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Cited by 202Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCognitive Abilities and TestingHistorical and Modern Theater Studies

Neuroanatomical substrates of executive functions: beyond prefrontal structures

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Bettcher, Brianne M., Mungas, Dan, Patel, Nihar, Elofson, Jonathan, Dutt, Shubir, Wynn, Matthew, Watson, Christa L., Stephens, Melanie +2 more·2016·Neuropsychologia
DOI 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.001PMC PMC4853308
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Abstract

Executive functions are often considered lynchpin "frontal lobe tasks", despite accumulating evidence that a broad network of anterior and posterior brain structures supports them. Using a latent variable modelling approach, we assessed whether prefrontal grey matter volumes independently predict executive function performance when statistically differentiated from global atrophy and individual non-frontal lobar volume contributions. We further examined whether fronto-parietal white matter microstructure underlies and independently contributes to executive functions. We developed a latent variable model to decompose lobar grey matter volumes into a global grey matter factor and specific lobar volumes (i.e. prefrontal, parietal, temporal, occipital) that were independent of global grey matter. We then added mean fractional anisotropy (FA) for the superior longitudinal fasciculus (dorsal portion), corpus callosum, and cingulum bundle (dorsal portion) to models that included grey matter volumes related to cognitive variables in previous analyses. Results suggested that the 2-factor model (shifting/inhibition, updating/working memory) plus an information processing speed factor best explained our executive function data in a sample of 202 community dwelling older adults, and was selected as the base measurement model for further analyses. Global grey matter was related to the executive function and speed variables in all four lobar models, but independent contributions of the frontal lobes were not significant. In contrast, when assessing the effect of white matter microstructure, cingulum FA made significant independent contributions to all three executive function and speed variables and corpus callosum FA was independently related to shifting/inhibition and speed. Findings from the current study indicate that while prefrontal grey matter volumes are significantly associated with cognitive neuroscience measures of shifting/inhibition and working memory in healthy older adults, they do not independently predict executive function when statistically isolated from global atrophy and individual non-frontal lobar volume contributions. In contrast, better microstructure of fronto-parietal white matter, namely the corpus callosum and cingulum, continued to predict executive functions after accounting for global grey matter atrophy. These findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting that prefrontal contributions to executive functions cannot be viewed in isolation from more distributed grey and white matter effects in a healthy older adult cohort.

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  • Bettcher et al. (2016) found individual FA differences in the dorsal cingulum contribute independently to all executive functions, while prefrontal cortex grey matter volume did not independently predict executive performance.

    “They found individual FA differences in the dorsal cingulum to contribute independently to all executive functions whilst prefrontal cortex grey matter volume did not independently predict executive performance.”

    From The cingulum bundle: Anatomy, function, and dysfunction (2018) · cites this paper as Bettcher et al., 2016

    Results §3.4 reports that dorsal cingulum FA independently contributed to both executive-function factors in separate models. But in the final model that also included corpus callosum FA, cingulum FA was independently related only to updating/working memory, not all executive functions. The Discussion confirms that prefrontal grey matter volume did not independently predict executive function after accounting for global atrophy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Bettcher, B. M., Mungas, D., Patel, N., Elofson, J., Dutt, S., Wynn, M., Watson, C. L., Stephens, M., Walsh, C. M., & Kramer, J. H.
Affiliations
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • University of California, Davis (US)
Corresponding author
Bettcher, Brianne M.
ORCID
Venue
Neuropsychologia
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-05
Volume
85
Pages
100-109
ISSN
0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.001
PMC
PMC4853308
OpenAlex
W2292813255
Cited by
202
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 2
FWCI
13.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
NIH-NIA (K23AG042492, P30AG10129 (PI: DeCarli), and R01AG032289 (PI: Kramer)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Historical and Modern Theater Studies
Keywords
executive function, white matter microstructure, fractional anisotropy, corpus callosum, cingulum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, frontoparietal network, processing speed, working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, older adults, latent variable modelling
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Attention, Brain Mapping, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Models, Anatomic, Neuropsychological Tests, Anisotropy, Prefrontal Cortex, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Executive Function, White Matter

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