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Age differences in the default network at rest and the relation to self-referential processing.

Cristina Saverino1, Omer Grigg2, Nathan W Churchill3

  • 1Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada c.saverino@mail.utoronto.ca cgrady@research.baycrest.org.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|March 22, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Older adults exhibit a positivity bias in self-referencing tasks. This bias may stem from age-related declines in default network (DN) functional connectivity (FC) and signal variability, particularly after cognitive tasks.

Keywords:
ageingdefault networkpositivity effectresting stateself-referential processing

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Older adults often display a positivity bias, favoring positive information in emotion and self-referential tasks.
  • The default network (DN) is crucial for self-referencing and shows age-related functional decline.
  • Understanding age-related changes in neural networks is key to explaining cognitive differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related differences in default network (DN) functional connectivity (FC) and signal variability.
  • To determine if DN FC and variability predict the positivity bias in self-referencing among different age groups.
  • To explore the neural mechanisms underlying age-related positivity bias.

Main Methods:

  • Functional connectivity (FC) and signal variability of the default network (DN) were measured using resting-state fMRI scans.
  • Scans were acquired before and after participants completed personality judgment tasks involving the self and a close other.
  • Participants rated themselves and a close other on personality traits.

Main Results:

  • Older adults reported more positive self-traits than younger adults, consistent with a positivity bias.
  • Post-task DN functional connectivity (FC) was weaker in older adults compared to younger adults.
  • Younger adults exhibited greater DN signal variability than older adults, and higher variability correlated with more negative self-ratings.
  • Greater DN FC was associated with more negative self-ratings in both age groups.

Conclusions:

  • Aging is associated with reduced default network (DN) functional connectivity (FC) and signal variability, especially evident after cognitive tasks.
  • These age-related changes in DN function may represent a neural mechanism contributing to the positivity bias observed in older adults.
  • The findings highlight the role of neural network dynamics in age-related shifts in self-perception and emotional processing.