Shaky scaffolding: Age differences in cerebellar activation revealed through activation likelihood estimation
Jessica A Bernard1,2, An D Nguyen1,3, Hanna K Hausman1,4
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Human Brain Mapping
|September 16, 2020
Summary
Aging affects the cerebellum, impacting motor and cognitive functions. Unlike the cortex, older adults show less overlapping cerebellar activation during cognitive tasks but more during motor tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Cognitive neuroscience has largely focused on the cerebral cortex, neglecting the cerebellum's role in aging.
- The cerebellum is crucial for both motor and cognitive functions, yet its age-related functional changes are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in cerebellar functional activation using a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.
- To compare cerebellar activation patterns in older adults (OAs) versus young adults across different task domains.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a meta-analysis of existing neuroimaging studies examining cerebellar activation.
- Analyzed task domains including both motor and cognitive tasks to assess age-related changes.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited reduced overlap in cerebellar activation across cognitive tasks compared to young adults.
- Conversely, older adults showed increased overlap in cerebellar activation during motor tasks.
- These patterns suggest differential aging impacts on cortical and spinal inputs for cerebellar comparator processing.
Conclusions:
- Cerebellar functional activation patterns change with age, differing between cognitive and motor tasks.
- Findings highlight the cerebellum's distinct aging trajectory compared to the cerebral cortex.
- This research advances understanding of the aging brain and its behavioral consequences.
