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Related Experiment Video

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A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

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Brain Network Segregation and Glucose Energy Utilization: Relevance for Age-Related Differences in Cognitive

Peter Manza¹, Corinde E Wiers¹, Ehsan Shokri-Kojori¹

¹National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|June 22, 2020

Summary

Brain network segregation and glucose metabolism change with age, impacting cognition. Lower segregation in sensorimotor networks is linked to age-related declines in spatial skills and slower reaction times.

Keywords:

brain glucose metabolism brain networks functional connectivity modularity oxidative phosphorylation

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Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

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Published on: June 3, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Aging
Brain Imaging

Background:

The brain's small-world network organization is vital for energy efficiency.
Brain network segregation and glucose metabolism vary across the lifespan.
The interplay between network changes and cognition with age is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between brain network segregation, glucose metabolism, and cognitive performance across adulthood.
To determine if age-related changes in brain networks and metabolism influence cognitive function.

Main Methods:

Utilized fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).
Analyzed data from 88 participants aged 18-73 years.
Assessed brain network segregation and relative glucose metabolism in sensorimotor and association networks.

Main Results:

Brain network segregation decreased with age in both sensorimotor and association networks.
Glucose metabolism showed an age-by-network interaction: decreasing in association networks but increasing in sensorimotor networks.
Lower network segregation correlated with greater age-related changes in glucose metabolism.
Sensorimotor network segregation and metabolism mediated age-related differences in spatial cognition and response time, respectively.

Conclusions:

Sensorimotor network segregation and glucose metabolism are key factors in age-related cognitive changes.
Targeting somatosensory networks may offer therapeutic potential for mitigating cognitive decline in aging individuals.