1
|
Zhou J, Wearn A, Huck J, Hughes C, Baracchini G, Tremblay-Mercier J, Poirier J, Villeneuve S, Tardif CL, Chakravarty MM, Daugherty AM, Gauthier CJ, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Iron Deposition and Distribution Across the Hippocampus Is Associated with Pattern Separation and Pattern Completion in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1973232024. [PMID: 38388425 PMCID: PMC11079967 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1973-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Elevated iron deposition in the brain has been observed in older adult humans and persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and has been associated with lower cognitive performance. We investigated the impact of iron deposition, and its topographical distribution across hippocampal subfields and segments (anterior, posterior) measured along its longitudinal axis, on episodic memory in a sample of cognitively unimpaired older adults at elevated familial risk for AD (N = 172, 120 females, 52 males; mean age = 68.8 ± 5.4 years). MRI-based quantitative susceptibility maps were acquired to derive estimates of hippocampal iron deposition. The Mnemonic Similarity Task was used to measure pattern separation and pattern completion, two hippocampally mediated episodic memory processes. Greater hippocampal iron load was associated with lower pattern separation and higher pattern completion scores, both indicators of poorer episodic memory. Examination of iron levels within hippocampal subfields across its long axis revealed topographic specificity. Among the subfields and segments investigated here, iron deposition in the posterior hippocampal CA1 was the most robustly and negatively associated with the fidelity memory representations. This association remained after controlling for hippocampal volume and was observed in the context of normal performance on standard neuropsychological memory measures. These findings reveal that the impact of iron load on episodic memory performance is not uniform across the hippocampus. Both iron deposition levels as well as its spatial distribution, must be taken into account when examining the relationship between hippocampal iron and episodic memory in older adults at elevated risk for AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Alfie Wearn
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Julia Huck
- Physics Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
- Department of Radiology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1G 1E4, Canada
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL), Computer Science Department, Faculty of Science, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 0A5, Canada
| | - Colleen Hughes
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Giulia Baracchini
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | | | - Judes Poirier
- StoP-AD Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Sylvia Villeneuve
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- StoP-AD Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Christine Lucas Tardif
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - M Mallar Chakravarty
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Ana M Daugherty
- Department of Psychology and Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202
| | - Claudine J Gauthier
- Physics Department, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Quebec H1T 1C8, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- StoP-AD Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Spreng RN, Setton R, Alter U, Cassidy BN, Darboh B, DuPre E, Kantarovich K, Lockrow AW, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Luh WM, Kundu P, Turner GR. Author Correction: Neurocognitive aging data release with behavioral, structural and multi-echo functional MRI measures. Sci Data 2024; 11:423. [PMID: 38658540 PMCID: PMC11043344 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03265-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada.
| | - Roni Setton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Udi Alter
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Bri Darboh
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth DuPre
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Amber W Lockrow
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Wen-Ming Luh
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Prantik Kundu
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Snytte J, Setton R, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Natasha Rajah M, Sheldon S, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Structure-Function Interactions in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex Are Associated with Episodic Memory in Healthy Aging. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0418-23.2023. [PMID: 38479810 PMCID: PMC10972739 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0418-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging comes with declines in episodic memory. Memory decline is accompanied by structural and functional alterations within key brain regions, including the hippocampus and lateral prefrontal cortex, as well as their affiliated default and frontoparietal control networks. Most studies have examined how structural or functional differences relate to memory independently. Here we implemented a multimodal, multivariate approach to investigate how interactions between individual differences in structural integrity and functional connectivity relate to episodic memory performance in healthy aging. In a sample of younger (N = 111; mean age, 22.11 years) and older (N = 78; mean age, 67.29 years) adults, we analyzed structural MRI and multiecho resting-state fMRI data. Participants completed measures of list recall (free recall of words from a list), associative memory (cued recall of paired words), and source memory (cued recall of the trial type, or the sensory modality in which a word was presented). The findings revealed that greater structural integrity of the posterior hippocampus and middle frontal gyrus were linked with a pattern of increased within-network connectivity, which together were related to better associative and source memory in older adulthood. Critically, older adults displayed better memory performance in the context of decreased hippocampal volumes when structural differences were accompanied by functional reorganization. This functional reorganization was characterized by a pruning of connections between the hippocampus and the limbic and frontoparietal control networks. Our work provides insight into the neural mechanisms that underlie age-related compensation, revealing that the functional architecture associated with better memory performance in healthy aging is tied to the structural integrity of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Snytte
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Roni Setton
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
| | - M Natasha Rajah
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sheldon S, Sheldon J, Zhang S, Setton R, Turner GR, Spreng RN, Grilli MD. Differences in the content and coherence of autobiographical memories between younger and older adults: Insights from text analysis. Psychol Aging 2024; 39:59-71. [PMID: 37470991 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that older adults generate autobiographical memories with fewer specific details than younger adults, a pattern typically attributed to age-relate declines in episodic memory. A relatively unexplored question is how aging affects the content used to represent and recall these memories. We recently proposed that older adults may predominately represent and recall autobiographical memories at the gist level. Emerging from this proposal is the hypothesis that older adults represent memories with a wider array of content topics and recall memories with a distinct narrative style when compared to younger adults. We tested this hypothesis by applying natural language processing approaches to a data set of autobiographical memories described by healthy younger and older adults. We used topic modeling to estimate the distribution (i.e., diversity) of content topics used to represent a memory, and sentence embedding to derive an internal similarity score to estimate the shifts in content when narrating a memory. First, we found that older adults referenced a wider array of content topics (higher content diversity) than younger adults when recalling their autobiographical memories. Second, we found older adults were included more content shifts when narrating their memories than younger adults, suggesting a reduced reliance on choronology to form a coherent memory. Third, we found that the content diversity measures were positively related to specific detail generation for older adults, potentially reflecting age-related compensation for episodic memory difficulties. We discuss how our results shed light on how younger and older adults differ in the way they remember and describe the past. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Roni Setton
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lockrow AW, Setton R, Spreng KAP, Sheldon S, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Taking stock of the past: A psychometric evaluation of the Autobiographical Interview. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:1002-1038. [PMID: 36944860 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Autobiographical memory (AM) involves a rich phenomenological re-experiencing of a spatio-temporal event from the past, which is challenging to objectively quantify. The Autobiographical Interview (AI; Levine et al. Psychology and Aging, 17(4), 677-689, 2002) is a manualized performance-based assessment designed to quantify episodic (internal) and semantic (external) features of recalled and verbally conveyed prior experiences. The AI has been widely adopted, yet has not undergone a comprehensive psychometric validation. We investigated the reliability, validity, association to individual differences measures, and factor structure in healthy younger and older adults (N = 352). Evidence for the AI's reliability was strong: the subjective scoring protocol showed high inter-rater reliability and previously identified age effects were replicated. Internal consistency across timepoints was robust, suggesting stability in recollection. Central to our validation, internal AI scores were positively correlated with standard, performance-based measures of episodic memory, demonstrating convergent validity. The two-factor structure for the AI was not well supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Adjusting internal and external detail scores for the number of words spoken (detail density) improved trait estimation of AM performance. Overall, the AI demonstrated sound psychometric properties for inquiry into the qualities of autobiographical remembering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber W Lockrow
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Roni Setton
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | | | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wyatt LE, Hewan PA, Hogeveen J, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Exploration versus exploitation decisions in the human brain: A systematic review of functional neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies. Neuropsychologia 2024; 192:108740. [PMID: 38036246 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Thoughts and actions are often driven by a decision to either explore new avenues with unknown outcomes, or to exploit known options with predictable outcomes. Yet, the neural mechanisms underlying this exploration-exploitation trade-off in humans remain poorly understood. This is attributable to variability in the operationalization of exploration and exploitation as psychological constructs, as well as the heterogeneity of experimental protocols and paradigms used to study these choice behaviours. To address this gap, here we present a comprehensive review of the literature to investigate the neural basis of explore-exploit decision-making in humans. We first conducted a systematic review of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of exploration-versus exploitation-based decision-making in healthy adult humans during foraging, reinforcement learning, and information search. Eleven fMRI studies met inclusion criterion for this review. Adopting a network neuroscience framework, synthesis of the findings across these studies revealed that exploration-based choice was associated with the engagement of attentional, control, and salience networks. In contrast, exploitation-based choice was associated with engagement of default network brain regions. We interpret these results in the context of a network architecture that supports the flexible switching between externally and internally directed cognitive processes, necessary for adaptive, goal-directed behaviour. To further investigate potential neural mechanisms underlying the exploration-exploitation trade-off we next surveyed studies involving neurodevelopmental, neuropsychological, and neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as lifespan development, and neurodegenerative diseases. We observed striking differences in patterns of explore-exploit decision-making across these populations, again suggesting that these two decision-making modes are supported by independent neural circuits. Taken together, our review highlights the need for precision-mapping of the neural circuitry and behavioural correlates associated with exploration and exploitation in humans. Characterizing exploration versus exploitation decision-making biases may offer a novel, trans-diagnostic approach to assessment, surveillance, and intervention for cognitive decline and dysfunction in normal development and clinical populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay E Wyatt
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick A Hewan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jeremy Hogeveen
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montréal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada; Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Levi A, Pugsley A, Fernandes MA, Turner GR, Gilboa A. Drawing improves memory in patients with hippocampal damage. Mem Cognit 2024:10.3758/s13421-023-01505-4. [PMID: 38180603 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01505-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The hippocampus plays a critical role in the formation of declarative memories, and hippocampal damage leads to significant impairments in new memory formation. Drawing can serve as a form of multi-modal encoding that improves declarative memory performance relative to other multimodal encoding strategies such as writing. We examined whether, and to what extent, patients with hippocampal damage could benefit from the mnemonic strategy of drawing. Three patients with focal hippocampal damage, and one patient with both hippocampal and cortical lesions, in addition to 22 age-, sex-, and education-matched controls, were shown a list of words one at a time during encoding and instructed to either draw a picture or repeatedly write each word for 40 s. Following a brief filled delay, free recall and recognition memory for words from both encoding trial types were assessed. Controls showed enhanced recall and recognition memory for words drawn versus those that were written, an effect that was even more pronounced in patients with focal hippocampal damage. By contrast, the patient with both hippocampal and cortical lesions showed no drawing-mediated boost in either recall or recognition memory. These findings demonstrate that drawing is an effective encoding strategy, likely accruing from the engagement of extra-hippocampal processes including the integration of cortical-based motor, visual, and semantic processing, enabling more elaborative encoding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Levi
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital, 3560 Bathurst St., North York, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - A Pugsley
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital, 3560 Bathurst St., North York, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - M A Fernandes
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - G R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - A Gilboa
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital, 3560 Bathurst St., North York, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Baracchini G, Zhou Y, da Silva Castanheira J, Hansen JY, Rieck J, Turner GR, Grady CL, Misic B, Nomi J, Uddin LQ, Spreng RN. The biological role of local and global fMRI BOLD signal variability in human brain organization. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.22.563476. [PMID: 37961684 PMCID: PMC10634715 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.22.563476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Variability drives the organization and behavior of complex systems, including the human brain. Understanding the variability of brain signals is thus necessary to broaden our window into brain function and behavior. Few empirical investigations of macroscale brain signal variability have yet been undertaken, given the difficulty in separating biological sources of variance from artefactual noise. Here, we characterize the temporal variability of the most predominant macroscale brain signal, the fMRI BOLD signal, and systematically investigate its statistical, topographical and neurobiological properties. We contrast fMRI acquisition protocols, and integrate across histology, microstructure, transcriptomics, neurotransmitter receptor and metabolic data, fMRI static connectivity, and empirical and simulated magnetoencephalography data. We show that BOLD signal variability represents a spatially heterogeneous, central property of multi-scale multi-modal brain organization, distinct from noise. Our work establishes the biological relevance of BOLD signal variability and provides a lens on brain stochasticity across spatial and temporal scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Baracchini
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yigu Zhou
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jason da Silva Castanheira
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Justine Y. Hansen
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Cheryl L. Grady
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, and Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bratislav Misic
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jason Nomi
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Lucina Q. Uddin
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Setton R, Bzdok D, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Age differences in functional brain networks associated with loneliness and empathy. Netw Neurosci 2023; 7:496-521. [PMID: 37397888 PMCID: PMC10312262 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Loneliness is associated with differences in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) within and between large-scale networks in early- and middle-aged adult cohorts. However, age-related changes in associations between sociality and brain function into late adulthood are not well understood. Here, we examined age differences in the association between two dimensions of sociality-loneliness and empathic responding-and RSFC of the cerebral cortex. Self-report measures of loneliness and empathy were inversely related across the entire sample of younger (mean age = 22.6y, n = 128) and older (mean age = 69.0y, n = 92) adults. Using multivariate analyses of multi-echo fMRI RSFC, we identified distinct functional connectivity patterns for individual and age group differences associated with loneliness and empathic responding. Loneliness in young and empathy in both age groups was related to greater visual network integration with association networks (e.g., default, fronto-parietal control). In contrast, loneliness was positively related to within- and between-network integration of association networks for older adults. These results extend our previous findings in early- and middle-aged cohorts, demonstrating that brain systems associated with loneliness, as well as empathy, differ in older age. Further, the findings suggest that these two aspects of social experience engage different neurocognitive processes across human life-span development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Roni Setton
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila–Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pehlivanoglu D, Lin T, Lighthall NR, Heemskerk A, Harber A, Wilson RC, Turner GR, Spreng RN, Ebner NC. Facial Trustworthiness Perception Across the Adult Life Span. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:434-444. [PMID: 36242775 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Trust is crucial for successful social interaction across the life span. Perceiver age, facial age, and facial emotion have been shown to influence trustworthiness perception, but the complex interplay between these perceiver and facial characteristics has not been examined. METHOD Adopting an adult life-span developmental approach, 199 adults (aged 22-78 years) rated the trustworthiness of faces that systematically varied in age (young, middle-aged, and older) and emotion (neutral, happy, sad, fearful, angry, and disgusted) from the FACES Lifespan Database. RESULTS The study yielded three key results. First, on an aggregated level, facial trustworthiness perception did not differ by perceiver age. Second, all perceivers rated young faces as the most trustworthy, and middle-aged and older (but not young) perceivers rated older faces as least trustworthy. Third, facial emotions signaling threat (fear, anger, and disgust) relative to neutral, happy, and sad expressions moderated age effects on facial trustworthiness perception. DISCUSSION Findings from this study highlight the impact of perceiver and facial characteristics on facial trustworthiness perception in adulthood and aging and have potential to inform first impression formation, with effects on trait attributions and behavior. This publication also provides normative data on perceived facial trustworthiness for the FACES Lifespan Database.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Didem Pehlivanoglu
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Nichole R Lighthall
- Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Amber Heemskerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Alexandria Harber
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Robert C Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Setton R, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Girn M, Lockrow AW, Baracchini G, Hughes C, Lowe AJ, Cassidy BN, Li J, Luh WM, Bzdok D, Leahy RM, Ge T, Margulies DS, Misic B, Bernhardt BC, Stevens WD, De Brigard F, Kundu P, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Age differences in the functional architecture of the human brain. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:114-134. [PMID: 35231927 PMCID: PMC9758585 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The intrinsic functional organization of the brain changes into older adulthood. Age differences are observed at multiple spatial scales, from global reductions in modularity and segregation of distributed brain systems, to network-specific patterns of dedifferentiation. Whether dedifferentiation reflects an inevitable, global shift in brain function with age, circumscribed, experience-dependent changes, or both, is uncertain. We employed a multimethod strategy to interrogate dedifferentiation at multiple spatial scales. Multi-echo (ME) resting-state fMRI was collected in younger (n = 181) and older (n = 120) healthy adults. Cortical parcellation sensitive to individual variation was implemented for precision functional mapping of each participant while preserving group-level parcel and network labels. ME-fMRI processing and gradient mapping identified global and macroscale network differences. Multivariate functional connectivity methods tested for microscale, edge-level differences. Older adults had lower BOLD signal dimensionality, consistent with global network dedifferentiation. Gradients were largely age-invariant. Edge-level analyses revealed discrete, network-specific dedifferentiation patterns in older adults. Visual and somatosensory regions were more integrated within the functional connectome; default and frontoparietal control network regions showed greater connectivity; and the dorsal attention network was more integrated with heteromodal regions. These findings highlight the importance of multiscale, multimethod approaches to characterize the architecture of functional brain aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roni Setton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Manesh Girn
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Amber W Lockrow
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Giulia Baracchini
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Colleen Hughes
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Jian Li
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wen-Ming Luh
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Richard M Leahy
- Department of Electrical Engineering-Systems, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tian Ge
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (UMR 8002), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Bratislav Misic
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - W Dale Stevens
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Felipe De Brigard
- Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Prantik Kundu
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Setton R, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Sheldon S, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Hippocampus and temporal pole functional connectivity is associated with age and individual differences in autobiographical memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203039119. [PMID: 36191210 PMCID: PMC9564102 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203039119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recollection of one's personal past, or autobiographical memory (AM), varies across individuals and across the life span. This manifests in the amount of episodic content recalled during AM, which may reflect differences in associated functional brain networks. We take an individual differences approach to examine resting-state functional connectivity of temporal lobe regions known to coordinate AM content retrieval with the default network (anterior and posterior hippocampus, temporal pole) and test for associations with AM. Multiecho resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and autobiographical interviews were collected for 158 younger and 105 older healthy adults. Interviews were scored for internal (episodic) and external (semantic) details. Age group differences in connectivity profiles revealed that older adults had lower connectivity within anterior hippocampus, posterior hippocampus, and temporal pole but greater connectivity with regions across the default network compared with younger adults. This pattern was positively related to posterior hippocampal volumes in older adults, which were smaller than younger adult volumes. Connectivity associations with AM showed two significant patterns. The first dissociated connectivity related to internal vs. external AM across participants. Internal AM was related to anterior hippocampus and temporal pole connectivity with orbitofrontal cortex and connectivity within posterior hippocampus. External AM was related to temporal pole connectivity with regions across the lateral temporal cortex. In the second pattern, younger adults displayed temporal pole connectivity with regions throughout the default network associated with more detailed AMs overall. Our findings provide evidence for discrete ensembles of brain regions that scale with systematic variation in recollective styles across the healthy adult life span.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roni Setton
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lin T, Horta M, Heald K, Heemskerk A, Darboh B, Levi A, Spreng RN, Turner GR, Ebner NC. Loneliness Progression Among Older Adults During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States and Canada. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:e23-e29. [PMID: 34905015 PMCID: PMC8974322 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Older adults are at high risk for complications from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health guidelines recommend limiting physical contact during the pandemic, drastically reducing opportunities for in-person social exchange. Older adults are also susceptible to negative consequences from loneliness, and the COVID-19 pandemic has likely exacerbated this age-related vulnerability. METHODS In 107 community-dwelling older individuals (65-90 years, 70.5% female) from Florida, the United States, and Ontario, Canada, we examined change in loneliness over the course of the pandemic after implementation of COVID-19-related physical distancing guidelines (March-September 2020; T1-T5; biweekly concurrent self-report) using multilevel modeling. We also explored gender differences in loneliness during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic at both data collection sites. RESULTS Consistent across the 2 sites, levels of loneliness remained stable over time for the full sample (T1-T5). However, our exploratory moderation analysis suggested gender differences in the trajectory of loneliness between the United States and Canada, in that older men in Florida and older women in Ontario reported an increase in loneliness over time. DISCUSSION Leveraging a longitudinal, binational data set collected during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study advances understanding of stability and change in loneliness among a North American sample of individuals aged 65 and older faced with the unique challenges of social isolation. These results can inform public health policy in anticipation of future pandemics and highlight the need for targeted intervention to address acute loneliness among older populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Marilyn Horta
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Kristen Heald
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amber Heemskerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Bri Darboh
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adina Levi
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Spreng RN, Setton R, Alter U, Cassidy BN, Darboh B, DuPre E, Kantarovich K, Lockrow AW, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Luh WM, Kundu P, Turner GR. Neurocognitive aging data release with behavioral, structural and multi-echo functional MRI measures. Sci Data 2022; 9:119. [PMID: 35351925 PMCID: PMC8964687 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01231-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Central to understanding human behavior is a comprehensive mapping of brain-behavior relations within the context of lifespan development. Reproducible discoveries depend upon well-powered samples of reliable data. We provide to the scientific community two, 10-minute, multi-echo functional MRI (ME-fMRI) runs, and structural MRI (T1-MPRAGE), from 181 healthy younger (ages 18-34 y) and 120 older adults (ages 60-89 y). T2-FLAIR MRIs and behavioral assessments are available in a majority subset of over 250 participants. Behavioral assessments include fluid and crystallized cognition, self-reported measures of personality, and socioemotional functioning. Initial quality control and validation of these data is provided. This dataset will be of value to scientists interested in BOLD signal specifically isolated from ME-fMRI, individual differences in brain-behavioral associations, and cross-sectional aging effects in healthy adults. Demographic and behavioral data are available within the Open Science Framework project "Goal-Directed Cognition in Older and Younger Adults" ( http://osf.io/yhzxe/ ), which will be augmented over time; neuroimaging data are available on OpenNeuro ( https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds003592 ).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada.
| | - Roni Setton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Udi Alter
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Bri Darboh
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth DuPre
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Amber W Lockrow
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Wen-Ming Luh
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Prantik Kundu
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Setton R, Sheldon S, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Temporal pole volume is associated with episodic autobiographical memory in healthy older adults. Hippocampus 2022; 32:373-385. [PMID: 35247210 PMCID: PMC8995350 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recollection of personal past events differs across the lifespan. Older individuals recall fewer episodic details and convey more semantic information than young. Here we examine how gray matter volumes in temporal lobe regions integral to episodic and semantic memory (hippocampus and temporal poles, respectively) are related to age differences in autobiographical recollection. Gray matter volumes were obtained in healthy young (n = 158) and old (n = 105) adults. The temporal pole was demarcated and hippocampus segmented into anterior and posterior regions to test for volume differences between age groups. The Autobiographical Interview was administered to measure episodic and semantic autobiographical memory. Volume associations with episodic and semantic autobiographical memory were then assessed. Brain volumes were smaller for older adults in the posterior hippocampus. Autobiographical memory was less episodic and more semanticized for older versus younger adults. Older adults also showed positive associations between temporal pole volumes and episodic autobiographical recall; in the young, temporal pole volume was positively associated with performance on standard laboratory measures of semantic memory. Exploratory analyses revealed that age-related episodic autobiographical memory associations with anterior hippocampal volumes depended on sex. These findings suggest that age differences in brain structures implicated in episodic and semantic memory may portend reorganization of neural circuits to support autobiographical memory in later life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roni Setton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Departments of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Departments of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Setton R, Lockrow AW, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Troubled past: A critical psychometric assessment of the self-report Survey of Autobiographical Memory (SAM). Behav Res Methods 2022; 54:261-286. [PMID: 34159511 PMCID: PMC8692492 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-021-01604-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Survey of Autobiographical Memory (SAM) was designed as an easy-to-administer measure of self-perceived autobiographical memory (AM) recollection capacity. We provide a comprehensive psychometric evaluation of the SAM in younger and older adults. First, we evaluated the reliability of the SAM as a measure of self-perceived recollective capacity. Next, we tested whether the SAM was a valid measure of episodic and autobiographical memory performance, as assessed with widely used performance-based measures. Finally, we investigated associations between the SAM, cognitive measures and self-reported assessments of psychological functioning. The SAM demonstrated reliability as a self-report measure of perceived recollective capacity. High internal consistency was observed across subscales, with the exception of SAM-semantic. Evidence for independence among the subscales was mixed: SAM-episodic and SAM-semantic items showed poor correspondence with respective subscales. Good correspondence was observed between the future and spatial items and their SAM subscales. The SAM showed limited associations with AM performance as measured by the Autobiographical Interview (AI), yet was broadly associated with self-reported AI event vividness. SAM scores were weakly associated with performance-based memory measures and were age-invariant, inconsistent with known age effects on declarative memory. Converging evidence indicated that SAM-episodic and SAM-semantic subscales are not independent and should not be interpreted as specific measures of episodic or semantic memory. The SAM was robustly associated with self-efficacy, suggesting an association with confidence in domain general self-report abilities. We urge caution in the use and interpretation of the SAM as a measure of AM, pending revision and further psychometric validation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roni Setton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, 3801 University St., Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Amber W Lockrow
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, 3801 University St., Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, 3801 University St., Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kantarovich K, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Fernández-Cabello S, Setton R, Baracchini G, Lockrow AW, Spreng RN, Turner GR. White matter lesion load is associated with lower within- and greater between- network connectivity across older age. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 112:170-180. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
|
18
|
Spreng RN, Turner GR. From exploration to exploitation: a shifting mental mode in late life development. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:1058-1071. [PMID: 34593321 PMCID: PMC8844884 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Changes in cognition, affect, and brain function combine to promote a shift in the nature of mentation in older adulthood, favoring exploitation of prior knowledge over exploratory search as the starting point for thought and action. Age-related exploitation biases result from the accumulation of prior knowledge, reduced cognitive control, and a shift toward affective goals. These are accompanied by changes in cortical networks, as well as attention and reward circuits. By incorporating these factors into a unified account, the exploration-to-exploitation shift offers an integrative model of cognitive, affective, and brain aging. Here, we review evidence for this model, identify determinants and consequences, and survey the challenges and opportunities posed by an exploitation-biased mental mode in later life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Huang S, Faul L, Sevinc G, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Setton R, Lockrow AW, Ebner NC, Turner GR, Spreng RN, De Brigard F. Age differences in intuitive moral decision-making: Associations with inter-network neural connectivity. Psychol Aging 2021; 36:902-916. [PMID: 34472915 PMCID: PMC9170131 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Positions of power involving moral decision-making are often held by older adults (OAs). However, little is known about age differences in moral decision-making and the intrinsic organization of the aging brain. In this study, younger adults (YAs; n = 117, Mage = 22.11) and OAs (n = 82, Mage = 67.54) made decisions in hypothetical moral dilemmas and completed resting-state multi-echo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Relative to YAs, OAs were more likely to endorse deontological decisions (i.e., decisions based on adherence to a moral principle or duty), but only when the choice was immediately compelling or intuitive. By contrast, there was no difference between YAs and OAs in utilitarian decisions (i.e., decisions aimed at maximizing collective well-being) when the utilitarian choice was intuitive. Enhanced connections between the posterior medial core of the default network (pmDN) and the dorsal attention network, and overall reduced segregation of pmDN from the rest of the brain, were associated with this increased deontological-intuitive moral decision-making style in OAs. The present study contributes to our understanding of age differences in decision-making styles by taking into account the intuitiveness of the moral choice, and it offers further insights as to how age differences in intrinsic brain connectivity relate to these distinct moral decision-making styles in YAs and OAs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shenyang Huang
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Leonard Faul
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gunes Sevinc
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, USA
| | | | - Roni Setton
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Amber W. Lockrow
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Natalie C. Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Felipe De Brigard
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Baracchini G, Mišić B, Setton R, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Girn M, Nomi JS, Uddin LQ, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Inter-regional BOLD signal variability is an organizational feature of functional brain networks. Neuroimage 2021; 237:118149. [PMID: 33991695 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal variability patterns promote the formation and organization of neural circuits. Macroscale similarities in regional variability patterns may therefore be linked to the strength and topography of inter-regional functional connections. To assess this relationship, we used multi-echo resting-state fMRI and investigated macroscale connectivity-variability associations in 154 adult humans (86 women; mean age = 22yrs). We computed inter-regional measures of moment-to-moment BOLD signal variability and related them to inter-regional functional connectivity. Region pairs that showed stronger functional connectivity also showed similar BOLD signal variability patterns, independent of inter-regional distance and structural similarity. Connectivity-variability associations were predominant within all networks and followed a hierarchical spatial organization that separated sensory, motor and attention systems from limbic, default and frontoparietal control association networks. Results were replicated in a second held-out fMRI run. These findings suggest that macroscale BOLD signal variability is an organizational feature of large-scale functional networks, and shared inter-regional BOLD signal variability may underlie macroscale brain network dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Baracchini
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada.
| | - Bratislav Mišić
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Center, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Roni Setton
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | | | - Manesh Girn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Jason S Nomi
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, Canada
| | - Lucina Q Uddin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Center, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Spreng RN, Dimas E, Mwilambwe-Tshilobo L, Dagher A, Koellinger P, Nave G, Ong A, Kernbach JM, Wiecki TV, Ge T, Li Y, Holmes AJ, Yeo BTT, Turner GR, Dunbar RIM, Bzdok D. The default network of the human brain is associated with perceived social isolation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6393. [PMID: 33319780 PMCID: PMC7738683 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20039-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans survive and thrive through social exchange. Yet, social dependency also comes at a cost. Perceived social isolation, or loneliness, affects physical and mental health, cognitive performance, overall life expectancy, and increases vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease-related dementias. Despite severe consequences on behavior and health, the neural basis of loneliness remains elusive. Using the UK Biobank population imaging-genetics cohort (n = ~40,000, aged 40-69 years when recruited, mean age = 54.9), we test for signatures of loneliness in grey matter morphology, intrinsic functional coupling, and fiber tract microstructure. The loneliness-linked neurobiological profiles converge on a collection of brain regions known as the 'default network'. This higher associative network shows more consistent loneliness associations in grey matter volume than other cortical brain networks. Lonely individuals display stronger functional communication in the default network, and greater microstructural integrity of its fornix pathway. The findings fit with the possibility that the up-regulation of these neural circuits supports mentalizing, reminiscence and imagination to fill the social void.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, HRH 1R3, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Emile Dimas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alain Dagher
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Philipp Koellinger
- School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gideon Nave
- Marketing Department, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Anthony Ong
- Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julius M Kernbach
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Aachen (NAILA), RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Tian Ge
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Yue Li
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Avram J Holmes
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CA, 06520, USA
| | - B T Thomas Yeo
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Centre for Sleep & Cognition, Clinical Imaging Research Centre, N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Laurita AC, DuPre E, Ebner NC, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Default network interactivity during mentalizing about known others is modulated by age and social closeness. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:537-549. [PMID: 32399555 PMCID: PMC7328027 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In young adults, mentalizing about known others engages the default network, with differential brain response modulated by social closeness. While the functional integrity of the default network changes with age, few studies have investigated how these changes impact the representation of known others, across levels of closeness. Young (N = 29, 16 females) and older (N = 27, 12 females) adults underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while making trait judgments for social others varying in closeness. Multivariate analyses (partial least squares) identified default network activation for trait judgments across both age cohorts. For young adults, romantic partner and self-judgments differed from other levels of social closeness and were associated with activity in default and salience networks. In contrast, default network interactivity was not modulated by social closeness for older adults. In two functional connectivity analyses, both age groups demonstrated connectivity between dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex and other default network regions during trait judgments. However older, but not young, adults also showed increased functional coupling between medial and lateral prefrontal brain regions that did not vary by category of known other. Mentalizing about others engages default and frontal brain regions in older adulthood, and this coupling is poorly modulated by social closeness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne C Laurita
- Health Promotion & Prevention Services, University Health Services, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Elizabeth DuPre
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.,Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.,Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Psychology, McGill University, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.,McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Turner GR, Novakovic-Agopian T, Kornblith E, Adnan A, Madore M, Chen AJW, D'Esposito M. Goal-Oriented Attention Self-Regulation (GOALS) training in older adults. Aging Ment Health 2020; 24:464-473. [PMID: 30724574 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2018.1534080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: A common cognitive complaint of older adulthood is distractibility, or decline in ability to concentrate and maintain focus, yet few evidence-based interventions exist to address these deficits. We implemented s pilot trial of an evidence-based executive function training program, to investigate whether training in applied goal-directed attention regulation and problem solving would enhance executive control abilities in a sample of cognitively normal older adults with self-reported complaints of concentration problems.Method: Consecutively recruited participants were placed into small groups and randomized to either Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation training (GOALS; N = 15) or a closely matched Brain Health Education program (BHE; N = 15).Results: GOALS participants significantly improved on: neurocognitive measures of mental flexibility (p = 0.03, partial eta squared = 0.23); real-world setting functional performance measures of: task failures (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.88), task rule breaks (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 1.06), and execution (p = 0.04, Cohen's d = 0.76); and in-lab functional assessment of goal-directed behaviour divergent thinking scale (p = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.95). All participants improved on a neurocognitive measure of planning (p = 0.01, partial eta squared = 0.031). BHE participants' improvement over and above GOALS participants was limited to: rule adherence on the real world task (p = 0.04, Cohen's d = 0.99), and evaluator rating (p = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.56), and average score (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.71) on the in-lab functional task.Conclusion: Participation in GOALS training can enhance executive control, and lead to real-world functional improvements, for cognitively normal older adults with self-reported attention difficulties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Anthony J W Chen
- University of California, Berkeley, USA.,Veteran's Administration Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ebner NC, Ellis DM, Lin T, Rocha HA, Yang H, Dommaraju S, Soliman A, Woodard DL, Turner GR, Spreng RN, Oliveira DS. Uncovering Susceptibility Risk to Online Deception in Aging. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:522-533. [PMID: 29669133 PMCID: PMC8921760 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gby036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Fraud in the aged is an emerging public health problem. An increasingly common form of deception is conducted online. However, identification of cognitive and socioemotional risk factors has not been undertaken yet. In this endeavor, this study extended previous work suggesting age effects on susceptibility to online deception. METHODS Susceptibility was operationalized as clicking on the link in simulated spear-phishing emails that young (18-37 years), young-old (62-74 years), and middle-old (75-89 years) Internet users received, without knowing that the emails were part of the study. Participants also indicated for a set of spear-phishing emails how likely they would click on the embedded link (susceptibility awareness) and completed cognitive and socioemotional measures to determine susceptibility risk profiles. RESULTS Higher susceptibility was associated with lower short-term episodic memory in middle-old users and with lower positive affect in young-old and middle-old users. Greater susceptibility awareness was associated with better verbal fluency in middle-old users and with greater positive affect in young and middle-old users. DISCUSSION Short-term memory, verbal fluency, and positive affect in middle-old age may contribute to resilience against online spear-phishing attacks. These results inform mechanisms of online fraud susceptibility and real-life decision-supportive interventions toward fraud risk reduction in aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Donovan M Ellis
- Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Harold A Rocha
- Department of Psychology, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Huizi Yang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Sandeep Dommaraju
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Adam Soliman
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Damon L Woodard
- Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Daniela S Oliveira
- Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research, University of Florida, Gainesville
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Maillet D, Beaty RE, Adnan A, Fox KCR, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Aging and the wandering brain: Age-related differences in the neural correlates of stimulus-independent thoughts. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223981. [PMID: 31613920 PMCID: PMC6793871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, several studies have indicated that healthy older adults exhibit a reduction in task-unrelated thoughts compared to young adults. However, much less is known regarding age-related differences in time spent engaging in stimulus-independent thoughts or in their neural correlates in the absence of an ongoing task. In the current study, we collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data while 29 young (mean age = 22y) and 22 older (mean age = 70y) adults underwent experience sampling in the absence of an ongoing task (i.e., at “rest”). Although both age groups reported spending a similar amount of time engaged in stimulus-independent thoughts, older adults rated their thoughts as more present-oriented (rather than atemporal) and more novel. Moreover, controlling for these age-related differences in content, we found that experiencing stimulus-independent thoughts was associated with increased posterior cingulate and left angular gyrus activation across age groups compared to exhibiting an external focus of attention. When experiencing stimulus-independent thoughts, younger adults engaged medial and left lateral prefrontal cortex as well as left superior temporal gyrus to a greater degree than older adults. Taken together, our results suggest that, in the absence of an ongoing task, although young and older adults spend a similar amount of time engaging in stimulus-independent thoughts, the content and neural correlates of these thoughts differ with age.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Maillet
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, University of Toronto, North York, ON, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Roger E. Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Areeba Adnan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Sherman Health Science Research Centre, Keele Campus, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kieran C. R. Fox
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Sherman Health Science Research Centre, Keele Campus, Toronto, Canada
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Lemire-Rodger S, Lam J, Viviano JD, Stevens WD, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Inhibit, switch, and update: A within-subject fMRI investigation of executive control. Neuropsychologia 2019; 132:107134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
27
|
Dey AK, Stamenova V, Bacopulos A, Jeyakumar N, Turner GR, Black SE, Levine B. Cognitive heterogeneity among community-dwelling older adults with cerebral small vessel disease. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 77:183-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 12/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
28
|
Abstract
Cognitive aging is often described in the context of loss or decline. Emerging research suggests that the story is more complex, with older adults showing both losses and gains in cognitive ability. With increasing age, declines in controlled, or fluid, cognition occur in the context of gains in crystallized knowledge of oneself and the world. This inversion in cognitive capacities, from greater reliance on fluid abilities in young adulthood to increasingly crystallized or semanticized cognition in older adulthood, has profound implications for cognitive and real-world functioning in later life. The shift in cognitive architecture parallels changes in the functional network architecture of the brain. Observations of greater functional connectivity between lateral prefrontal brain regions, implicated in cognitive control, and the default network, implicated in memory and semantic processing, led us to propose the default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging. In this review we provide evidence that these changes in the functional architecture of the brain serve as a neural mechanism underlying the shifting cognitive architecture from younger to older adulthood. We incorporate findings spanning cognitive aging and cognitive neuroscience to present an integrative model of cognitive and brain aging, describing its antecedents, determinants, and implications for real-world functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- 1 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Dimech CJ, Anderson JAE, Lockrow AW, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Sex differences in the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain function in older adulthood. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2019; 126:1032-1041. [PMID: 30702974 PMCID: PMC6485686 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01046.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated sex differences in the association between a measure of physical health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and brain function using resting-state functional connectivity fMRI. We examined these sex differences in the default, frontoparietal control, and cingulo-opercular networks, assemblies of functionally connected brain regions known to be impacted by both age and fitness level. Healthy older adults ( n = 49; 29 women) were scanned to obtain measures of intrinsic connectivity within and across these 3 networks. We calculated global efficiency (a measure of network integration) and local efficiency (a measure of network specialization) using graph theoretical methods. Across all three networks combined, local efficiency was positively associated with CRF, and this was more robust in male versus female older adults. Furthermore, global efficiency was negatively associated with CRF, but only in males. Our findings suggest that in older adults, associations between brain network integrity and physical health are sex-dependent. These results underscore the importance of considering sex differences when examining associations between fitness and brain function in older adulthood. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and resting state functional connectivity in several brain networks known to be impacted by age and fitness level. We found significant associations between fitness and measures of network integration and network specialization, but in a sex-dependent manner, highlighting the interplay between sex differences, fitness, and aging brain health. Our findings underscore the importance of considering sex differences when examining associations between fitness and brain function in older adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - John A E Anderson
- Department of Psychology, York University , Toronto, Ontario , Canada
| | - Amber W Lockrow
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University , Montreal, Quebec , Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University , Montreal, Quebec , Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University , Montreal, Quebec , Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University , Toronto, Ontario , Canada
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Adnan A, Beaty R, Lam J, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Intrinsic default-executive coupling of the creative aging brain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:291-303. [PMID: 30783663 PMCID: PMC6399613 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity refers to the ability to generate novel associations and has been linked to better problem-solving and real-world functional abilities. In younger adults, creative cognition has been associated with functional connectivity among brain networks implicated in executive control [fronto-parietal network (FPN) and salience network (SN)] and associative or elaborative processing default network (DN). Here, we investigate whether creativity is associated with the intrinsic network architecture of the brain and how these associations may differ for younger and older adults. Young (mean age: 24.76, n = 22) and older (mean age: 70.03, n = 44) adults underwent multi-echo functional magnetic resonance image scanning at rest and completed a divergent-thinking task to assess creative cognition outside the scanner. Divergent thinking in older adults, compared to young adults, was associated with functional connectivity between the default and both executive control networks (FPN and SN) as well as more widespread default-executive coupling. Finally, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex appears to be a critical node involved in within- and between-network connectivity associated with creative cognition in older adulthood. Patterns of intrinsic network coupling revealed here suggest a putative neural mechanism underlying a greater role for mnemonic processes in creative cognition in older adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Areeba Adnan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada
| | - Roger Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jaeger Lam
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Maillet D, Beaty RE, Jordano ML, Touron DR, Adnan A, Silvia PJ, Kwapil TR, Turner GR, Spreng RN, Kane MJ. Age-related differences in mind-wandering in daily life. Psychol Aging 2019; 33:643-653. [PMID: 29902056 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, several laboratory studies have indicated that healthy older adults exhibit a reduction in mind-wandering frequency compared with young adults. However, it is unclear if these findings extend to daily life settings. In the current study, using experience sampling over the course of a week in the daily life of 31 young and 20 older adults, we assessed age-related differences in: (a) mind-wandering frequency, (b) the relationship between affect and mind-wandering frequency, and (c) content of mind wandering. Older adults mind wandered less than young adults in daily life. Across age groups, negative affect was positively associated with mind-wandering occurrence. Finally, older adults reported that their thoughts were more pleasant, interesting, and clear compared with young adults, who had thoughts that were more dreamlike, novel, strange, and racing. Our results provide the first demonstration using thought sampling that older adults exhibit a reduction in mind-wandering frequency in daily life. Implications for current theories of age-related reductions in mind-wandering frequency are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan L Jordano
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Dayna R Touron
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | | | - Paul J Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Thomas R Kwapil
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | | | | | - Michael J Kane
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Adnan A, Beaty R, Silvia P, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Creative aging: functional brain networks associated with divergent thinking in older and younger adults. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 75:150-158. [PMID: 30572185 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Creative thinking is associated with connectivity between the default and executive control networks in the young brain. In aging, this pattern of functional coupling has been observed across multiple tasks. We have described this as the Default-Executive Coupling Hypothesis of Aging and suggest that this connectivity pattern may also be associated with creativity in older adulthood. However, age differences in brain networks implicated in creativity have yet to be investigated. The overarching goal of the present study was to examine age-related changes to functional brain networks associated with creativity. Specifically, we explored functional connectivity patterns among default and executive control brain regions associated with creative thoughts in older and younger adults. In a cross-sectional design, young (mean age = 21 y; n = 30) and older (mean age = 70 y; n = 25) participants completed a divergent thinking task during fMRI, which was examined using region of interest functional connectivity analyses. Consistent with predictions, analyses demonstrated that default and executive networks are more functionally coupled during creative thinking for older than younger adults. Critically, despite similar performance on an in-scanner creativity task, increased network efficiency was associated with creative ability for older adults only. These findings provide novel evidence of default-executive coupling as a putative mechanism associated with creative ability in later life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Areeba Adnan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Roger Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Sullivan MD, Anderson JAE, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Intrinsic neurocognitive network connectivity differences between normal aging and mild cognitive impairment are associated with cognitive status and age. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 73:219-228. [PMID: 30391818 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of the amnestic type is considered to be a transitionary stage between healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have demonstrated that intrinsic functional connectivity of the default network (DN) is altered in normal aging and AD and impacts both within- and between-network connectivity. Although changes within the DN have been reported in MCI, it remains uncertain how interactions with other large-scale brain networks are altered in this prodromal stage of AD. We investigated within- and between-network connectivity in healthy older adults (HOAs) and older adults with MCI across 3 canonical brain networks: DN, dorsal attention network, and frontoparietal control network. We also assessed how patterns of functional connectivity among the 3 networks predicted cognitive status and age using multivariate partial least squares. A total of 91 MCI and 71 HOA resting-state scans were analyzed from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. There were 3 key findings. First, a circumscribed pattern of greater between-network and interhemispheric connectivity was associated with higher cognitive status in HOAs. Second, for individuals with MCI, cognitive status was positively associated with a more distributed, less-differentiated pattern of intrinsic functional connectivity across the 3 networks. Finally, greater within-network functional connectivity was positively associated with cognitive status for HOAs irrespective of age; however, this compensation-like effect diminished with increasing age for participants with MCI. Although reliable differences between healthy aging and MCI in the intrinsic network architecture of the brain are apparent, these differences emerge as shifting associations between network interactivity, cognitive functioning, and age.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - John A E Anderson
- Kimmel Family Imaging and Genetics Laboratory, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Curtis AF, Turner GR, Park NW, Murtha SJE. Improving visual spatial working memory in younger and older adults: effects of cross-modal cues. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn 2017; 26:24-43. [PMID: 29105548 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1397096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Spatially informative auditory and vibrotactile (cross-modal) cues can facilitate attention but little is known about how similar cues influence visual spatial working memory (WM) across the adult lifespan. We investigated the effects of cues (spatially informative or alerting pre-cues vs. no cues), cue modality (auditory vs. vibrotactile vs. visual), memory array size (four vs. six items), and maintenance delay (900 vs. 1800 ms) on visual spatial location WM recognition accuracy in younger adults (YA) and older adults (OA). We observed a significant interaction between spatially informative pre-cue type, array size, and delay. OA and YA benefitted equally from spatially informative pre-cues, suggesting that attentional orienting prior to WM encoding, regardless of cue modality, is preserved with age. Contrary to predictions, alerting pre-cues generally impaired performance in both age groups, suggesting that maintaining a vigilant state of arousal by facilitating the alerting attention system does not help visual spatial location WM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley F Curtis
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Norman W Park
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Susan J E Murtha
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , ON , Canada
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Spreng RN, Cassidy BN, Darboh BS, DuPre E, Lockrow AW, Setton R, Turner GR. Financial Exploitation Is Associated With Structural and Functional Brain Differences in Healthy Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2017; 72:1365-1368. [PMID: 28369260 PMCID: PMC5861949 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glx051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Age-related brain changes leading to altered socioemotional functioning may increase vulnerability to financial exploitation. If confirmed, this would suggest a novel mechanism leading to heightened financial exploitation risk in older adults. Development of predictive neural markers could facilitate increased vigilance and prevention. In this preliminary study, we sought to identify structural and functional brain differences associated with financial exploitation in older adults. Methods Financially exploited older adults (n = 13, 7 female) and a matched cohort of older adults who had been exposed to, but avoided, a potentially exploitative situation (n = 13, 7 female) were evaluated. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we examined cortical thickness and resting state functional connectivity. Behavioral data were collected using standardized cognitive assessments, self-report measures of mood and social functioning. Results The exploited group showed cortical thinning in anterior insula and posterior superior temporal cortices, regions associated with processing affective and social information, respectively. Functional connectivity encompassing these regions, within default and salience networks, was reduced, while between network connectivity was increased. Self-reported anger and hostility was higher for the exploited group. Conclusions We observed financial exploitation associated with brain differences in regions involved in socioemotional functioning. These exploratory and preliminary findings suggest that alterations in brain regions implicated in socioemotional functioning may be a marker of financial exploitation risk. Large-scale, prospective studies are necessary to validate this neural mechanism, and develop predictive markers for use in clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | | | - Bri S Darboh
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth DuPre
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Amber W Lockrow
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Roni Setton
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND While older adults are able to attend to goal-relevant information, the capacity to ignore irrelevant or distracting information declines with advancing age. This decline in selective attention has been associated with poor modulation of brain activity in sensory cortices by anterior brain regions implicated in cognitive control. OBJECTIVE Here we investigated whether participation in an executive control training program would result in improved selective attention and associated functional brain changes in a sample of healthy older adults (N = 24, age 60-85 years). METHODS Participants were enrolled in a goal-oriented attentional self-regulation (GOALS) program (n = 11) or a brain health education workshop as an active control condition (n = 13). All participants performed a working memory task requiring attention to or suppression of visual stimuli based on goal-relevance during functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS We observed a pattern of enhanced activity in right frontal, parietal and temporal brain regions from pre- to posttraining in the GOALS intervention group, which predicted the selectivity of subsequent memory for goal-relevant stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Executive control training in older adults alters functional activity in brain regions associated with attentional control, and selectively predicts behavioral outcome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony J.W. Chen
- Veteran's Administration Northern California Health Care System
- University of California, Berkeley
| | - Tatjana Novakovic-Agopian
- Veteran's Administration Northern California Health Care System
- University of California, San Francisco
- California Pacific Medical Centre
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Veteran's Administration Northern California Health Care System
- University of California, Berkeley
| | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Sharma B, Tomaszczyk JC, Dawson D, Turner GR, Colella B, Green REA. Feasibility of online self-administered cognitive training in moderate-severe brain injury. Disabil Rehabil 2016; 39:1380-1390. [PMID: 27414703 DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2016.1195453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Cognitive environmental enrichment (C-EE) offers promise for offsetting neural decline that is observed in chronic moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Brain games are a delivery modality for C-EE that can be self-administered over the Internet without therapist oversight. To date, only one study has examined the feasibility of self-administered brain games in TBI, and the study focused predominantly on mild TBI. Therefore, the primary purpose of the current study was to examine the feasibility of self-administered brain games in moderate-severe TBI. A secondary and related purpose was to examine the feasibility of remote monitoring of any C-EE-induced adverse symptoms with a self-administered evaluation tool. METHOD Ten patients with moderate-severe TBI were asked to complete 12 weeks (60 min/day, five days/week) of online brain games with bi-weekly self-evaluation, intended to measure any adverse consequences of cognitive training (e.g., fatigue, eye strain). RESULTS There was modest weekly adherence (42.6% ± 4.4%, averaged across patients and weeks) and 70% patient retention; of the seven retained patients, six completed the self-evaluation questionnaire at least once/week for each week of the study. CONCLUSIONS Even patients with moderate-severe TBI can complete a demanding, online C-EE intervention and a self-administered symptom evaluation tool with limited therapist oversight, though at daily rate closer to 30 than 60 min per day. Further self-administered C-EE research is underway in our lab, with more extensive environmental support. Implications for Rehabilitation Online brain games (which may serve as a rehabilitation paradigm that can help offset the neurodegeneration observed in chronic TBI) can be feasibly self-administered by moderate-to-severe TBI patients. Brain games are a promising therapy modality, as they can be accessed by all moderate-to-severe TBI patients irrespective of geographic location, clinic and/or therapist availability, or impairments that limit mobility and access to rehabilitation services. Future efficacy trials that examine the effect of brain games for offsetting neurodegeneration in moderate-to-severe TBI patients are warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhanu Sharma
- a Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (Formerly Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science) , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.,b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Jennifer C Tomaszczyk
- b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Deirdre Dawson
- a Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (Formerly Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science) , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.,b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.,c Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.,d Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- e Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Brenda Colella
- b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Robin E A Green
- a Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (Formerly Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science) , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , Canada.,b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Gallen CL, Turner GR, Adnan A, D'Esposito M. Reconfiguration of brain network architecture to support executive control in aging. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 44:42-52. [PMID: 27318132 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aging is accompanied by declines in executive control abilities and changes in underlying brain network architecture. Here, we examined brain networks in young and older adults during a task-free resting state and an N-back task and investigated age-related changes in the modular network organization of the brain. Compared with young adults, older adults showed larger changes in network organization between resting state and task. Although young adults exhibited increased connectivity between lateral frontal regions and other network modules during the most difficult task condition, older adults also exhibited this pattern of increased connectivity during less-demanding task conditions. Moreover, the increase in between-module connectivity in older adults was related to faster task performance and greater fractional anisotropy of the superior longitudinal fasciculus. These results demonstrate that older adults who exhibit more pronounced network changes between a resting state and task have better executive control performance and greater structural connectivity of a core frontal-posterior white matter pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L Gallen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, Sherman Health Sciences Research Centre, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Areeba Adnan
- Department of Psychology, Sherman Health Sciences Research Centre, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Turner GR, Spreng RN. Prefrontal Engagement and Reduced Default Network Suppression Co-occur and Are Dynamically Coupled in Older Adults: The Default-Executive Coupling Hypothesis of Aging. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:2462-76. [PMID: 26351864 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Reduced executive control is a hallmark of neurocognitive aging. Poor modulation of lateral pFC activity in the context of increasing task challenge in old adults and a "failure to deactivate" the default network during cognitive control tasks have been observed. Whether these two patterns represent discrete mechanisms of neurocognitive aging or interact into older adulthood remains unknown. We examined whether altered pFC and default network dynamics co-occur during goal-directed planning over increasing levels of difficulty during performance on the Tower of London task. We used fMRI to investigate task- and age-related changes in brain activation and functional connectivity across four levels of task challenge. Frontoparietal executive control regions were activated and default network regions were suppressed during planning relative to counting performance in both groups. Older adults, unlike young, failed to modulate brain activity in executive control and default regions as planning demands increased. Critically, functional connectivity analyses revealed bilateral dorsolateral pFC coupling in young adults and dorsolateral pFC to default coupling in older adults with increased planning complexity. We propose a default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging. First, this hypothesis suggests that failure to modulate control and default network activity in response to increasing task challenge are linked in older adulthood. Second, functional brain changes involve greater coupling of lateral pFC and the default network as cognitive control demands increase in older adults. We speculate that these changes reflect an adaptive shift in cognitive approach as older adults come to rely more upon stored representations to support goal-directed task performance.
Collapse
|
40
|
Spreng RN, Gerlach KD, Turner GR, Schacter DL. Autobiographical Planning and the Brain: Activation and Its Modulation by Qualitative Features. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:2147-57. [PMID: 26102226 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
To engage in purposeful behavior, it is important to make plans, which organize subsequent actions. Most studies of planning involve "look-ahead" puzzle tasks that are unrelated to personal goals. We developed a task to assess autobiographical planning, which involves the formulation of personal plans in response to real-world goals, and examined autobiographical planning in 63 adults during fMRI scanning. Autobiographical planning was found to engage the default network, including medial-temporal lobe and midline structures, and executive control regions in lateral pFC and parietal cortex and caudate. To examine how specific qualitative features of autobiographical plans modulate neural activity, we performed parametric modulation analyses. Ratings of plan detail, novelty, temporal distance, ease of plan formulation, difficulty in goal completion, and confidence in goal accomplishment were used as covariates in six hierarchical linear regression models. This modeling procedure removed shared variance among the ratings, allowing us to determine the independent relationship between ratings of interest and trial-wise BOLD signal. We found that specific autobiographical planning, describing a detailed, achievable, and actionable planning process for attaining a clearly envisioned future, recruited both default and frontoparietal brain regions. In contrast, abstract autobiographical planning, plans that were constructed from more generalized semantic or affective representations of a less tangible and distant future, involved interactions among default, sensory perceptual, and limbic brain structures. Specific qualities of autobiographical plans are important predictors of default and frontoparietal control network engagement during plan formation and reflect the contribution of mnemonic and executive control processes to autobiographical planning.
Collapse
|
41
|
Soh DW, Skocic J, Nash K, Stevens S, Turner GR, Rovet J. Self-regulation therapy increases frontal gray matter in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: evaluation by voxel-based morphometry. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:108. [PMID: 25788884 PMCID: PMC4349084 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder show executive function (EF) deficits, particularly in self-regulation skills, and abnormalities in brain regions critical for these skills. None of the validated EF interventions for these children has been evaluated with regards to impacts on brain structure. Twenty-nine children with FASD were assigned to either an immediate-treatment (TX) or delayed-treatment control (DTC) group (DTC). Nineteen typically developing children served as healthy controls (CT). All received a structural MRI scan and baseline neuropsychological testing, following which the TX group underwent 12 weekly 1.5-h sessions of the Alert Program for Self-Regulation(®). After treatment or a period of ~14 weeks, all received a repeat scan and post-intervention testing. Whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses using voxel-based morphometry evaluated group differences and changes over time in gray matter (GM). Exploratory analyses revealed significant group changes: (1) At baseline, combined TX and DTC groups demonstrated global GM reductions compared with the CT group. (2) Region-of-interest analysis using a frontal mask, comparing post-intervention to pre-intervention results, showed significantly increased GM in the left middle frontal gyrus (BA10), right frontal pole (BA11), and right anterior cingulate (BA32) in the TX group. Similar results were not found in the DTC or CT groups. (3) At post-intervention, both TX and CT groups showed larger GM volumes than the DTC group in the left superior frontal gyrus (BA9), which was smaller in the FASD group at baseline. These results suggested that Alert led to improvements in post-intervention testing of self-regulation skills and typical brain development in treated children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debra W. Soh
- Department of Psychology, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jovanka Skocic
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kelly Nash
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, The Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, University of TorontoON, Canada
| | - Sara Stevens
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of TorontoON, Canada
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Department of Psychology, York UniversityToronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joanne Rovet
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of TorontoON, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of TorontoON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Tomaszczyk JC, Green NL, Frasca D, Colella B, Turner GR, Christensen BK, Green REA. Negative neuroplasticity in chronic traumatic brain injury and implications for neurorehabilitation. Neuropsychol Rev 2014; 24:409-27. [PMID: 25421811 PMCID: PMC4250564 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-014-9273-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Based on growing findings of brain volume loss and deleterious white matter alterations during the chronic stages of injury, researchers posit that moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may act to “age” the brain by reducing reserve capacity and inducing neurodegeneration. Evidence that these changes correlate with poorer cognitive and functional outcomes corroborates this progressive characterization of chronic TBI. Borrowing from a framework developed to explain cognitive aging (Mahncke et al., Progress in Brain Research, 157, 81–109, 2006a; Mahncke et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(33), 12523–12528, 2006b), we suggest here that environmental factors (specifically environmental impoverishment and cognitive disuse) contribute to a downward spiral of negative neuroplastic change that may modulate the brain changes described above. In this context, we review new literature supporting the original aging framework, and its extrapolation to chronic TBI. We conclude that negative neuroplasticity may be one of the mechanisms underlying cognitive and neural decline in chronic TBI, but that there are a number of points of intervention that would permit mitigation of this decline and better long-term clinical outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Tomaszczyk
- Research Department, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Middleton LE, Lam B, Fahmi H, Black SE, McIlroy WE, Stuss DT, Danells C, Ween J, Turner GR. Frequency of domain-specific cognitive impairment in sub-acute and chronic stroke. NeuroRehabilitation 2014; 34:305-12. [DOI: 10.3233/nre-131030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Middleton
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin Lam
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Halla Fahmi
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sandra E. Black
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - William E. McIlroy
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Donald T. Stuss
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest, Toronto, Canada
| | - Cynthia Danells
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jon Ween
- Rockwood Epilepsy and Stroke Center, Spokane, WA, USA
| | - Gary R. Turner
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Hunt AW, Turner GR, Polatajko H, Bottari C, Dawson DR. Executive function, self-regulation and attribution in acquired brain injury: A scoping review. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2013; 23:914-32. [DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2013.835739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
45
|
Abstract
Background. Functional neuroimaging is increasingly used in rehabilitation research to map the neural mechanisms subserving training targets. These data can inform intervention design and improve evaluation of treatment outcomes. Reliable neural markers may provide standard metrics of treatment impact and allow consideration of behavioral outcomes in the context of functional brain changes. Objective. To identify common patterns of functional brain changes associated with training across a diverse range of intervention protocols. Reliable brain changes could inform development of candidate neural markers to guide intervention research. Methods. Taking a quantitative meta-analytic approach, we review the functional neuroimaging studies of cognitive and motor skills training interventions in healthy young adults (N = 38). Results. Reliable decreases in functional brain activity from pretraining to posttraining were observed in brain regions commonly associated with cognitive control processes, including lateral prefrontal, left anterior inferior parietal lobule, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Training-related increases were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate and angular gyrus, core regions of the default network. Activity within the subcortical striatum also showed reliable increases pretraining to posttraining. Conclusions. These data suggest that altered engagement of large-scale, spatially distributed cortical brain networks and subcortical striatal brain regions may serve as candidate neural markers of training interventions. The development of reliable metrics based on activity and functional connectivity among large-scale brain networks may prove fruitful in identifying interactions between domain-general and -specific changes in brain activity that affect behavioral outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gary R. Turner
- York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Spreng RN, Sepulcre J, Turner GR, Stevens WD, Schacter DL. Intrinsic architecture underlying the relations among the default, dorsal attention, and frontoparietal control networks of the human brain. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 25:74-86. [PMID: 22905821 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 447] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Human cognition is increasingly characterized as an emergent property of interactions among distributed, functionally specialized brain networks. We recently demonstrated that the antagonistic "default" and "dorsal attention" networks--subserving internally and externally directed cognition, respectively--are modulated by a third "frontoparietal control" network that flexibly couples with either network depending on task domain. However, little is known about the intrinsic functional architecture underlying this relationship. We used graph theory to analyze network properties of intrinsic functional connectivity within and between these three large-scale networks. Task-based activation from three independent studies were used to identify reliable brain regions ("nodes") of each network. We then examined pairwise connections ("edges") between nodes, as defined by resting-state functional connectivity MRI. Importantly, we used a novel bootstrap resampling procedure to determine the reliability of graph edges. Furthermore, we examined both full and partial correlations. As predicted, there was a higher degree of integration within each network than between networks. Critically, whereas the default and dorsal attention networks shared little positive connectivity with one another, the frontoparietal control network showed a high degree of between-network interconnectivity with each of these networks. Furthermore, we identified nodes within the frontoparietal control network of three different types--default-aligned, dorsal attention-aligned, and dual-aligned--that we propose play dissociable roles in mediating internetwork communication. The results provide evidence consistent with the idea that the frontoparietal control network plays a pivotal gate-keeping role in goal-directed cognition, mediating the dynamic balance between default and dorsal attention networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Chen AJW, Britton M, Turner GR, Vytlacil J, Thompson TW, D'Esposito M. Goal-directed attention alters the tuning of object-based representations in extrastriate cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:187. [PMID: 22737117 PMCID: PMC3380414 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2011] [Accepted: 06/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans survive in environments that contain a vast quantity and variety of visual information. All items of perceived visual information must be represented within a limited number of brain networks. The human brain requires mechanisms for selecting only a relevant fraction of perceived information for more in-depth processing, where neural representations of that information may be actively maintained and utilized for goal-directed behavior. Object-based attention is crucial for goal-directed behavior and yet remains poorly understood. Thus, in the study we investigate how neural representations of visual object information are guided by selective attention. The magnitude of activation in human extrastriate cortex has been shown to be modulated by attention; however, object-based attention is not likely to be fully explained by a localized gain mechanism. Thus, we measured information coded in spatially distributed patterns of brain activity with fMRI while human participants performed a task requiring selective processing of a relevant visual object category that differed across conditions. Using pattern classification and spatial correlation techniques, we found that the direction of selective attention is implemented as a shift in the tuning of object-based information representations within extrastriate cortex. In contrast, we found that representations within lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) coded for the attention condition rather than the concrete representations of object category. In sum, our findings are consistent with a model of object-based selective attention in which representations coded within extrastriate cortex are tuned to favor the representation of goal-relevant information, guided by more abstract representations within lateral PFC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J-W Chen
- Department of Neurology, Veteran's Administration Northern California Health Care System, Martinez CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Turner GR, McIntosh AR, Levine B. Dissecting Altered Functional Engagement in TBI and Other Patient Groups through Connectivity Analysis: One Goal, Many Paths (A Response to Hillary). Front Syst Neurosci 2012; 6:10. [PMID: 22408610 PMCID: PMC3296076 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2012.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2012] [Accepted: 02/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gary R Turner
- Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology, York University Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Turner GR, Spreng RN. Executive functions and neurocognitive aging: dissociable patterns of brain activity. Neurobiol Aging 2011; 33:826.e1-13. [PMID: 21791362 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Revised: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 06/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Studies of neurocognitive aging report altered patterns of brain activity in older versus younger adults performing executive function tasks. We review the extant literature, using activation likelihood estimation meta-analytic methods, to compare age-related differences in the pattern of brain activity across studies examining 2 categories of tasks associated with executive control processing: working memory and inhibition. In a direct contrast of young and older adult activations, older adults engaged bilateral regions of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as supplementary motor cortex and left inferior parietal lobule during working memory. In contrast, age-related changes during inhibitory control were observed in right inferior frontal gyrus and presupplementary motor area. Additionally, when we examined task-related differences within each age group we observed the predicted pattern of differentiated neural response in the younger subjects: lateral prefrontal cortex activity associated with working memory versus right anterior insula/frontal opercular activity associated with inhibition. This separation was largely maintained in older subjects. These data provide the first quantitative meta-analytic evidence that age-related patterns of functional brain change during executive functioning depend on the specific control process being challenged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary R Turner
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Chen AJW, Novakovic-Agopian T, Nycum TJ, Song S, Turner GR, Hills NK, Rome S, Abrams GM, D'Esposito M. Training of goal-directed attention regulation enhances control over neural processing for individuals with brain injury. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 134:1541-54. [PMID: 21515904 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in attention and executive control are some of the most common, debilitating and persistent consequences of brain injuries. Understanding neural mechanisms that support clinically significant improvements, when they do occur, may help advance treatment development. Intervening via rehabilitation provides an opportunity to probe such mechanisms. Our objective was to identify neural mechanisms that underlie improvements in attention and executive control with rehabilitation training. We tested the hypothesis that intensive training enhances modulatory control of neural processing of perceptual information in patients with acquired brain injuries. Patients (n=12) participated either in standardized training designed to target goal-directed attention regulation, or a comparison condition (brief education). Training resulted in significant improvements on behavioural measures of attention and executive control. Functional magnetic resonance imaging methods adapted for testing the effects of intervention for patients with varied injury pathology were used to index modulatory control of neural processing. Pattern classification was utilized to decode individual functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired during a visual selective attention task. Results showed that modulation of neural processing in extrastriate cortex was significantly enhanced by attention regulation training. Neural changes in prefrontal cortex, a candidate mediator for attention regulation, appeared to depend on individual baseline state. These behavioural and neural effects did not occur with the comparison condition. These results suggest that enhanced modulatory control over visual processing and a rebalancing of prefrontal functioning may underlie improvements in attention and executive control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J-W Chen
- Veteran's Administration Medical Centre, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|