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Age-Dependent Cortical Thinning of Peripheral Visual Field Representations in Primary Visual Cortex
Joseph C Griffis1, Wesley K Burge1, Kristina M Visscher2
1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL, USA.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|November 10, 2016
Summary
Aging causes thinning in the primary visual cortex (V1), particularly in areas representing peripheral vision. This age-dependent cortical thickness change is specific to V1
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Cortical gray matter thickness decreases with age, affecting various brain regions.
- Early visual cortices, including the primary visual cortex (V1), are topographically organized and process visual input.
- Previous studies suggest age-related thinning in peripheral V1 representations, but this has not been directly investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-dependent changes in cortical thickness (CT) within V1, considering its topographic organization.
- To determine if differences in V1 CT between younger and older adults vary with cortical eccentricity.
Main Methods:
- T1-weighted MRI scans were used to estimate CT in different eccentricity sectors of V1.
- Healthy younger and older adult groups were compared.
- Analyses considered gyral and sulcal contributions to rule out methodological bias.
Main Results:
- Age-dependent cortical thinning was observed specifically in anterior portions of V1, corresponding to peripheral visual field representations.
- No significant age-dependent thinning was found in other V1 portions, including central visual field representations.
- Similar results were found when analyses were restricted to gyral crowns, sulcal depths, and sulcal walls.
Conclusions:
- Age-related structural changes in V1 are topographically specific, affecting peripheral but not central visual representations.
- These findings highlight that aging impacts functionally distinct zones within cortical areas differently.
- Further research can explore the link between these structural changes and age-related visual performance declines.
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