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Brain white matter structure and information processing speed in healthy older age
Ksenia A Kuznetsova1,2, Susana Muñoz Maniega3,4,5, Stuart J Ritchie5,6
1Doctoral Training Centre in Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Brain Structure & Function
|August 10, 2015
Summary
Slower information processing in older adults is linked to white matter integrity. Childhood cognitive ability did not predict white matter structure in older age, but global brain connectivity is crucial for processing speed.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Normal aging is associated with cognitive decline, particularly slowed information processing speed.
- This decline may stem from age-related white matter deterioration leading to brain disconnection.
- Understanding the relationship between brain structure and cognitive function in aging is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between white matter structure, information processing speed, and childhood cognitive ability in older adults.
- To determine if cognitive ability in youth predicts white matter integrity and processing speed in later life.
- To explore the role of global brain connectivity in maintaining information processing speed.
Main Methods:
- Utilized diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data from 581 healthy community-dwelling adults in their seventies.
- Employed Tract-based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to analyze white matter structure, specifically fractional anisotropy (FA).
- Assessed multiple measures of information processing speed and a general speed factor (g speed), alongside childhood cognitive test data.
Main Results:
- Information processing speed measures and the general speed factor (g speed) were significantly associated with fractional anisotropy (FA) across the entire white matter skeleton.
- Childhood cognitive ability was not associated with older age white matter FA, except for components independent of g speed.
- These findings suggest that global white matter integrity is key for processing speed in older age.
Conclusions:
- Efficient information processing in older adults relies on global brain connectivity.
- The link between white matter integrity and processing speed in later life is not explained by cognitive ability measured in youth.
- This research highlights the importance of maintaining white matter structure for cognitive function during aging.
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