Age differences in the neural correlates of distraction regulation: A network interaction approach

Older adults show decrements in the ability to ignore or suppress distraction relative to younger adults. However, age differences in the neural correlates of distraction control and the role of large-scale network interaction in regulating distractors are scarcely examined. In the current study, we investigated age differences in how the anticorrelation between an externally oriented dorsal attention network (DAN) and an internally focused default mode network (DMN) is related to inhibiting distractors presented during a 1-back working memory task. For both young and older adults, the extent of DAN-DMN anticorrelation predicted reduced distractibility. Activation in a common set of frontal and insular control regions during the task was, however, associated with opposite patterns of network interaction and distractibility in the age groups. For older adults, recruitment of these regions was associated with greater DAN-DMN anticorrelation and less distractibility (better performance). For younger adults, it was associated with decreased DAN-DMN anticorrelation and more distractibility (worse performance). Our findings demonstrate the age-dependent relationship between DAN-DMN interaction patterns and engagement of control regions during an externally oriented distraction control task. This suggests that engagement of those regions may play a compensatory role for older adults but may be indicative of less efficient neural control mechanisms in younger adults.