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Updated: May 26, 2026
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Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Age-related adaptations of brain function during a memory task are also present at rest.
N Filippini1, L D Nickerson, C F Beckmann
1University Department of Psychiatry, Oxford, UK.
Neuroimage
|December 14, 2011
Summary
As people age, brain function changes, showing increased blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals in frontal lobes during tasks and rest. These functional changes are not driven by grey matter loss, suggesting neural connection adjustments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Age-related differences in brain function are observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Hypotheses suggest compensatory or de-differentiation mechanisms underlie these functional changes, often linked to specific stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how aging impacts both task-based and resting brain function.
- To determine if observed functional changes are influenced by reductions in grey matter (GM) volume.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of 22 healthy younger and 22 older volunteers using structural and functional MRI.
- fMRI scans acquired during a memory task and at rest.
- Analysis of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal and grey matter volume.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited increased BOLD signal in frontal lobes compared to younger adults, both during the memory task and at rest.
- These functional changes were primarily located in brain regions without significant grey matter loss.
- Including grey matter volume as a covariate did not alter the observed group differences in functional activity.
Conclusions:
- Aging affects both task-based and resting brain function, with increased frontal lobe activation in older adults.
- Functional brain changes during aging are largely independent of grey matter volume reduction.
- Results support the hypothesis that the aging brain fine-tunes connections between spared neurons to compensate for neuronal loss.
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