Frontostriatal white matter connectivity: age differences and associations with cognition and BOLD modulation
Christina E Webb1, David A Hoagey1, Karen M Rodrigue1
1Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Aging degrades frontostriatal white matter connectivity, impairing executive functions. This decline affects brain activity modulation in the striatum, particularly in younger and middle-aged adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Cortico-striatal circuits are crucial for cognition.
- Limited research exists on age-related changes in frontostriatal structural connectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age effects on frontostriatal white matter connectivity.
- To associate these changes with executive function and brain activity modulation.
Main Methods:
- Studied 169 healthy adults aged 20-94 years.
- Utilized diffusion MRI for white matter integrity and fMRI for brain activation.
- Examined associations with executive function and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes.
Main Results:
- Increased frontostriatal diffusivity correlated with poorer executive function, a link that intensified with age.
- Frontostriatal diffusivity was associated with striatal BOLD modulation to task difficulty.
- Age moderated this association, with younger/middle-aged adults showing reduced modulation range.
Conclusions:
- Age-related degradation of frontostriatal circuitry impacts lifelong executive functioning.
- Brain changes in early to middle adulthood are critical and require further study.
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