The relation of structural integrity and task-related functional connectivity in the aging brain
Hana Burianová1, Lars Marstaller2, Jeiran Choupan3
1Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
The relations among structural integrity, functional connectivity (FC), and cognitive performance in the aging brain are still understudied. Here, we used multimodal and multivariate approaches to specifically examine age-related changes in task-related FC, gray-matter volumetrics, white-matter integrity, and performance. Our results are two-fold, showing (i) age-related differences in FC of the working memory network and (ii) age-related recruitment of a compensatory network associated with better accuracy on the task. Increased connectivity in the compensatory network correlates positively with preserved white-matter integrity in bilateral frontoparietal tracks and with larger gray-matter volume of right inferior parietal lobule. These findings demonstrate the importance of structural integrity and FC in working memory performance associated with healthy aging.
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