging listening conditions. Neuroimaging studies of speech recognition consistently demonstrate that challenging listening conditions engage neural systems that are used to monitor and optimize performance across a wide range of tasks. These systems appear to improve speech recognition in younger and older adults, but sustained engagement of these systems also appears to produce an experience of effort and fatigue that may affect the value of communication. When considered in the broader context of the neuroimaging and decision making literature, the speech recognition findings from functional imaging studies indicate that the expected value, or expected level of speech recognition given the difficulty of listening conditions, should be considered when measuring effort and fatigue. The authors propose that the behavioral economics or neuroeconomics of listening can provide a conceptual and experimental framework for understanding effort and fatigue that may have clinical significance.
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Methqal I, Marsolais Y, Wilson MA, Monchi O, Joanette Y. More expertise for a better perspective: Task and strategy-driven adaptive neurofunctional reorganization for word production in high-performing older adults. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2018; 26:190-221. [PMID: 29334837 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1423021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The suggestion that neurofunctional reorganization may contribute to preserved language abilities is still emerging in aging studies. Some of these abilities, such as verbal fluency (VF), are not unitary but instead rely on different strategic processes that are differentially changed with age. Younger (n = 13) and older adults (n = 13) carried out an overt self-paced semantic and orthographic VF tasks within mixed fMRI design. Our results suggest that patterns of brain activation sustaining equivalent performances could be underpinned by different strategies facing brain changes during healthy aging. These main findings suggest that temporally mediated semantic clustering and frontally mediated orthographic switching were driven by evolutive neurofunctional resources in high-performing older adults. These age-related activation changes can appear to be compatible with the idea that unique neural patterns expressing distinctive cognitive strategies are necessary to support older adults' performance on VF tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikram Methqal
- a Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal , Montreal, QC , Canada.,b Faculty of Medecine , University of Montreal , Montreal , QC , Canada
| | | | - Maximiliano A Wilson
- d Centre de recherche CERVO - CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale et Département de réadaptation , Université Laval , Québec , Canada
| | - Oury Monchi
- e Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- a Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal , Montreal, QC , Canada.,b Faculty of Medecine , University of Montreal , Montreal , QC , Canada
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13
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Martin AK, Meinzer M, Lindenberg R, Sieg MM, Nachtigall L, Flöel A. Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Neural Networks in Young and Older Adults. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:1817-1828. [PMID: 28707568 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a viable tool to improve motor and cognitive function in advanced age. However, although a number of studies have demonstrated improved cognitive performance in older adults, other studies have failed to show restorative effects. The neural effects of beneficial stimulation response in both age groups is lacking. In the current study, tDCS was administered during simultaneous fMRI in 42 healthy young and older participants. Semantic word generation and motor speech baseline tasks were used to investigate behavioral and neural effects of uni- and bihemispheric motor cortex tDCS in a three-way, crossover, sham tDCS controlled design. Independent components analysis assessed differences in task-related activity between the two age groups and tDCS effects at the network level. We also explored whether laterality of language network organization was effected by tDCS. Behaviorally, both active tDCS conditions significantly improved semantic word retrieval performance in young and older adults and were comparable between groups and stimulation conditions. Network-level tDCS effects were identified in the ventral and dorsal anterior cingulate networks in the combined sample during semantic fluency and motor speech tasks. In addition, a shift toward enhanced left laterality was identified in the older adults for both active stimulation conditions. Thus, tDCS results in common network-level modulations and behavioral improvements for both age groups, with an additional effect of increasing left laterality in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mira M Sieg
- Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Agnes Flöel
- Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,University of Greifswald
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Darkow R, Martin A, Würtz A, Flöel A, Meinzer M. Transcranial direct current stimulation effects on neural processing in post-stroke aphasia. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 38:1518-1531. [PMID: 27859982 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance recovery after stroke. However, fundamental knowledge about how tDCS impacts neural processing in the lesioned human brain is currently lacking. In the present study, it was investigated how tDCS modulates brain function in patients with post-stroke language impairment (aphasia). In a cross-over, randomized trial, patients named pictures of common objects during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Concurrently, excitatory (anodal-) or sham-tDCS (1 mA, 20 min, or 30 s, respectively) was administered to the left primary motor cortex, a montage with demonstrated potential to improve aphasic language. By choosing stimuli that could reliable be named by the patients, the authors aimed to derive a pure measure of stimulation effects that was independent of treatment or performance effects and to assess how tDCS interacts with the patients' residual language network. Univariate fMRI data analysis revealed reduced activity in domain-general regions mediating high-level cognitive control during anodal-tDCS. Independent component functional network analysis demonstrated selectively increased language network activity and an inter-correlated shift from higher to lower frequency bands, indicative of increased within-network communication. Compared with healthy controls, anodal-tDCS resulted in overall "normalization" of brain function in the patients. These results demonstrate for the first time how tDCS modulates neural processing in stroke patients. Such information is crucial to assure that behavioral treatments targeting specific neural circuits overlap with regions that are modulated by tDCS, thereby maximizing stimulation effects during therapy. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1518-1531, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Darkow
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, and Center of Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Andrew Martin
- The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane Queensland, 4029, Australia
| | - Anna Würtz
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, and Center of Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, and Center of Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Marcus Meinzer
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, and Center of Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, 10117, Germany.,The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane Queensland, 4029, Australia
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Vaden KI, Kuchinsky SE, Ahlstrom JB, Teubner-Rhodes SE, Dubno JR, Eckert MA. Cingulo-Opercular Function During Word Recognition in Noise for Older Adults with Hearing Loss. Exp Aging Res 2016; 42:67-82. [PMID: 26683042 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2016.1108784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT Adaptive control, reflected by elevated activity in cingulo-opercular brain regions, optimizes performance in challenging tasks by monitoring outcomes and adjusting behavior. For example, cingulo-opercular function benefits trial-level word recognition in noise for normal-hearing adults. Because auditory system deficits may limit the communicative benefit from adaptive control, we examined the extent to which cingulo-opercular engagement supports word recognition in noise for older adults with hearing loss (HL). METHODS Participants were selected to form groups with Less HL (n = 12; mean pure tone threshold, pure tone average [PTA] = 19.2 ± 4.8 dB HL [hearing level]) and More HL (n = 12; PTA = 38.4 ± 4.5 dB HL, 0.25-8 kHz, both ears). A word recognition task was performed with words presented in multitalker babble at +3 or +10 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) during a sparse acquisition fMRI experiment. The participants were middle-aged and older (ages: 64.1 ± 8.4 years) English speakers with no history of neurological or psychiatric diagnoses. RESULTS Elevated cingulo-opercular activity occurred with increased likelihood of correct word recognition on the next trial (t(23) = 3.28, p = .003), and this association did not differ between hearing loss groups. During trials with word recognition errors, the More HL group exhibited higher blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast in occipital and parietal regions compared with the Less HL group. Across listeners, more pronounced cingulo-opercular activity during recognition errors was associated with better overall word recognition performance. CONCLUSION The trial-level word recognition benefit from cingulo-opercular activity was equivalent for both hearing loss groups. When speech audibility and performance levels are similar for older adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, cingulo-opercular adaptive control contributes to word recognition in noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth I Vaden
- a Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA
| | - Stefanie E Kuchinsky
- b Center for Advanced Study of Language , University of Maryland , College Park , Maryland , USA
| | - Jayne B Ahlstrom
- a Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA
| | - Susan E Teubner-Rhodes
- a Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA
| | - Judy R Dubno
- a Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA
| | - Mark A Eckert
- a Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA
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Reifegerste J, Hauer F, Felser C. Agreement processing and attraction errors in aging: evidence from subject-verb agreement in German. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2016; 24:672-702. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2016.1251550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Reifegerste
- Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Franziska Hauer
- Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Claudia Felser
- Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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Diaz MT, Rizio AA, Zhuang J. The neural language systems that support healthy aging: Integrating function, structure, and behavior. LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS COMPASS 2016; 10:314-334. [PMID: 28210287 PMCID: PMC5304920 DOI: 10.1111/lnc3.12199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Although healthy aging is generally characterized by declines in both brain structure and function, there is variability in the extent to which these changes result in observable cognitive decline. Specific to language, age-related differences in language production are observed more frequently than in language comprehension, although both are associated with increased right prefrontal cortex activation in older adults. The current paper explores these differences in the language system, integrating them with theories of behavioral and neural cognitive aging. Overall, data indicate that frontal reorganization of the dorsal language stream in older adults benefits task performance during comprehension, but not always during production. We interpret these results in the CRUNCH framework (compensation-related utilization of neural circuits hypothesis), which suggests that differences in task and process difficulty may underlie older adults' ability to successfully adapt. That is, older adults may be able to neurally adapt to less difficult tasks (i.e., comprehension), but fail to do so successfully as difficulty increases (i.e., production). We hypothesize greater age-related differences in aspects of language that rely more heavily on the dorsal language stream (e.g., syntax and production) and that recruit general cognitive resources that rely on frontal regions (e.g., executive function, working memory, inhibition). Moreover, there should be a relative sparing of tasks that rely predominantly on ventral stream regions. These results are both consistent with patterns of age-related structural decline and retention and with varying levels of difficulty across comprehension and production. This neurocognitive framework for understanding age-related differences in the language system centers on the interaction between prefrontal cortex activation, structural integrity, and task difficulty.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Avery A. Rizio
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jie Zhuang
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Perceval G, Flöel A, Meinzer M. Can transcranial direct current stimulation counteract age-associated functional impairment? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 65:157-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Revised: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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López-Loeza E, Rangel-Argueta AR, López-Vázquez MÁ, Cervantes M, Olvera-Cortés ME. Differences in EEG power in young and mature healthy adults during an incidental/spatial learning task are related to age and execution efficiency. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2016; 38:37. [PMID: 26961695 PMCID: PMC5005903 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-016-9896-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The differential characteristics of absolute power in the EEG theta (4-8 Hz) and gamma (30-45 Hz) frequency bands have been analysed in young (18-25 years old, n = 14) and mature adults (45-65 years old, n = 12) during the incidental or intentional behavioural conditions of learning and recalling in a visuospatial task. A printed drawing of a maze including eight figures of common objects in specific placements, solved by connecting its entrance and exit points, allowed the subject's performance efficiency to be measured based on the number, position accuracy and/or identity of incidentally or intentionally learned and remembered objects. Meanwhile, EEG recordings from frontal, parietal and temporal derivations were obtained to determine the power values of the theta (4-8 Hz) and gamma (30-45 Hz) bands for each behavioural condition and derivation. Relative to the young adults, the mature adults generally showed lower absolute theta power values, mainly due to their low theta powers under the basal and incidental learning conditions, and higher absolute gamma power values in the frontal and temporal regions. Furthermore, higher theta band power in the frontal regions was related to higher performance efficiency in both incidental and intentional learning, regardless of the subjects' age. A significant negative correlation between the parameters of individual incidental or intentional learning performance and age was also found. Indeed, a differential accuracy of remembered information seems to be associated with age and incidental or intentional learning/memory testing conditions. These data support an increasing vulnerability of visuospatial learning abilities at mature ages and as ageing progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa López-Loeza
- Laboratorio de Biofísica, Instituto de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edificio C3, Ciudad Universitaria, Francisco J. Múgica s/n, Col. Felicitas del Río, 58040, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Ana Rosa Rangel-Argueta
- Laboratorio de Biofísica, Instituto de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edificio C3, Ciudad Universitaria, Francisco J. Múgica s/n, Col. Felicitas del Río, 58040, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Miguel Ángel López-Vázquez
- Laboratorio de Biofísica, Instituto de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edificio C3, Ciudad Universitaria, Francisco J. Múgica s/n, Col. Felicitas del Río, 58040, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- Laboratorio de Neuroplasticidad de los procesos cognoscitivos, División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Camino de la Arboleda 300, Exhacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58341, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Miguel Cervantes
- División de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas "Dr. Ignacio Chávez", Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Rafael Carrillo esquina con Salvador González Herrejón s/n, Col. Centro, 58000, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - María Esther Olvera-Cortés
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Experimental, División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Camino de la Arboleda 300, Ex hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58341, Morelia, Michoacán, México.
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Meier EL, Kapse KJ, Kiran S. The Relationship between Frontotemporal Effective Connectivity during Picture Naming, Behavior, and Preserved Cortical Tissue in Chronic Aphasia. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:109. [PMID: 27014039 PMCID: PMC4792868 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
While several studies of task-based effective connectivity of normal language processing exist, little is known about the functional reorganization of language networks in patients with stroke-induced chronic aphasia. During oral picture naming, activation in neurologically intact individuals is found in "classic" language regions involved with retrieval of lexical concepts [e.g., left middle temporal gyrus (LMTG)], word form encoding [e.g., left posterior superior temporal gyrus, (LpSTG)], and controlled retrieval of semantic and phonological information [e.g., left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG)] as well as domain-general regions within the multiple demands network [e.g., left middle frontal gyrus (LMFG)]. After stroke, lesions to specific parts of the left hemisphere language network force reorganization of this system. While individuals with aphasia have been found to recruit similar regions for language tasks as healthy controls, the relationship between the dynamic functioning of the language network and individual differences in underlying neural structure and behavioral performance is still unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to investigate differences between individuals with aphasia and healthy controls in terms of task-induced regional interactions between three regions (i.e., LIFG, LMFG, and LMTG) vital for picture naming. The DCM model space was organized according to exogenous input to these regions and partitioned into separate families. At the model level, random effects family wise Bayesian Model Selection revealed that models with driving input to LIFG best fit the control data whereas models with driving input to LMFG best fit the patient data. At the parameter level, a significant between-group difference in the connection strength from LMTG to LIFG was seen. Within the patient group, several significant relationships between network connectivity parameters, spared cortical tissue, and behavior were observed. Overall, this study provides some preliminary findings regarding how neural networks for language reorganize for individuals with aphasia and how brain connectivity relates to underlying structural integrity and task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L. Meier
- Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Aphasia Research Laboratory, Sargent College, Boston University, BostonMA, USA
| | | | - Swathi Kiran
- Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Aphasia Research Laboratory, Sargent College, Boston University, BostonMA, USA
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Older but still fluent? Insights from the intrinsically active baseline configuration of the aging brain using a data driven graph-theoretical approach. Neuroimage 2015; 127:346-362. [PMID: 26721381 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
A major part of our knowledge about the functioning of the aging brain comes from task-induced activation paradigms. However, the aging brain's intrinsic functional organization may be already a limiting factor for the outcome of an actual behavior. In order to get a better understanding of how this functional baseline configuration of the aging brain may affect cognitive performance, we analyzed task-free fMRI data of older 186 participants (mean age=70.4, 97 female) and their performance data in verbal fluency: First, we conducted an intrinsic connectivity contrast analysis (ICC) for the purpose of evaluating the brain regions whose degree of connectedness was significantly correlated with fluency performance. Secondly, using connectivity analyses we investigated how the clusters from the ICC functionally related to the other major resting-state networks. Apart from the importance of intact fronto-parietal long-range connections, the preserved capacity of the DMN for a finely attuned interaction with the executive-control network and the language network seems to be crucial for successful verbal fluency performance in older people. We provide further evidence that the right frontal regions might be more prominently affected by age-related decline.
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Ulm L, McMahon K, Copland D, de Zubicaray GI, Meinzer M. Neural Mechanisms Underlying Perilesional Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Aphasia: A Feasibility Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:550. [PMID: 26500522 PMCID: PMC4595771 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the neural mechanisms by which transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) impacts on language processing in post-stroke aphasia. This was addressed in a proof-of-principle study that explored the effects of tDCS application in aphasia during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We employed a single subject, cross-over, sham-tDCS controlled design, and the stimulation was administered to an individualized perilesional stimulation site that was identified by a baseline fMRI scan and a picture naming task. Peak activity during the baseline scan was located in the spared left inferior frontal gyrus and this area was stimulated during a subsequent cross-over phase. tDCS was successfully administered to the target region and anodal- vs. sham-tDCS resulted in selectively increased activity at the stimulation site. Our results thus demonstrate that it is feasible to precisely target an individualized stimulation site in aphasia patients during simultaneous fMRI, which allows assessing the neural mechanisms underlying tDCS application. The functional imaging results of this case report highlight one possible mechanism that may have contributed to beneficial behavioral stimulation effects in previous clinical tDCS trials in aphasia. In the future, this approach will allow identifying distinct patterns of stimulation effects on neural processing in larger cohorts of patients. This may ultimately yield information about the variability of tDCS effects on brain functions in aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Ulm
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Katie McMahon
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David Copland
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Greig I. de Zubicaray
- Faculty of Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Marcus Meinzer
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Martins R, Joanette Y, Monchi O. The implications of age-related neurofunctional compensatory mechanisms in executive function and language processing including the new Temporal Hypothesis for Compensation. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:221. [PMID: 25964754 PMCID: PMC4408858 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As the passage of time structurally alters one’s brain, cognition does not have to suffer the same faith, at least not to the same extent. Indeed, the existence of age-related compensatory mechanisms allow for some cognitive preservation. This paper attempts to coherently review the existing concepts of neurofunctional compensation when applied to two different cognitive domains, namely executive function and language processing. More precisely, we explore the Cognitive reserve (CR) model in healthy aging as well as its two underlying mechanisms: neural reserve and neural compensation. Furthermore, we review the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis as well as the Growing Of Life Differences Explains Normal Aging model. Finally, we propose, based on some functional neuroimaging studies, the existence of another compensatory mechanism characterized by age-related delayed cerebral activation allowing for cognitive performance to be preserved at the expense of speed processing: the Temporal Hypothesis for Compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Martins
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Department of psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Oury Monchi
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Radiology, and Hotchkiss Bran Institute, University of Calgary Calgary, AB, Canada
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Vaden KI, Kuchinsky SE, Ahlstrom JB, Dubno JR, Eckert MA. Cortical activity predicts which older adults recognize speech in noise and when. J Neurosci 2015; 35:3929-37. [PMID: 25740521 PMCID: PMC4348188 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2908-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Revised: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech recognition in noise can be challenging for older adults and elicits elevated activity throughout a cingulo-opercular network that is hypothesized to monitor and modify behaviors to optimize performance. A word recognition in noise experiment was used to test the hypothesis that cingulo-opercular engagement provides performance benefit for older adults. Healthy older adults (N = 31; 50-81 years of age; mean pure tone thresholds <32 dB HL from 0.25 to 8 kHz, best ear; species: human) performed word recognition in multitalker babble at 2 signal-to-noise ratios (SNR = +3 or +10 dB) during a sparse sampling fMRI experiment. Elevated cingulo-opercular activity was associated with an increased likelihood of correct recognition on the following trial independently of SNR and performance on the preceding trial. The cingulo-opercular effect increased for participants with the best overall performance. These effects were lower for older adults compared with a younger, normal-hearing adult sample (N = 18). Visual cortex activity also predicted trial-level recognition for the older adults, which resulted from discrete decreases in activity before errors and occurred for the oldest adults with the poorest recognition. Participants demonstrating larger visual cortex effects also had reduced fractional anisotropy in an anterior portion of the left inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, which projects between frontal and occipital regions where activity predicted word recognition. Together, the results indicate that older adults experience performance benefit from elevated cingulo-opercular activity, but not to the same extent as younger adults, and that declines in attentional control can limit word recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth I Vaden
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, and
| | - Stefanie E Kuchinsky
- Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Jayne B Ahlstrom
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, and
| | - Judy R Dubno
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, and
| | - Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, and
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Marsolais Y, Methqal I, Joanette Y. Marginal neurofunctional changes in high-performing older adults in a verbal fluency task. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 140:13-23. [PMID: 25461916 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2014.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The maintenance of a high level of performance in aging has often been associated with changes in cerebral activations patterns for various cognitive components. However, relatively few studies have investigated this phenomenon in light of lexical speech production abilities, which have not been systematically found to benefit from neurofunctional reorganization during verbal fluency tasks. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess overt self-paced semantic and orthographic verbal fluency tasks performed by healthy younger and older adults within a mixed block/event-related fMRI design. Behavioral results indicated similarly high levels of performance between tasks and age groups, while whole brain analysis revealed significant task-related differences in patterns of brain activity, but no significant effect of age or task-by-age interaction across the speech conditions. Only local activity differences were found between age groups. These marginal neurofunctional changes in high-performing older adults are discussed in terms of task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Marsolais
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 ave Vincent-d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V-2S9, Canada; Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4545 Ch. Queen-Mary, Montréal, Québec H3W-1W4, Canada
| | - Ikram Methqal
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 ave Vincent-d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V-2S9, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, pavillon Roger-Gaudry, 2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T-1J4, Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 ave Vincent-d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V-2S9, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, pavillon Roger-Gaudry, 2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T-1J4, Canada.
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Meinzer M, Lindenberg R, Phan MT, Ulm L, Volk C, Flöel A. Transcranial direct current stimulation in mild cognitive impairment: Behavioral effects and neural mechanisms. Alzheimers Dement 2014; 11:1032-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.07.159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2014] [Revised: 04/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Meinzer
- Centre for Clinical Research The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
| | - Robert Lindenberg
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
| | - Mai Thy Phan
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
| | - Lena Ulm
- Centre for Clinical Research The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
- NeuroCure Clinical Research Center Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
| | - Carina Volk
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
- NeuroCure Clinical Research Center Charité University Medicine Charité Berlin Germany
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27
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Meinzer M, Lindenberg R, Sieg MM, Nachtigall L, Ulm L, Flöel A. Transcranial direct current stimulation of the primary motor cortex improves word-retrieval in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2014; 6:253. [PMID: 25295004 PMCID: PMC4172053 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Language facilitation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in healthy individuals has generated hope that tDCS may also allow improving language impairment after stroke (aphasia). However, current stimulation protocols have yielded variable results and may require identification of residual language cortex using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which complicates incorporation into clinical practice. Based on previous behavioral studies that demonstrated improved language processing by motor system pre-activation, the present study assessed whether tDCS administered to the primary motor cortex (M1) can enhance language functions. This proof-of-concept study employed a sham-tDCS controlled, cross-over, within-subject design and assessed the impact of unilateral excitatory (anodal) and bihemispheric (dual) tDCS in 18 healthy older adults during semantic word-retrieval and motor speech tasks. Simultaneous fMRI scrutinized the neural mechanisms underlying tDCS effects. Both active tDCS conditions significantly improved word-retrieval compared to sham-tDCS. The direct comparison of activity elicited by word-retrieval vs. motor-speech trials revealed bilateral frontal activity increases during both anodal- and dual-tDCS compared to sham-tDCS. This effect was driven by more pronounced deactivation of frontal regions during the motor-speech task, while activity during word-retrieval trials was unaffected by the stimulation. No effects were found in M1 and secondary motor regions. Our results show that tDCS administered to M1 can improve word-retrieval in healthy individuals, thereby providing a rationale to explore whether M1-tDCS may offer a novel approach to improve language functions in aphasia. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed neural facilitation specifically during motor speech trials, which may have reduced switching costs between the overlapping neural systems for lexical retrieval and speech processing, thereby resulting in improved performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Meinzer
- Center for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland Herston, QLD, Australia ; Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Lindenberg
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Mira M Sieg
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Nachtigall
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Ulm
- Center for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland Herston, QLD, Australia ; Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany ; Department of Neurology, Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
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28
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Meusel LAC, Kansal N, Tchistiakova E, Yuen W, MacIntosh BJ, Greenwood CE, Anderson ND. A systematic review of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in imaging studies of cognitive aging: time to establish new norms. Front Aging Neurosci 2014; 6:148. [PMID: 25071557 PMCID: PMC4085499 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and hypertension in older adults, and the deleterious effect of these conditions on cerebrovascular and brain health, is creating a growing discrepancy between the "typical" cognitive aging trajectory and a "healthy" cognitive aging trajectory. These changing health demographics make T2DM and hypertension important topics of study in their own right, and warrant attention from the perspective of cognitive aging neuroimaging research. Specifically, interpretation of individual or group differences in blood oxygenation level dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET H2O(15)) signals as reflective of differences in neural activation underlying a cognitive operation of interest requires assumptions of intact vascular health amongst the study participants. Without adequate screening, inclusion of individuals with T2DM or hypertension in "healthy" samples may introduce unwanted variability and bias to brain and/or cognitive measures, and increase potential for error. We conducted a systematic review of the cognitive aging neuroimaging literature to document the extent to which researchers account for these conditions. Of the 232 studies selected for review, few explicitly excluded individuals with T2DM (9%) or hypertension (13%). A large portion had exclusion criteria that made it difficult to determine whether T2DM or hypertension were excluded (44 and 37%), and many did not mention any selection criteria related to T2DM or hypertension (34 and 22%). Of all the surveyed studies, only 29% acknowledged or addressed the potential influence of intersubject vascular variability on the measured BOLD or PET signals. To reinforce the notion that individuals with T2DM and hypertension should not be overlooked as a potential source of bias, we also provide an overview of metabolic and vascular changes associated with T2DM and hypertension, as they relate to cerebrovascular and brain health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nisha Kansal
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ekaterina Tchistiakova
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - William Yuen
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bradley J MacIntosh
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carol E Greenwood
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nicole D Anderson
- Baycrest Centre, Rotman Research Institute Toronto, ON, Canada ; Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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Marsolais Y, Perlbarg V, Benali H, Joanette Y. Age-related changes in functional network connectivity associated with high levels of verbal fluency performance. Cortex 2014; 58:123-38. [PMID: 25014614 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The relative preservation of receptive language abilities in older adults has been associated with adaptive changes in cerebral activation patterns, which have been suggested to be task-load dependent. However, the effects of aging and task demands on the functional integration of neural networks contributing to speech production abilities remain largely unexplored. In the present functional neuroimaging study, data-driven spatial independent component analysis and hierarchical measures of integration were used to explore age-related changes in functional connectivity among cortical areas contributing to semantic, orthographic, and automated word fluency tasks in healthy young and older adults, as well as to assess the effect of age and task demands on the functional integration of a verbal fluency network. The results showed that the functional integration of speech production networks decreases with age, while at the same time this has a marginal effect on behavioral outcomes in high-performing older adults. Moreover, a significant task demand/age interaction was found in functional connectivity within the anterior and posterior subnetworks of the verbal fluency network. These results suggest that local changes in functional integration among cortical areas supporting lexical speech production are modulated by age and task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Marsolais
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Vincent Perlbarg
- LINeM, Inserm, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; U678, Inserm, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Fonctionnelle, Paris, France; UMR-S, U678, UPMC, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Faculté de médecine Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Habib Benali
- LINeM, Inserm, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; U678, Inserm, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Fonctionnelle, Paris, France; UMR-S, U678, UPMC, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Faculté de médecine Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Yves Joanette
- Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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Meinzer M, Lindenberg R, Darkow R, Ulm L, Copland D, Flöel A. Transcranial direct current stimulation and simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Vis Exp 2014. [PMID: 24796646 DOI: 10.3791/51730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that uses weak electrical currents administered to the scalp to manipulate cortical excitability and, consequently, behavior and brain function. In the last decade, numerous studies have addressed short-term and long-term effects of tDCS on different measures of behavioral performance during motor and cognitive tasks, both in healthy individuals and in a number of different patient populations. So far, however, little is known about the neural underpinnings of tDCS-action in humans with regard to large-scale brain networks. This issue can be addressed by combining tDCS with functional brain imaging techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or electroencephalography (EEG). In particular, fMRI is the most widely used brain imaging technique to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and motor functions. Application of tDCS during fMRI allows analysis of the neural mechanisms underlying behavioral tDCS effects with high spatial resolution across the entire brain. Recent studies using this technique identified stimulation induced changes in task-related functional brain activity at the stimulation site and also in more distant brain regions, which were associated with behavioral improvement. In addition, tDCS administered during resting-state fMRI allowed identification of widespread changes in whole brain functional connectivity. Future studies using this combined protocol should yield new insights into the mechanisms of tDCS action in health and disease and new options for more targeted application of tDCS in research and clinical settings. The present manuscript describes this novel technique in a step-by-step fashion, with a focus on technical aspects of tDCS administered during fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Meinzer
- Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland; Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre, and Centre for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin;
| | - Robert Lindenberg
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre, and Centre for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin
| | - Robert Darkow
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre, and Centre for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin
| | - Lena Ulm
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre, and Centre for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin
| | - David Copland
- Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology, NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre, and Centre for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin
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31
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Johnson M, Lin F. Communication Difficulty and Relevant Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Implications for Neuroplasticity. TOPICS IN GERIATRIC REHABILITATION 2014; 30:18-34. [PMID: 25356002 PMCID: PMC4209953 DOI: 10.1097/tgr.0000000000000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) represents a critical point for controlling cognitive decline. Patterns of communication difficulty have been observed in patients with MCI and warrant examination and management. The present systematic review examined (1) characteristics of communication difficulty in MCI by focusing on two domains: expressive and receptive communication, and (2) cognitive interventions that addressed communication difficulties in individuals with MCI. Of the 28 observational studies we reviewed, expressive and receptive communications were generally impaired in individuals with MCI, compared to their healthy counterparts. However, only one of seven interventions effectively improved communication related outcomes. We finished the paper with a discussion about how neuroplasticity influences communication abilities in individuals with MCI to inform the future development of interventions for communication difficulty.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Feng Lin
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center
- AD-CARE Program, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center
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Ansado J, Marsolais Y, Methqal I, Alary F, Joanette Y. The adaptive aging brain: evidence from the preservation of communication abilities with age. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 37:1887-95. [PMID: 23773057 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2012] [Revised: 04/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Neurofunctional reorganization with age is suspected to occur for many cognitive components including communication abilities. Several functional neuroimaging studies of elderly individuals have reported the occurrence of an interhemispheric neurofunctional reorganization characterized by more bilateral activation patterns. Other studies have indicated that the preservation of some other cognitive abilities is associated with some intrahemispheric reorganization following either a posterior-anterior or an anterior-posterior shift in aging. Interestingly, other studies have shown that age-related neurofunctional reorganization is task-load-dependent. Taken together, these studies suggest that neurofunctional reorganization in aging is based on a more dynamic, flexible and adaptive neurofunctional process than previously proposed. This review summarizes the different factors that are thought to support the preservation of the semantic processing of words in aging, and highlights a multidetermined and complex set of processes such as the nature of the specific cognitive processes, task complexity and cognitive strategy, characterizing the neurofunctional reorganization in aging that allows for optimal cognitive abilities. In so doing, it provides the background for future study looking at the neurofunctional dimensions of the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennyfer Ansado
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montreal, QC H3W 1W5, Canada
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33
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Functional and structural syntax networks in aging. Neuroimage 2013; 83:513-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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34
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Zhang H, Sachdev PS, Wen W, Kochan NA, Crawford JD, Brodaty H, Slavin MJ, Reppermund S, Kang K, Trollor JN. Grey matter correlates of three language tests in non-demented older adults. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80215. [PMID: 24224044 PMCID: PMC3818244 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Language has been extensively investigated by functional neuroimaging studies. However, only a limited number of structural neuroimaging studies have examined the relationship between language performance and brain structure in healthy adults, and the number is even less in older adults. The present study sought to investigate correlations between grey matter volumes and three standardized language tests in late life. The participants were 344 non-demented, community-dwelling adults aged 70-90 years, who were drawn from the population-based Sydney Memory and Ageing Study. The three language tests included the Controlled Oral Word Association Task (COWAT), Category Fluency (CF), and Boston Naming Test (BNT). Correlation analyses between voxel-wise GM volumes and language tests showed distinctive GM correlation patterns for each language test. The GM correlates were located in the right frontal and left temporal lobes for COWAT, in the left frontal and temporal lobes for CF, and in bilateral temporal lobes for BNT. Our findings largely corresponded to the neural substrates of language tasks revealed in fMRI studies, and we also observed a less hemispheric asymmetry in the GM correlates of the language tests. Furthermore, we divided the participants into two age groups (70-79 and 80-90 years old), and then examined the correlations between structural laterality indices and language performance for each group. A trend toward significant difference in the correlations was found between the two age groups, with stronger correlations in the group of 70-79 years old than those in the group of 80-90 years old. This difference might suggest a further decline of language lateralization in different stages of late life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haobo Zhang
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Perminder S. Sachdev
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wei Wen
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicole A. Kochan
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John D. Crawford
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Henry Brodaty
- Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Melissa J. Slavin
- Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Simone Reppermund
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristan Kang
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Julian N. Trollor
- Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
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35
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Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation temporarily reverses age-associated cognitive decline and functional brain activity changes. J Neurosci 2013; 33:12470-8. [PMID: 23884951 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5743-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The rising proportion of elderly people worldwide will yield an increased incidence of age-associated cognitive impairments, imposing major burdens on societies. Consequently, growing interest emerged to evaluate new strategies to delay or counteract cognitive decline in aging. Here, we assessed immediate effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) on cognition and previously described detrimental changes in brain activity attributable to aging. Twenty healthy elderly adults were assessed in a crossover sham-controlled design using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and concurrent transcranial DCS administered to the left inferior frontal gyrus. Effects on performance and task-related brain activity were evaluated during overt semantic word generation, a task that is negatively affected by advanced age. Task-absent resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) assessed atDCS-induced changes at the network level independent of performance. Twenty matched younger adults served as controls. During sham stimulation, task-related fMRI demonstrated that enhanced bilateral prefrontal activity in older adults was associated with reduced performance. RS-fMRI revealed enhanced anterior and reduced posterior functional brain connectivity. atDCS significantly improved performance in older adults up to the level of younger controls; significantly reduced task-related hyperactivity in bilateral prefrontal cortices, the anterior cingulate gyrus, and the precuneus; and induced a more "youth-like" connectivity pattern during RS-fMRI. Our results provide converging evidence from behavioral analysis and two independent functional imaging paradigms that a single session of atDCS can temporarily reverse nonbeneficial effects of aging on cognition and brain activity and connectivity. These findings may translate into novel treatments to ameliorate cognitive decline in normal aging in the future.
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