Adult age differences in functional connectivity during executive control
Open accessAbstract
Task switching requires executive control processes that undergo age-related decline. Previous neuroimaging studies have identified age-related differences in brain activation associated with global switching effects (dual-task blocks versus single-task blocks), but age-related differences in activation during local switching effects (switch trials versus repeat trials, within blocks) have not been investigated. This experiment used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to examine adult age differences in task switching across adjacent trials (i.e., local task switching). During fMRI scanning, participants performed a cued, word categorization task. From interspersed cue-only trials, switch-related processing associated with the cue was estimated separately from the target. Activation associated with task switching, within a distributed frontoparietal network, differed for cue- and target-related processing. The magnitude of event-related activation for task switching was similar for younger adults (n=20; 18-27years) and older adults (n=20; 60-85years), although activation sustained throughout the on-tasks periods exhibited some age-related decline. Critically, the functional connectivity of switch-related regions, during cue processing, was higher for younger adults than for older adults, whereas functional connectivity during target processing was comparable across the age groups. Further, individual differences in cue-related functional connectivity shared a substantial portion of the age-related variability in the efficiency of target categorization response (drift rate). This age-related difference in functional connectivity, however, was independent of white matter integrity within task-relevant regions. These findings highlight the functional connectivity of frontoparietal activation as a potential source of age-related decline in executive control.
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Cross-sectional designs can be affected by birth cohort effects, including inter-generational IQ increases known as the Flynn Effect.
“Also, cross-sectional designs can be contaminated by birth cohort effects, including inter-generational IQ increases (the ‘Flynn Effect’).43,44”
From Maintenance, reserve and compensation: the cognitive neuroscience of healthy ageing (2018) · cites this paper as [44]
The Discussion’s Limitations section says cross-sectional age-group differences reflect cohort differences as well as chronological age. It does not mention inter-generational IQ increases or the Flynn Effect; searches for those terms found no supporting passage. Page numbers were not provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn aging, reorganization could explain the finding that older adults often have more bilateral brain activity than younger adults.
“In the case of aging, reorganization could underlie the well-established finding that older adults often show more bilateral patterns of brain activity than younger adults43–45”
From Maintenance, reserve and compensation: the cognitive neuroscience of healthy ageing (2018) · cites this paper as [44]
The Abstract describes greater frontoparietal activation in older adults across several executive-control studies and suggests compensatory recruitment. The Discussion section on event-related and sustained activation also reports greater activation in several prefrontal regions in older adults. Neither passage establishes the specific finding that older adults often show more bilateral activity than younger adults; the proposed explanation by reorganization is the citing authors’ framing. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOlder adults often show more bilateral brain activity patterns than younger adults.
“the well-established finding that older adults often show more bilateral patterns of brain activity than younger adults43–45”
From Maintenance, reserve and compensation: the cognitive neuroscience of healthy ageing (2018) · cites this paper as [44]
The Results (Target-related activation; page unavailable) report greater activation for older than younger adults in the prefrontal cortex bilaterally. This supports an example of bilateral age-related activation, but the paper does not establish the broader claim that older adults often have more bilateral activity patterns across tasks. (LLM, conf=0.78)
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References 102 · Cited by 152
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Pessoa L Ungerleider LG Gazzaniga MS Top-down mechanisms for working memory and attentional processes. The cognitive neurosciences III 2004 919 930 The MIT Press Cambridge, MA
- Authors
- Madden, D. J., Costello, M. C., Dennis, N. A., Davis, S. W., Shepler, A. M., Spaniol, J., Bucur, B., & Cabeza, R.
- Affiliations
- Duke University (US)
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Madden, David J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 643-657
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2902259
- OpenAlex
- W2141302788
- Cited by
- 152
- References
- 102
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 6.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- DukeSpace (Duke University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- age-related decline, executive function, task switching, functional connectivity, frontoparietal network, older adults, cue processing, target processing, drift rate, individual differences, white matter integrity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Cues, Female, Humans, Language Tests, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Young Adult, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Executive Function
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