Age-related differences in network flexibility and segregation at rest and during motor performance
T S Monteiro1, B R King1, H Zivari Adab1
1Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Belgium.
Neuroimage
|March 16, 2019
Summary
Older adults show increased cortical connectivity and reduced network flexibility, alongside impaired striatal connectivity, impacting motor task performance. Brain network changes with age affect both resting and active states.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Aging leads to widespread brain network changes, notably increased functional connectivity between cortical networks during rest.
- Subcortical structures are crucial for motor tasks, yet age-related changes in their connectivity are less understood.
- Previous research primarily focused on cortical networks, leaving a gap in understanding subcortical contributions to aging brain networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related alterations in functional connectivity across cortical, striatal, and cerebellar networks.
- To examine how motor task execution modulates these age-related connectivity changes.
- To explore the relationship between network flexibility, aging, and motor task performance.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired from young and older adults during rest and a bimanual tracking task.
- Analysis of inter-network connectivity within cortical structures and within-network connectivity in striatal and cerebellar regions.
- Assessment of network flexibility (changes from rest to task) and its correlation with task performance metrics.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited increased positive inter-network connectivity in cortical structures during both rest and task performance.
- Functional connectivity within striatal structures decreased with age during rest and task execution.
- Reduced network flexibility was observed in older adults, particularly in networks with increased age-related connectivity; prefrontal cortex flexibility correlated with lower task error rates.
Conclusions:
- Aging is associated with reduced segregation and flexibility of cortical networks due to impaired suppression of irrelevant communication.
- Striatal connectivity is notably impaired in older adults, while cerebellar connectivity shows varied age-related effects.
- These findings highlight significant age-related shifts in brain network dynamics, affecting motor control and suggesting a need for further research into cortical-subcortical interactions.
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