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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
Functional changes in the activity of brain regions underlying emotion processing in the elderly
Alessandro Tessitore1, Ahmad R Hariri, Francesco Fera
1Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bldg. 10, Room 3C108, Bethesda, MD 20892-1384, USA.
Psychiatry Research
|June 7, 2005
Summary
Elderly individuals show altered brain activity when processing emotions, engaging more cognitive areas and less emotional centers. This may reflect compensatory strategies for age-related brain changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Aging leads to cognitive and motor decline, impacting brain circuitry.
- Age-related changes in emotional brain regions like the amygdala are known, but their functional impact is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in brain regions involved in emotion processing using fMRI.
- To compare brain activity patterns between young and elderly adults during emotional stimulus perception.
Main Methods:
- Used blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Studied 12 young (<30 years) and 14 elderly (>60 years) subjects.
- Employed a task involving perceptual processing of fearful and threatening stimuli.
Main Results:
- Elderly subjects showed increased fMRI responses in prefrontal cortex (e.g., Broca's area).
- Elderly subjects exhibited decreased responses in the amygdala and posterior fusiform gyri.
- Elderly subjects were slower in task performance but had similar accuracy.
- Analyses using an elderly-specific brain template confirmed these divergent regional response patterns.
Conclusions:
- Elderly individuals engage a more distributed neocortical network for emotional facial expression processing.
- Observed patterns may indicate age-related compensatory responses or alternative strategies.
- Reduced sensory and limbic responses in the elderly might be compensated by engaging cognitive/linguistic systems.
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