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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Large-scale cortical functional organization and speech perception across the lifespan
John P Sheppard1, Ji-Ping Wang, Patrick C M Wong
1The Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America.
Plos One
|February 10, 2011
Summary
Aging brain networks show reduced global efficiency, particularly in auditory areas during speech tasks. These changes are linked to cortical atrophy but also show task-specific effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Brain Network Analysis
Background:
- Aging significantly alters brain function and network organization.
- Previous studies show age-related differences in brain networks at rest and during tasks.
- It remains unclear if these differences are task-dependent or due to general physiological decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate task-dependent effects on age-related brain network differences during speech perception.
- To differentiate task-independent changes (e.g., atrophy) from task-specific alterations in aging brain networks.
Main Methods:
- Used graph theory to analyze functional MRI data from 12 younger and 12 older adults.
- Constructed weighted cortical functional networks based on fMRI signal correlations during speech perception in quiet and noisy conditions.
- Computed global and local network efficiency measures.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited decreased global network efficiency compared to younger adults, independent of listening condition.
- A significant interaction between age group and listening condition was observed, suggesting task sensitivity.
- Age-related efficiency declines were concentrated in auditory regions (superior and middle temporal cortex).
- Global efficiency positively correlated with cortical thickness, indicating atrophy as a task-independent factor.
Conclusions:
- Aging disrupts cortical functional network organization during speech perception tasks.
- While cortical atrophy contributes to age-related network changes independently of tasks, these changes also show sensitivity to specific cognitive domains like speech processing.
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